Forestry: forest health: fire prevention: grants: funding.

Existing law establishes in state government the Natural Resources Agency, consisting of various departments, including the Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention. Existing law provides that the department is responsible for the fire protection, fire prevention, maintenance, and enhancement of the state's forest, range, and brushland resources, contract fire protection, associated emergency services, and assistance in civil disasters and other nonfire emergencies. This bill, beginning in the 2020–21 fiscal year and until the 2030–31 fiscal year, would continuously appropriate $500,000,000 from the General Fund annually to the Natural Resources Agency for healthy forest programs that reduce greenhouse gas emissions caused by uncontrolled wildfires, as specified, including for healthy forest projects in or adjacent to state responsibility areas, or on federal lands pursuant to Good Neighbor Authority agreements entered into with the federal government. This bill would require the agency, in consultation with the department, to establish and administer the Small Landowner Vegetation Management Assistance Program for the purpose of providing grants and loans to qualified organizations, as defined, for forest health and fire prevention projects. The bill would require the agency to allocate some of the money specified above for purposes of this program.