Sacramento — Legislation that allows First Nation people to play a larger role in conducting controlled burns, or “good fire,” has been signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

State Sen. Bill Dodd reported Friday that his bill will help not only those communities and people in fire zones but First Nation people as well in safeguarding lives and property.

“This new law will help our communities become safer and more resilient,” stated Dodd, who represents the 3rd District, which includes Yolo County. “We all know the seriousness of the wildfire threat in California. We must do everything in our power to prevent and prepare for them. That includes having the best tools in our toolbox to attack the problem.”

Cultural burning, commonly known as “Leok Po” — ‘Good Fire” — has long been practiced at Woodland’s Cache Creek Nature Preserve with firefighters from across the state attending workshops led by First Nation representatives.

Cultural burning is a way of burning off small portions of land under tightly controlled conditions. This allows people to get rid of unwanted undergrowth that could lead to larger, more intense, fires.

“As we celebrate the many tribal communities in California today, we recommit to working with tribal partners to better address their unique needs and strengthen California for all,” stated Gov. Newsom in announcing his signing of the bill.

The signing came as the governor proclaimed Friday as Native American Day.

Under Dodd’s proposal, Senate Bill 310, the process for tribal governments to participate in the time-tested wildfire prevention technique will be streamlined.

Instead of seeking separate approval from the state for each individual burn, the Secretary of Natural Resources will now be authorized to reach agreements with California Native American tribes to waive state permitting and regulatory requirements related to cultural burning within the tribe’s ancestral territories.

Senate Bill 310 was supported by the Karuk Tribe and the California Farm Bureau, among many others. It passed the Assembly and Senate by unanimous votes before it was signed by the governor today.

“Native Americans have been conducting controlled burns with great success for thousands of years,” Dodd said. “My bill will help tribes participate in this time-tested form of wildfire prevention on tribal lands. It is an important piece of the puzzle for keep California safe.”

At the Cache Creek Nature Preserve, firefighters have typically worked with professional firefighter Danny Manning, who is also a Native American. Most recently, in late August, some 10 members of Future Fire Academy recently were taught how to create “good fire” and use it to reduce the chances of a more devastating blaze.

Manning has often been joined by Diana Almendariz of the Cache Creek Nature Preserve’s Tending and Gathering Garden’s Advisory Committee, who also speaks about how First Nation people used native reeds and grasses to set a series of small, controllable fires.

Almendariz is a Maidu-Wintun natural and cultural history expert and teacher. Manning is a Maidu cultural expert and assistant fire chief for Greenville Rancheria Fire Department. The past fire workshops were sponsored by the Yocha de he Wintun Nation.

Statewide, creating smaller blazes to limit the size of wildland fires is becoming standard practice.

Cultural burns benefit the environment both through wildlife mitigation and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration. Such burns are also seen as a way to stabilize soil carbon by creating charcoal deposits and increase the amount of carbon bound tightly to minerals in the soils.