Wine Country Times

A bill aimed at protecting California from wildfires by allowing the widespread use of prescribed burning passed the Senate Judiciary committee on May 4 by a vote of 10-0.

The measure, Senate Bill 332, will make it easier for trained professionals—known as burn bosses—to apply controlled fire to predetermined areas. The bill was originally proposed on Feb. 8, by Sen. Bill Dodd (D-Napa) and principal coauthor Assembly Member Jim Wood (D-Santa Rosa).

"With the perilous #wildfire situation in our state, we must expand prevention methods such as prescribed burning. Thanks to Senate committee members today for approving my bill to do just that," Dodd said in a Tweet on May 4.

Prescribed burning is considered one of the most cost-effective methods to mitigate catastrophic wildfires. However, efforts to expand its use have previously been blocked because of challenges related to securing insurance due to liability concerns. Senate Bill 332 seeks to resolve that issue by providing enhanced legal immunities, ensuring that professionals who oversee prescribed burns will not be liable for any unintended damage except for in cases of gross negligence.

"This bill would provide that a certified burn boss and a private landowner upon whose property a certified burn boss performs, supervises, or oversees a prescribed burn are not liable for damage or injury to property or persons that is caused by a prescribed burn authorized by law unless the prescribed burn was conducted in a grossly negligent manner," the legislation states.

As part of the prescribed burning process, efforts will also be made to remove downed trees, improve wildlife habitats and manage plant diseases, according to Dodd.

“We know controlled burning is one of the best ways to reduce combustible fuels in our tinder-dry forests,” Dodd said in a statement. “It was used by native Californians for millennia and is one of the preferred methods of wildfire prevention today.”

Controlled burning rarely causes unintended damage, and the benefits are believed to outweigh the minimal risks.

Dodd said that the legislation has received overwhelming support from conservationists, tribal governments and ranchers who are invested in reducing the risk of future devastation from wildfires.

In 2020, Napa Valley faced substantial economic damage after a series of fires engulfed over 360,000 acres. The blazes killed five residents and destroyed 1,235 buildings, including hundreds of homes.