Senate Bill 310 was authored by Senator Dodd and signed by Governor Newsom in September 2024. This law reaffirms California’s commitment to addressing historical wrongs and partnering with federally recognized California Native American tribes to advance beneficial fire as a critical tool to meet fuel management and wildfire resilience goals of the state.
This law further authorizes the Secretary for the California Natural Resources Agency and local air districts to enter into cultural burn agreements in lieu of certain permits.
For additional information on this new law, please review our Press Release and FAQ document.
Press Release Announcing New Cultural Burning Law and First-Ever Cultural Burning Agreement with the Karuk Tribe
Cultural Burning Agreements – Senate Bill 310 Frequently Asked Questions
If you have any questions or if your Tribe is interested in entering into a Cultural Burn Agreement with CNRA, please email us at tribalaffairs@resources.ca.gov.
This page will be updated to provide additional information and resources about Cultural Burn Agreements.
Tribal Stewardship Policy Toolkit Webinar Recording: Cultral Burn Agreements Senate Bill 310
The Karuk Tribe and the State of California hosted a webinar to share more information on advancing tribal stewardship through cultural fire, the landmark agreement between the Karuk Tribe and California Natural Resources Agency, and the new law, Senate Bill 310 (Dodd 2024). This new law grants authority to the California Natural Resources Agency and local air districts to enter into cultural burn agreements with federally recognized tribes to honor tribal sovereignty, heal from the historical wrongs of criminalizing tribal cultural burning practices, and to expand the use of beneficial fire to strengthen California’s resilience to wildfire and climate change.
View the recording of this webinar here
Additional resources shared during this webinar can be found here
