Oakland Vegetation Management

Reducing Wildfire Risk

Project Overview

To reduce wildfire threat, the Oakland Fire Department has prepared a Revised Draft Vegetation Management (Revised VMP) and associated Recirculated Draft Environmental Impact Report (Recirculated DEIR) for City-managed parcels in the Oakland hills.

Since 1923, more than a dozen major wildfires have impacted the Oakland hills, resulting in extensive damage, economic harm, and loss of life. Most notably, the 1991 Oakland/Berkeley firestorm burned over 1,500 acres, destroyed more than 3,000 homes, caused the deaths of 25 people, and injured over 150 people. Most of the Oakland hills fall within High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (FHSZ), as designated by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, where vegetation must be actively managed to reduce the threat and devastating effects of future wildfires. The FHSZs in the Oakland hills include areas described as the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI), which are characterized by hot and dry fall seasons, high winds, dense flammable vegetation, steep and varied terrain, hill slope development, and limited accessibility for emergency responders. Microclimates across the Oakland hills create a varied landscape with many different fire risks. The City of Oakland is also designated by California’s Office of the State Fire Marshal as a Community at Risk of damage from wildfire.

Link to Download Project Location Map.

Project Location:

The Vegetation Management (Plan) covers more than 1,900 acres of City property plus treatment areas along approximately 300 miles of roadside. Vegetation management activities conducted on these lands currently includes goat grazing on nine sites covering approximately 1,300 acres, vegetation clearing along 16 roadways (58 miles), monitoring for vegetation clearance along approximately 300 miles of road within the High and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (16.5 square miles), and brush clearance on critical City-owned properties (~332 acres). The Plan and EIR evaluate these and additional vegetation management practices to reduce fire hazard.

News & Information

September, 20 2023

Publication of Recirculated Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Revised Draft Oakland Vegetation Management Plan

The City of Oakland has published the Recirculated Draft Environmental Impact Report (Recirculated DEIR) for the Revised Draft Oakland Vegetation Management Plan (Revised Draft VMP). The EIR recirculation is due to revisions…

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December, 21 2020

Public Review Period Extension for Oakland Vegetation Management Plan Draft EIR

The Notice of Availability (NOA) of the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the Oakland Vegetation Management Plan was previously distributed to agencies, and interested parties, which started a 45-day public review…

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November, 24 2020

Oakland Vegetation Management Plan Draft EIR Available for Public Review and Comment

The City of Oakland has published the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the Oakland Vegetation Management Plan (VMP). An electronic version of the DEIR is available for review at https://www.oaklandca.gov/documents/oakland-vegetation-management-plan-and-draft-environmental-impact-report-documents. The…

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Project Schedule:

The Vegetation Management Plan will be drafted to address a 10-year planning horizon. Public input is essential to the development of the Vegetation Management Plan and associated EIR. Opportunities for public comment are outlined below. However, additional communication tools will be used to inform and update community members throughout the planning process.