(a) The department shall create the Wildfire Resilience Program. The purpose of the program is to assist nonindustrial timberland owners with wildfire resilience efforts by providing technical assistance on multiple topics, including, but not necessarily limited to, helping navigate the permitting process, fuels reduction, fuelbreaks, forest health, and reforestation, for purposes of reducing wildlife risks while maintaining or enhancing habitat, watershed values, and carbon sequestration. This technical assistance shall be provided by department staff and in collaboration with other entities, including, but not necessarily limited to, resource conservation districts and the University of California Cooperative Extension.
(b) The department may use any mechanisms or tools to determine priority areas, including high or very high fire threat zones as described by the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone map, in a Public Utilities Commission-designated Tier 2 or Tier 3 High Fire Threat District, or in the state responsibility areas where wildfire resilience activities are necessary and serve an important purpose. Where appropriate, the department and its collaborators may conduct outreach efforts to nonindustrial timberland owners in priority areas to provide information and technical assistance.
(c) To provide the technical assistance referenced in subdivision (a), the department may use its forestry assistant specialists or any other personnel classification with the knowledge to inform nonindustrial timberland owners of the options to make their timberland more resilient to wildfire and to take advantage of the other provisions of subdivision (a), with specific outreach on these topics to those nonindustrial timberland owners.
(d) The department shall assist nonindustrial timberland owners by making all of the following information available:
(1) A list of permits needed from state entities to conduct various types of fuel removal projects.
(2) Concise information detailing research and current best practices for wildfire resilience.
(3) A list of the grant opportunities statewide which allow for wildfire resilience activities.
(4) The details of grants made by the department relating to wildfire resilience activities.
(e) The department shall provide technical assistance to nonindustrial timberland owners on how to maintain the benefits of fuel reduction projects.
(Added by Stats. 2018, Ch. 626, Sec. 5. (SB 901) Effective January 1, 2019.)