Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the following definitions govern the construction of this chapter:

(a) “Hazardous fuel reduction” means the application of practices to wild lands, the primary impact of which to the vegetation is generally limited to the reduction of surface and ladder wild land fuels. These practices include, but are not limited to, prescribed fire, piling by machine or by hand in preparation for burning, thinning, pruning, or grazing. Treatments that reduce crown densities shall be prescribed only for the purpose of impacting fire behavior, and if it can be reasonably concluded, based on the proposed treatment, that the likelihood for the formation of crown fires is reduced.

(b) “Nonprofit organization” means any California corporation organized under Section 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) of the federal Internal Revenue Code.

(c) “Person” means any natural person, firm, association, partnership, business trust, corporation, limited liability company, company, nonprofit organization, or a combination of those, or any public agency other than an agency of the federal government.

(d) “Prescribed burn crew” means personnel and firefighting equipment of the department that are prepared to contain fire set in a prescribed burning operation and to suppress any fire that escapes during a prescribed burning operation.

(e) “Prescribed burning” or “prescribed burning operation” means the planned application and confinement of fire to wild land fuels on lands selected in advance of that application to achieve any of the following objectives:

(1) Prevention of high-intensity wild land fires through reduction of the volume and continuity of wild land fuels.

(2) Watershed management.

(3) Range improvement.

(4) Vegetation management.

(5) Forest improvement.

(6) Wildlife habitat improvement.

(7) Air quality maintenance.

(f) “Wild land” means any land that is classified as a state responsibility area pursuant to Article 3 (commencing with Section 4125) of Chapter 1 and includes any land having a flammable plant cover. “Wild land” also means any land not classified as a state responsibility area where the geographic location of these lands and accumulation of wild land fuel is such that a wild land fire occurring on these lands would pose a threat to a state responsibility area.

(g) “Wild land fire” means any uncontrolled fire burning on wild land.

(h) “Wild land fuel” means any timber, brush, grass, or other flammable vegetation, living or dead, standing or down.

(Amended by Stats. 2009, 4th Ex. Sess., Ch. 11, Sec. 4. Effective July 28, 2009.)