Senator Limón’s Legislation to Expand the Use of Beneficial Fire Heads to the Governor

(SACRAMENTO) - On Wednesday, Senator Monique Limón’s legislation to expand the use of beneficial fire passed out of the Senate with bipartisan unanimous support. As California continues to see prolonged and worsening fire seasons, beneficial fire has been used to cut down excess fire fuels, however local governments and private landowners have called on the state for additional support. 

Specifically, SB 1101 will streamline CAL FIRE’s contracting and procurement process for beneficial fire. This legislation will also expand pre-fire planning to support wildfire management and controlled burns, and requires mapping of fire severity to improve the understanding of the effects of fires. 

“Over the last five years we have seen historically devastating wildfires across our state, posing a threat to wildlife, biodiversity and our communities,” said Senator Monique Limón. “Expanding the state’s ability to utilize prescribed fire more broadly, will help us eliminate excess fire fuels, and be proactive in stopping catastrophic wildfire.”

Beneficial fire has been used for generations to naturally cut back excess fire fuels that often lead to devastating and extreme wildfire behavior. Beneficial fire is a combined effort of prescribed burning, cultural fire practices, and natural fire management to maintain the health of our forests and grasslands while mitigating fire risk. Although beneficial fire is an essential part of wildfire mitigation strategy, there is not comprehensive landscape planning across state and federal land ownerships.

“Fire is a natural part of California’s ecology; there is not a “no fire” option. But with better landscape plans for managing beneficial fire, we can take control of our relationship to fire so more burns happen when the weather conditions give us good, safe outcomes rather than waiting for the worst weather conditions when fires are uncontrollable and more damaging” said Paul Mason, Vice President of Policy and Incentives, Pacific Forest Trust. “Meaningful community engagement in developing these plans will help broaden understanding of the need for more beneficial fire, and pairs well with CAL FIRE’s new authority to more efficiently implement large prescribed fire projects. We are heartened by the breadth of support for this bill, the total lack of opposition, and Senator Limón’s leadership on the issue.”

In 2022, California Governor Gavin Newsom’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force issued a strategic plan for expanding the use of beneficial fire to “build forest and community resilience statewide.” SB 1101 builds upon this strategic plan by creating an opportunity for our state agencies to partner with federal, tribal, local, and private actors to plan fire boundaries that respect key natural and cultural resources. 

"We commend the legislature for prioritizing common sense policy that is needed to better protect Californians from out-of-control wildfires. Rapidly deploying beneficial fire when narrow windows arise will be crucial to protecting vulnerable communities from smoke and heat impacts,” said Marquis Mason, Advocacy Partnership Coordinator, California Environmental Voters. “Transitioning from devastating wildfires to controlled burns is essential not only for land management but also for public health. We appreciate Senator Limon’s constant commitment to tackling the climate crisis head on."

“As stewards of the state’s 38 million acres of rangelands and residents of its rural communities, cattlemen are on the frontlines of California’s wildfire resilience efforts and suffer immensely when those efforts fall short,” said Kirk Wilbur, Vice President of Government Affairs, California Cattlemen’s Association. “Prescribed fire is the single most effective tool available to prevent catastrophic wildfire; SB 1101 makes it easier for CalFire to nimbly and efficiently apply that good fire to California’s landscapes, and CCA thanks Sen. Limón for championing this vital reform.” 

"Scaling up good fire is crucial for wildfire resilience in communities across the state, and SB 1101 will support CalFire's efforts to reduce hazardous fuels, mitigate wildfire risk, and safeguard public safety and property by making it easier to plan and apply prescribed fire. CSAC commends the leadership of Senator Limón on this issue, and we urge the Governor to sign SB 1101 into law to help protect our communities from the devastating impacts of wildfires," said Catherine Freeman, Senior Legislative Advocate, California State Association of Counties (CSAC). 
 

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Monique Limón represents the 19th Senate District, which includes Santa Barbara, Ventura, Goleta, Buellton, Carpinteria, Guadalupe, Lompoc, Santa Maria, Solvang, Camarillo, Fillmore, Ojai, Oxnard, Santa Paula, and Port Hueneme. She currently serves as the Chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus and as Chair of the Senate Banking and Financial Institutions Committee.