“Agricultural burning” means open outdoor fires used in any of the following:
(a) Agricultural operations in the growing of crops or raising of fowl or animals, or open outdoor fires used in forest management, range improvement, or the improvement of land for wildlife and game habitat, or disease or pest prevention.
(b) The operation or maintenance of a system for the delivery of water for the purposes specified in subdivision (a).
(c) Wildland vegetation management burning.
(1) For purposes of this subdivision, wildland vegetation management burning is the use of prescribed burning conducted by a public agency, or through a cooperative agreement or contract involving a public agency, to burn land predominantly covered with chaparral, trees, grass, or standing brush.
(2) For purposes of this subdivision, prescribed burning is the planned application and confinement of fire to wildland fuels on lands selected in advance of that application to achieve any of the following objectives:
(A) Prevention of high-intensity wildland fires through reduction of the volume and continuity of wildland fuels.
(B) Watershed management.
(C) Range improvement.
(D) Vegetation management.
(E) Forest improvement.
(F) Wildlife habitat improvement.
(G) Air quality maintenance.
(3) The planned application of fire may include natural or accidental ignition.
(Amended by Stats. 2004, Ch. 693, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2005.)