National Forest Foundation Conservation Campaign Sites

Station Fire Restoration

Angeles National Forest, California

The Station Fire

In late August 2009, an arson-caused fire ignited in the Angeles National Forest, just north of the city of Los Angeles. In days, the Station Fire grew to become the largest fire in L.A. County’s history, burning more than 161,000 acres – 25 percent of the Angeles National Forest. The fire affected four watersheds, decimated forests, and severely impacted both public and private infrastructure. As the nation’s most urban forest, the Angeles attracts millions of recreationists who have seen their outdoor experiences severely impacted by the extent and severity of the Station Fire.

The NFF is bringing its proven experience and leadership to a long-term and large-scale restoration effort on the Angeles. From creating a community organization dedicated to public engagement to implementing reforestation projects to watershed restoration and invasive species management, the NFF is working across cultural and biotic communities to help restore the Angeles. The selection of the Angeles as a Treasured Landscapes campaign restoration site underscores the NFF’s commitment to both the land and the communities that surround it. Already, the NFF and our corporate partners have developed a comprehensive Station Fire Restoration Strategy that outlines specific goals and implementation methodologies. A group of community and conservation leaders convened by the NFF has begun meeting to inform the restoration effort, and large-scale tree-planting will launch in the spring of 2011.

In the coming years, the NFF will continue to ensure that this restoration strategy is more than just a paper document. Through our public and private partners, the goals envisioned will become realities, fostering the return of healthy watersheds, forests, endangered and threatened species, and a natural respite for human visitors and wild residents alike.

See our complete campaign description