Marin County Fire Department has decades of experience managing vegetation for fire control.  With the implementation of the California Fire Plan, a forester was hired to implement a Vegetation Management Program. The program is for communities, ranchers, and natural resource managers who wish to strengthen their protection against wildfire.

Benefits of the Vegetation Management Program include:

The State of California indemnifies participants against damage liability claims.
Up to 90% of project costs are covered.
Resource specialists are provided to plan and implement projects.
The forester writes Vegetation Management Plans, which include: public notification plans, smoke management plans, environmental impact reviews, and more. Plans are designed to implement the best management practice to reduce hazardous fuels by three fuel management approaches.

The three fuel management approaches:

• Residential fuel treatments that are used to create defensible space around structures and neighborhoods. 
• Fuel-breaks are corridors along roads or ridges where vegetation is controlled. Fuel-breaks reduce fire intensity and rate of spread allowing fires to be controlled. 
• Fuel reduction zones are broad, non-linear areas where natural fuels are reduced. 

Excellent examples of the Vegetation Management Program are the Kent Woodlands I-Zone Project and the Marinview Project.