Government
BY BEN THOMPSON
Nearly $50 million in city of Austin funds have been earmarked for various wild re prevention e orts over the next few years. City Council voted Jan. 30 to reserve city funds for tree trimming and other wild re mitigation work in public spaces, including up to $42 million over six years for trimming around Austin Energy power lines and up to $7.5 million over ve years for work around city parkland that’s at higher re risk. A nearly $200,000 agreement with the Department of Agriculture also approved Jan. 30 will see U.S. Forest Service researchers conduct a new assessment of wildland re fuels in parts of the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve, building upon a 2000s study from Baylor University. Council votes to fund re study
Balcones Canyonlands Preserve
Potential study locations
What’s next
Data collection in the preserve could start as soon as February and wrap up this summer. Formal updates to the 2000s Baylor data and a published report on impacts to the woodlands are expected in the winter, and ongoing data collection could continue through 2028. In addition to the new federal project, Austin Water also continues to oversee fuel reduction projects in re- risk areas around the city. Mayor Kirk Watson said the new funding and local initiatives are part of the city’s proactive wild re preparedness strategies. “The wild re threat to Austin and the surrounding area is very real—it’s a matter of when we have a serious re, not if we have one,” Watson said in his Jan. 29 newsletter.
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