Thom Porter announced his retirement as director of Cal Fire.
This is following two massive wildfire seasons in California’s history, reported The Sacramento Bee.
Porter will leave the agency on Dec. 10, “to focus on family, aging parents, and self,” according to an email sent to Cal Fire employees.
According to The Sacramento Bee, Porter began at Cal Fire in 1999 as a forester and has served as chief of strategic planning, southern region chief, San Diego unit fire chief and other posts.
Porter has been an advocate for more aggressive forest management and visited the Mendocino National Forest with Newsom and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. He noted that 2020 August Complex fire burned more than 1 million acres in and around the Mendocino forest and tore thought flammable chaparral and brush that had sprouted in recent years.
“Chief Porter has seen the state through unprecedented wildfire challenges over the past three years, and Californians are fortunate to have had his steadfast leadership guiding our preparedness, response and recovery efforts,” said Newsom in a statement.
In 2021, Cal Fire’s budget has grown to more than $3.4 billion as a staff of more than 8,000 employees. Porter took over Cal Fire following the wildfires of 2017 and 2018.
Only one major wildfire occurred in 2019 and was then followed by 2020s worst-ever wildfire season. Most of these fires were caused by a lightning storm, burning more than 4 million acres. 2021 saw another 2.5 million acres burn, reported The Sacramento Bee.
Despite a record-setting storm recently hitting California in October, Cal Fire said the risk of wildfire remains real and will for the foreseeable future, reported The Press Democrat. More drenching rains that are not anticipated to appear in the forecast, however.
The Dixie Fire was the second-largest in California history and the Caldor Fire prompted the evacuation of South Lake Tahoe.
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