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<ns0:Id>20250AB__189199INT</ns0:Id>
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<ns0:Action>
<ns0:ActionText>INTRODUCED</ns0:ActionText>
<ns0:ActionDate>2026-02-12</ns0:ActionDate>
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<ns0:SessionYear>2025</ns0:SessionYear>
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<ns0:AuthorText authorType="LEAD_AUTHOR">Introduced by Assembly Member Connolly</ns0:AuthorText>
<ns0:AuthorText authorType="COAUTHOR_ORIGINATING">(Coauthor: Assembly Member Rogers)</ns0:AuthorText>
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<ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Contribution>LEAD_AUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>ASSEMBLY</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Connolly</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Contribution>COAUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>ASSEMBLY</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Rogers</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Title> An act to add Chapter 6.5 (commencing with Section 4450) to Part 2 of Division 4 of the Public Resources Code, relating to forestry. </ns0:Title>
<ns0:RelatingClause>forestry</ns0:RelatingClause>
<ns0:GeneralSubject>
<ns0:Subject>Forestry: Beneficial Fire Capacity Program.</ns0:Subject>
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<html:p>Existing law authorizes a person that owns or controls brush-covered land, forest lands, woodland, grassland, and shrubland within a state responsibility area to apply to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection for permission to use prescribed burning for certain public purposes. Existing law authorizes the Director of Forestry and Fire Protection to enter into an agreement for prescribed burning with a person to conduct the prescribed burning operations for certain purposes. Existing law requires the department to develop a training program for prescribed fire users to certify professionals as burn bosses. Existing law requires the department to conduct an experimental program of wildland resources management through prescribed burning and other methods in 2 areas of wildlands. </html:p>
<html:p>This bill would establish in the
department the Beneficial Fire Capacity Program to expand training, organizational capacity, and support for community-led beneficial fire programs, including those developed by California Native American tribes, nongovernmental organizations, universities and colleges, resources conservation districts, volunteer fire districts, and other local or special districts, and would require the program to provide competitive grants for beneficial fire implementation, capacity building, research, innovation, and training. The bill would require the department to take certain actions to maximize the benefits of the program. The bill would require the department to publish and update on its internet website certain information related to implementation of the program.</html:p>
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<ns0:DigestKey>
<ns0:VoteRequired>MAJORITY</ns0:VoteRequired>
<ns0:Appropriation>NO</ns0:Appropriation>
<ns0:FiscalCommittee>YES</ns0:FiscalCommittee>
<ns0:LocalProgram>NO</ns0:LocalProgram>
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<ns0:TaxLevy>NO</ns0:TaxLevy>
<ns0:Election>NO</ns0:Election>
<ns0:UsualCurrentExpenses>NO</ns0:UsualCurrentExpenses>
<ns0:BudgetBill>NO</ns0:BudgetBill>
<ns0:Prop25TrailerBill>NO</ns0:Prop25TrailerBill>
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<ns0:Preamble>The people of the State of California do enact as follows:</ns0:Preamble>
<ns0:BillSection id="id_7C145E56-9DF8-4F12-82A5-9572D86FA4A5">
<ns0:Num>SECTION 1.</ns0:Num>
<ns0:Content>
<html:p>This act shall be known, and may be cited, as the Beneficial Fire Capacity Act.</html:p>
</ns0:Content>
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<ns0:BillSection id="id_77481AD5-FB07-46E3-AFEC-B532911728E7">
<ns0:Num>SEC. 2.</ns0:Num>
<ns0:Content>
<html:p>The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:</html:p>
<html:p>
(a)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
California has taken extraordinary actions to protect residents from catastrophic wildfire in recent years, because effective, ecologically appropriate management of public and private lands across our state is critical to limit dangerous wildfire conditions that threaten life and property and to ensure healthy, resilient ecosystems.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
California’s landscapes evolved with both natural ignitions and indigenous use of fire, and past policies that attempted to eradicate wildfire from these landscapes resulted in unintended adverse consequences, including overly dense vegetation and conditions that exacerbate risks of
ignitions becoming large, dangerous fires.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(c)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Beneficial fire includes practices known as “cultural fire,” “cultural burning,” “prescribed fire,” “prescribed burning,” “good fire,” and “managed fire,” which are practices that enable many types of landscapes to benefit from fire to protect communities and safeguard natural and cultural resources.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(d)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Beneficial fire has a proven track record of restoring the health and resilience of California’s fire-adapted landscapes, and limiting the intensity and severity of subsequent wildfires, thereby reducing the risk of large, catastrophic wildfires.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(e)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
California’s use of beneficial fire has expanded in recent years, and beneficial fire treatments doubled between 2021 and 2024 thanks to tribal, state, federal, local, and nonprofit partners. However, to reach state goals
for both initial treatment and maintenance, significantly more beneficial fire is needed.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(f)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
In light of the landscape conditions and risk of catastrophic fires, it is critical that the state take more actions to further expedite and expand beneficial fire projects, where appropriate, enabling practitioners to more effectively implement safe and effective beneficial fire projects. Recognizing this need to increase pace and scale, the funding allocated to the Beneficial Fire Capacity Program created by this act is intended to be additive and complementary to existing funding programs that support but do not focus on beneficial fire.
