When the Jones Fire broke out last August, Cal Fire was able to respond with small tankers in just a few minutes, thanks to the placement of the Grass Valley Air Attack Base at the Nevada County Airport. Airport Manager Kevin Edwards says otherwise firefighters would have to fly in from Chico and there’s little question the fire would have been significantly larger by then. But he says Cal Fire is also utilizing helicopters more frequently, and those aircraft take up more space…

So Edwards says he’s begun preliminary discussions to see if it’s feasible to purchase some nearby forestland, which would include clear-cutting some trees. He says since helicopters are smaller than air tankers they have more maneuverability…

A record amount of retardant was deployed from the airport this year. But Edwards says it’s not even known yet if the additional adjacent property will become available and what the cost would be. Otherwise, he says they’d need to go through the Federal Aviation Administration, which is a much lengthier process.