California outpaced Trump's Forest Service in wildfire prevention work - data

FILE PHOTO: A helicopter makes a water drop over a wildfire in the Angeles National Forest during the Bobcat Fire in Los Angeles, California, U.S., September 17, 2020. REUTERS/Ringo Chiu/File Photo

(Reuters) - While more than half of California’s forests fall under federal management, the U.S. Forest Service consistently spends fewer dollars than the state in managing those lands to reduce wildfire risks, a Reuters data analysis reveals.

The relative spending by federal and state forest authorities undermines President Donald Trump’s repeated attempts to blame deadly wildfires on a failure by California to clear its forests of dead wood and other debris.