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Illegal cannabis farms poison California’s forests
Nearly 7,000 illegal cannabis grow sites contaminate California's public lands with pesticides and trash, with only 587 sites partially cleaned up, state records show.
- Integral Ecology Research Center's tally shows nearly 7,000 abandoned illegal cannabis sites on California public lands, with only 587 partly cleaned up after recent fieldwork on Nov. 12, 2025.
- Limited funding and staffing have created a backlog, as the federal government has dedicated no funding for U.S. Forest Service cleanups and shifted responsibility to individual forests.
- Field tests showed dozens of fertilizer bags leaked blue fluid while pesticide sprayers contained residue from carbofuran; pollutants persisted months later and California Department of Fish and Wildlife removed large amounts of trash and chemicals.
- California has allocated over $5.3 million through its Cannabis Restoration Grant Program for a legislatively mandated study and training, while the California Department of Fish and Wildlife will clean grows on 1.1 million acres and assist on federal lands.
- The statewide cleanup study by Wengert's organization isn't due until next year, while new research confirms lingering contamination and a 2018 federal audit faulted the U.S. Forest Service, with U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman noting repeated funding failures.
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14 Articles
14 Articles
Associated Press News+2 Reposted by 2 other sources
'Ticking environmental time bomb.' Illegal cannabis farms poison California’s forests.
Law enforcement raided the illegal cannabis operation in Shasta-Trinity National Forest months before, but rotting potatoes still sat on the growers’ makeshift kitchen worktop, waiting to be cooked.
·United States
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'Little death bombs': Illegal cannabis farms poison California's forests. Who's cleaning them up?
In summary Even after legalization, illicit cannabis grows continue to pollute California’s public lands. And the contamination, new research shows, lingers. Law enforcement raided the illegal cannabis operation in Shasta-Trinity National Forest months before, but rotting potatoes still sat on the growers’ makeshift kitchen worktop, waiting to be cooked. Ecologist Greta Wengert stared down the pockmarked hillside at a pile of pesticide sprayers…
·Sacramento, United States
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Total News Sources14
Leaning Left3Leaning Right0Center3Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Left, 50% Center
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Left, 50% of the sources are Center
50% Center
L 50%
C 50%
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