Section 91520 - Designated amount to improve local fire prevention capacity, improve forest health and resilience, and reduce the risk of wildfire spreading into populated areas Of the funds made available by Section 91500, one billion two hundred five million dollars ($1,205,000,000) shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the Natural Resources Agency and to its departments, boards, and conservancies for projects and grants to improve local fire prevention capacity, improve forest health and resilience, and reduce the risk of wildfire spreading into populated areas from wildlands. Where appropriate, projects may include activities on lands owned by the United States. The funding made available by this section shall be allocated as follows:
(a) One hundred eighty-five million dollars ($185,000,000) shall be available to the Department of Conservation's Regional Forest and Fire Capacity Program to increase regional capacity to prioritize, develop, and implement projects that improve forest health and fire resilience, implement community fire preparedness demonstration projects, facilitate greenhouse gas emissions reductions, and increase carbon sequestration in forests and other landscapes across regions and throughout the state. The funding shall be allocated based, to the extent feasible, on the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan.(b) One hundred seventy million dollars ($170,000,000) shall be available to implement regional projects, including, but not limited to, landscape-scale projects developed by forest collaboratives as defined in Section 4810, projects developed by regional entities as defined in Section 4208, and projects that implement strategies developed by state conservancies through block grants and direct appropriations by the Legislature.(c) One hundred seventy-five million dollars ($175,000,000) shall be available to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection's Forest Health Program for long-term forest health projects, including improved forest management, prescribed fire, prescribed grazing, cultural fire, forest watershed restoration, reforestation, upper watershed, riparian, and mountain meadow restoration, and activities that promote long-term carbon storage and sequestration. Funds may be used for tribal wildfire resilience grants.(d) One hundred eighty-five million dollars ($185,000,000) shall be available to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection for local fire prevention grants consistent with Article 2.5 (commencing with Section 4124) of Chapter 1 of Part 2 of Division 4 and for grants to conduct workforce development for fire prevention and wildfire resiliency work. Workforce development grants may include, but are not limited to, the construction of designated housing for wildfire prevention workers.(e) Twenty-five million dollars ($25,000,000) shall be available to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection for the creation or expansion of a fire training center.(f) Two hundred million dollars ($200,000,000) shall be available to the Natural Resources Agency and the Department of Parks and Recreation for forest health and watershed improvement projects in forests and other habitats, including, but not limited to, redwoods, conifers, oak woodlands, mountain meadows, chaparral, and coastal forests. Projects shall involve the restoration of natural ecosystem functions in very high, high, and moderate fire hazard areas and may include prescribed fire, cultural fire, environmentally sensitive vegetation management, land protection, science-based fuel reduction, watershed protection, carbon sequestration, protection of older fire-resistant trees, or improved forest health.(g) Fifty million dollars ($50,000,000) shall be available for grants to conduct fuel reduction, structure hardening, create defensible space, reforestation, or targeted acquisitions to improve forest health and fire resilience.(h) Thirty-three million five hundred thousand dollars ($33,500,000) shall be available to the Sierra Nevada Conservancy for watershed improvement, forest health, biomass utilization, chaparral and forest restoration, and workforce development that addresses needs related to this subdivision and is designed to create career pathways for individuals from disadvantaged communities, severely disadvantaged communities, or vulnerable populations.(i) Twenty-five million five hundred thousand dollars ($25,500,000) shall be available to the California Tahoe Conservancy for watershed improvement, forest health, biomass utilization, chaparral and forest restoration, and workforce development that addresses needs related to this subdivision and is designed to create career pathways for individuals from disadvantaged communities, severely disadvantaged communities, or vulnerable populations.(j) Thirty-three million five hundred thousand dollars ($33,500,000) shall be available to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy for watershed improvement, wildfire resilience, chaparral and forest restoration, and workforce development that addresses needs related to this subdivision and is designed to create career pathways for individuals from disadvantaged communities, severely disadvantaged communities, or vulnerable populations.(k) Thirty-three million five hundred thousand dollars ($33,500,000) shall be available to the State Coastal Conservancy for watershed improvement, wildfire resilience, chaparral and forest restoration, and workforce development that addresses needs related to this subdivision and is designed to create career pathways for individuals from disadvantaged communities, severely disadvantaged communities, or vulnerable populations.(l) Thirty-three million five hundred thousand dollars ($33,500,000) shall be available to the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy for watershed improvement, wildfire resilience, chaparral and forest restoration, and workforce development that addresses needs related to this subdivision and is designed to create career pathways for individuals from disadvantaged communities, severely disadvantaged communities, or vulnerable populations.(m) Twenty-five million five hundred thousand dollars ($25,500,000) shall be available to the San Diego Rivers Conservancy for watershed improvement, wildfire resilience, chaparral and forest restoration, and workforce development that addresses needs related to this subdivision and is designed to create career pathways for individuals from disadvantaged communities, severely disadvantaged communities, or vulnerable populations.(n) Fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) shall be available to the Wildfire Conservancy to improve firefighter health and safety, advance fire attack effectiveness, and promote community resilience and awareness.(o) Fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) shall be available to the California Fire Foundation to support vegetation mitigation and fuels reduction projects, public education and outreach, personal protective equipment, specialized firefighting equipment, and firefighter health and safety.Ca. Pub. Res. Code § 91520
Added by Stats 2024 ch 83 (SB 867),s 2, eff. 11/6/2024 upon the approval by the voters of the Safe Drinkiing Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Air Bond Act of 2024 (Approved in Proposition 4 at the November 5, 2024, election.).