Forestry and fire protection: land purchases and property use.

Existing law authorizes the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (department) , with the approval of the Department of General Services, to purchase land for lookout sites and for other administrative purposes. This bill would delete that authority for the purchase of land for lookout sites or other administrative purposes and would instead authorize the department, to enter into agreements, easements, licenses, or permits to acquire real property rights for the purposes of establishing fire protection, fire prevention, fire suppression, demonstration state forests, pest control, forest and range protection, and enhancement activities and related uses. The bill would require these agreements, easements, licenses, or permits to be for no more than fair market value and would require the Department of General Services to sign all applicable certificates of acceptance. This bill would authorize the department to lease, for any use, all or any portion of any parcel of real property acquired for forestry and fire protection purposes if the Director of Forestry and Fire Protection finds that the use would be compatible with the department's use. The bill would authorize the department to provide permits for temporary means of ingress to, egress from, and movement across all property under the jurisdiction of the department in order to provide ready access for the purposes of harvesting timber, conducting studies, and passing and placing equipment upon the department's lands, as prescribed. This bill would further authorize the department, with the consent of the Department of General Services, to lease any real or personal property that the department deems necessary for temporary use for fire station facilities, modular facilities, storage, warehouse, or office purposes when existing departmental facilities are inadequate. Existing law authorizes the department, in providing communications and necessary powerlines in connection with the prevention and extinguishment of forest fires, with the approval of the Department of General Services, to enter into contracts with the owners of similar facilities for the use of their facilities. This bill would additionally authorize the department, in providing telecommunications in connection with the prevention and extinguishment of forest fires, with the approval of the Department of General Services, to enter into contracts with the owners of real property in specified locations for the use of their lands or facilities or to install certain telecommunications facilities. Exiting law authorizes the department to enter into cooperative agreements with the federal government, for the purpose of maintaining a fire patrol system for the prevention and suppression of forest fires, as specified. This bill would additionally authorize the department to enter into special use permits with the federal government for these purposes and would include staffing and facilities for the prevention and suppression of forest fires in the definition of a fire patrol system for purposes of these provisions.