Article 8 - Wildland Fire Prevention and Vegetation Management

California Public Resources Code — §§ 4740-4743

Sections (4)

Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 755, Sec. 1. (AB 1570) Effective January 1, 2022.

The Legislature hereby finds and declares all of the following:

(a)The department has extensive technical expertise in wildland fire prevention and vegetation management on forest, range, and watershed lands. When appropriately applied, this expertise can have significant public resource benefits, including decreasing

high-intensity wildland fires, improving watershed management, range improvement, improving vegetation management, forest improvement, wildlife habitat improvement, restoring ecological integrity and resilience, improving community wildfire protection, improving carbon resilience, providing enhancement of culturally important resources, and maintenance of air quality.

(b)Because of the scope of the problem of high-intensity wildland fires and expertise of the department, local governments, including cities, counties, and special districts, need assistance in preventing future problems resulting from inadequate fire prevention planning and vegetation management.

(c)California will benefit if existing state expertise is made available to local governments, including

cities, counties, and special districts, thereby integrating those efforts.

§ 4741

Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 755, Sec. 2. (AB 1570) Effective January 1, 2022.

(a)In accordance with policies established by the board, the department shall assist local governments in preventing future high-intensity wildland fires and instituting appropriate fuels management by making its wildland fire prevention and vegetation management expertise available to local governments to the extent possible within the department’s budgetary limitations.

(b)Any department recommendations made pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be advisory in nature and local governments shall not be required to follow those recommendations.

(c)This section does not alter the existing obligations of a local government or affect the existing liability of any local government.

(d)For purposes of this section, “local governments” include cities, counties, and special districts.

§ 4742

Added by Stats. 2021, Ch. 375, Sec. 15. (AB 642) Effective January 1, 2022.

(a)The state recognizes the problem of recruitment and retention of foresters who engage in fuel reduction at the department. Due to the continuing need to recruit new foresters to fill vacancies, retain seasoned fuel reduction experts, reduce turnover rates, and provide comparability in pay to effectively compete with other positions at the department and ensure necessary staffing levels, salaries and classifications should be improved and maintained by the department.

(b)To carry out the intent of subdivision (a), the department shall take into consideration the salary, classification, and recruitment efforts for its personnel that conducts fuel reduction to fill vacancies and retain seasoned fuel reduction experts.

(c)The department shall, to the extent feasible, engage in recruitment efforts with California Native American tribes, tribal organizations, and cultural fire practitioners to fill vacancies in positions that engage in fuel reduction on behalf of the department.

§ 4743

Added by Stats. 2025, Ch. 778, Sec. 2. (SB 653) Effective January 1, 2026.

(a)For purposes of this section, “environmentally sensitive vegetation management” means vegetation management that reduces catastrophic wildfire risk over the long term while supporting native wildlife and biodiversity.

(b)For purposes of this section, “type conversion” means the process of dominant native plant species, including, but not limited to, native shrubs, being significantly reduced or extirpated and nonnative species colonizing an area due to disturbance events, including, but not limited to, wildfire incidents. For purposes of this section, “type conversion” does not include the removal of native species to make room for other native, but

underrepresented, vegetation.

(c)For a grant program that funds an environmentally sensitive vegetation management project, a state public entity shall consider incorporating into its funding guidelines all of the following criteria:

(1)Follows the

principles of integrated pest management as defined in Section 11401.7 of the Food and Agricultural Code.

(2)Implements measures to support native plant health and biodiversity.

(3)Maximizes long-term risk reduction of catastrophic wildfire.

(4)Uses

monitoring plans, as determined by the funding entity, and incorporates monitoring before, during, and after vegetation management treatments.

(5)Uses methods that mimic natural disturbance processes to maintain rare habitats.

(6)Times vegetation management to minimize

the potential impacts to wildlife and minimize the reproduction of invasive plants.

(7)Minimizes erosion impacts from vegetation management.

(8)Includes consultation with native plant botanists and land management experts.

(9)Leaves buffers

around bodies of water to protect watershed health.

(10)Uses prescribed grazing, as defined in Section 4004.5, where applicable.

(11)Avoids habitat type conversion.

(12)Implements measures to avoid impacts to rare or sensitive

species and habitats, in consultation with relevant agencies.