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<ns0:Num>SEC. 3.</ns0:Num>
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Chapter 6.5 (commencing with Section 4450) is added to Part 2 of Division 4 of the
<ns0:DocName>Public Resources Code</ns0:DocName>
, to read:
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<ns0:LawHeading type="CHAPTER" id="id_163B2A94-2650-478E-9EC6-6581B45C67CB">
<ns0:Num>6.5.</ns0:Num>
<ns0:LawHeadingVersion id="id_8DC2CED0-9766-4B25-B6F1-33B63F67C4C6">
<ns0:LawHeadingText>Beneficial Fire Capacity Program </ns0:LawHeadingText>
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<ns0:LawSection id="id_879D6FC8-370E-4740-9613-A08F0A9584B4">
<ns0:Num>4450.</ns0:Num>
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<ns0:Content>
<html:p>The Legislature finds and declares that increased use of beneficial fire is an essential component of reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire and related emissions of greenhouse gases from the state’s forests and other ecosystems. Investment in training, organizational capacity, and project implementation is critical to meeting and sustaining this longer term goal, regardless of the immediate quantification of emission reductions.</html:p>
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<ns0:Num>4451.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>
(a)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
There is hereby established in the department the Beneficial Fire Capacity Program to expand training, organizational capacity, and support for community-led beneficial fire programs, including those developed by California Native American tribes, nongovernmental organizations, universities and colleges, resources conservation districts, volunteer fire districts, and other local or special districts.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The department shall use not less than 10 percent of funding continuously appropriated to the department from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund pursuant to paragraph (4) of subdivision (b) of Section 39719 of, or subparagraph (E) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) of Section 39719.4 of, the Health and Safety Code to implement the Beneficial
Fire Capacity Program.
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<ns0:LawSection id="id_C2C84D9B-3D36-404A-A200-7F0D4480EF1C">
<ns0:Num>4452.</ns0:Num>
<ns0:LawSectionVersion id="id_993BFC81-57A0-4018-8845-161F0C9BCEF4">
<ns0:Content>
<html:p>
(a)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The Beneficial Fire Capacity Program shall do both of the following:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Support and implement community-led beneficial fire programs, including training, building and maintaining capacity, and implementing beneficial fire projects. Those programs shall be funded using direct awards from the department, including block grants, and may involve subawards. Organizations with demonstrated effectiveness developing or leading beneficial fire programs shall be prioritized.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Establish a competitive grant program for beneficial fire implementation, capacity building, research, innovation, and training.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
At least 25
percent of the Beneficial Fire Capacity Program funds shall be awarded to California Native American tribes or tribally led or indigenous-led organizations.
</html:p>
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<ns0:LawSection id="id_FC7970D3-024B-44CE-91B6-24D08AA9BEB8">
<ns0:Num>4453.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>The department shall collaborate with other relevant state agencies, beneficial fire practitioners, and organizations currently engaged in beneficial fire programs to establish guidelines governing the program and the administration of the funding.</html:p>
</ns0:Content>
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</ns0:LawSection>
<ns0:LawSection id="id_FB02DDC2-099E-4FB7-BE1D-13028F95F4AD">
<ns0:Num>4454.</ns0:Num>
<ns0:LawSectionVersion id="id_4E18FB04-FEF3-4BD5-9886-EA300EEA22B4">
<ns0:Content>
<html:p>To maximize the benefits of the Beneficial Fire Capacity Program, the department shall do all of the following:</html:p>
<html:p>
(a)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Provide technical assistance to enhance capacity and assist in the development of projects.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Assist grantees in identifying potential funding sources for additional beneficial fire projects.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(c)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Reduce grant application and reporting requirements and reduce reliance on acres treated metrics to the maximum extent feasible.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(d)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Use grant terms of five years or more.
</html:p>
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<ns0:LawSection id="id_A52D0B9A-7B40-4814-8AB4-D76627C10CFC">
<ns0:Num>4456.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>The department shall publish and update on its internet website all of the following information related to implementation of the Beneficial Fire Capacity Program:</html:p>
<html:p>
(a)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
A list of entities funded by the Beneficial Fire Capacity Program.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The outcomes of any block grant, including a summary of the benefits, such as the number of people trained or certified or both trained and certified to engage in prescribed fire, cultural burning, and wildfire managed for resource benefit; the number of project plans developed; the number of projects conducted; and how increasing capacity has facilitated increased burn-day utilization and larger or higher priority projects, as applicable.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(c)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
A description of the estimated need for additional funding for similar work to help meet the state’s goals for beneficial fire as they change and increase over time.
</html:p>
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