A California logging company has paid US$1.95 million to settle allegations by the United States Department of Justice relating to a wildfire in 2012 that burned 318 acres of national forest land.
CLT Logging, Inc., a timber company that conducts operations throughout Northern California, paid the settlement of $1.95 million. Additional parties to the settlement include Chuck L. Transportation, LLC and Barry Scott Peters. The settlement does not constitute an admission of liability.
Investigators determined the cause of the Dillon Fire in August 2012 to be a trailer carrying improperly secured logging equipment, which dragged against California Highway 96, throwing sparks that ignited dry grass in 21 separate locations. The fire burned 182 acres in Six Rivers National Forest and 136 acres in Klamath National Forest.
“For the first time in its 112-year history, the U.S. Forest Service is spending more than 50 per cent of its budget to suppress the nation’s wildfires,” said U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Regional Forester Randy Moore. “Recoveries like this one help to restore these severely burned landscapes to a healthy and resilient condition.”