New fund provides coverage for prescribed and cultural burns state-wide
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The state of California has started a new $20 million protection fund, the Prescribed Fire Liability Claims Fund Pilot, which will cover losses if a prescribed or cultural burn escapes control.
The fund will provide up to $2 million in coverage for prescribed fire projects led by a qualified burn boss or cultural practitioner and is the first of its kind nationally.
The new pilot program was created through Senate Bill 926, passed in 2022, and authored by California Senator Bill Dodd.
“Prescribed fire is a cost-effective way to minimize the scope and severity of wildfires,” said Senator Dodd. “It’s a tool that has been used for millennia by Native American tribes and one that will continue to play a big role in wildfire prevention. The rollout of this fund is a big step toward keeping California communities safe.”
These prescribed fires and cultural burns are key components of wildfire risk management by reducing hazardous fuels and making ecosystems more resilient to wildfires as well as restoring ecological and cultural practices across California detailed Dodd's office in a press release.
“The Prescribed Fire Claims Fund pilot project removes a significant barrier to obtaining insurance for potential damages from a prescribed fire or cultural burn conducted by a certified prescribed fire burn boss or a cultural fire practitioner,” said CAL FIRE Director/Chief Joe Tyler. “As we continue to focus on increasing the resiliency of the state’s forests, creating a pathway for private burn bosses to have the significant protection this claims fund provides is a critical step toward reaching the goals of the Governor’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan.”
A notable distinction of the fund is the inclusion of not just private parties, but also indigenous Californians.
“Cultural burning is an essential practice to meet diverse objectives, including biodiversity stewardship, ecological health, and community safety. The availability of this pilot fund provides cultural fire practitioners a safeguard against financial risk in the unlikely event of an escaped burn. This is a significant incentive to support revitalization of burning traditions following the legacy of policies banning such practices,” said Don Hankins, Professor of Geography and Planning at CSU Chico and co-founder of the Indigenous Stewardship Network.
Although extending insurance coverage sounds like an odd response to wildfires, that protection can have a demonstrable impact on the number of options available across the state for both public and private parties.
Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara explains, “The Prescribed Fire Claims fund will be critical to assisting our tribal groups, nonprofits and private landowners who are leading the way. This is an example of government being innovative and leading by example. The data that we get from the claims fund is going to be essential to our on-going education with insurance companies to support insuring this important work.”
