Cal Fire approach to SoCal's wildfire crisis could make things worse, court says

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A court ruled a statewide Cal Fire program risks making fires worse by removing native chaparral and allowing the spread of more flammable grasses.

The decision exposes a fundamental rift: Ecologists prefer solutions that preserve native ecosystems, while fire officials incorporate plans to remove vegetation that fuels a fire.

In a case that calls into question plant clearing techniques that have become fundamental to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, the San Diego Superior Court has ordered the agency to amend a program to reduce wildfire risk across the state because it could make things worse.

The years-long legal action filed by the Calif