NORTHSTATE, Calif. -- Forest industry leaders visited Shasta County during the week of Jan. 12 to educate on forest vegetation management, with the goal of limiting devastating wildfires statewide.

The Annual Forest Vegetation Management Conference was held at the Holiday Inn on Hilltop Drive in Redding, going from Jan. 14 to Jan. 16.

Here, industry experts shared information with forest vegetation management workers, heavily focusing on fuels management.

Representatives with the nonprofit behind the event, also named Forest Vegetation Management Conference, told KRCR that Northstate forests are primarily run by the U.S. Forest Service. Aside from this, they said small landowners or privately-owned companies manage forest land.

They stated that people have been making efforts to thin our forests, but there are obstacles in the way.

"In the Northstate, Shasta, Siskiyou County, there's a lot of activity trying to be implemented. There is a desire to thin our forests on a larger scale," registered professional forester and pest control advisor Danielle Lindler said. "It's expensive, and we have limited markets... Where do we take this material?"

Pest control advisor Beau Miller said, "Our goals are education and sharing of knowledge, a lot of institutional knowledge. We're consistent learners and so, Mother Nature is who we work with. We love her. Sometimes she's frustrating and sometimes she's very grateful, and so working with Mother Nature and working outside, there's lots of conditions that exist, and you always have to be a consistent learner."

This was the 46th year of the conference. Event leaders said major wildfires in California aren't a new issue but that they are only getting worse.

Speakers visited from all around the country to bring the most current knowledge to the Northstate.

They told us homeowners can also take part in fuels reduction to help limit wildfire risks.