Thousands of seedlings planted to revive California's 2018 Ranch Fire scar

In a coordinated spring effort, the U.S. Forest Service, local partners and volunteers planted 71,000 conifer seedlings over eight days on the former Ranch Fire footprint in the Mendocino National Forest, east of Nice and Lucerne. The 2018 blaze had consumed 459,123 acres in 53 days, then the largest in California’s history. Before trees could be set, crews removed dangerous dead timber, cut back dense brush and conducted prescribed burns to lower future fire risk.

Organizations such as Patriot Restoration Ops and the Clear Lake Environmental Research Center provided expertise and manpower, emphasizing active management to prevent brush takeover. Seedlings were sourced from Forest Service nurseries, which grow millions of trees annually for post-fire restoration. The project also leaves select dead trees and brush to support wildlife while encouraging natural regeneration of species like California black oak.