Gov. Newsom Signs Prescribed Burning Bill

The Governor signed AB 642 (Friedman), a Wine Institute supported bill, today, enacting numerous provisions intended to increase the use of prescribed burning, including the creation of a prescribed burning training center. Prescribed burning is an important tool for reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfires and has been credited with saving California communities from significant damage in previous wildfires, for example Shaver Lake in 2020 during the Creek Fire. Unfortunately, there are numerous barriers in current law that limit the use of prescribed fire. AB 642 will reduce many of these barriers and thus help reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire.

In addition to supporting AB 642, Wine Institute has been working to increase resources available to fight fires and reduce fuel loads to reduce the risks wildfires create for California’s vineyards and wineries. Last week the Governor announced an additional $988 million in funds to address catastrophic wildfires.