Why It Matters: Prescribed burning enhances wildlife habitat, improves forest health, and reduces wildfire risk. Reducing regulatory barriers to prescribed burning provides clarity for the state, local governments, and the public, while reducing inefficiencies and risks for prescribed burners and landowners. From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Coastal Plain, Georgia’s forest resources and wildlife will benefit from increasing the use of prescribed fire on the landscape.
Highlights:
On January 15, Georgia Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus (Caucus) Co-Chair and NASC Executive Council member Representative Chas Cannon, alongside Caucus members Representatives Leesa Hagan, Steven Meeks, and James Burchett, introduced House Bill 983 to clarify that no county or municipality can regulate prescribed burning for silvicultural purposes except for notice or permit requirements.
- On February 12, the House of Representatives unanimously (162-0) passed the legislation.
- On February 20, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) submitted a letter of support to the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and the Environment, where it is pending action.
Georgia’s forests and wildlife evolved with fire, and today prescribed fire is a critical tool for managing the state’s fire-adapted forests. The current regulatory framework between the state and local governments, however, limits the use of prescribed fire. House Bill 983 would simplify regulatory oversight by prohibiting counties and municipalities from restricting prescribed burning for silvicultural purposes while reserving local authority for notice or permitting requirements.
CSF’s letter stated, “House Bill 983 ensures regulatory certainty by eliminating the patchwork of local government regulations that restrict prescribed burning in favor of a uniform statewide approach, while striking a balance for local public interests through retained oversight mechanisms. Specifically, the legislation provides that the State of Georgia preempts the field of prescribed burning regulation for silvicultural purposes, except for county or municipality notice or permit requirements by law, ordinance, resolution, or regulation that do not restrict prescribed burning. The State of Georgia and the Georgia Forestry Commission are the appropriate regulatory bodies for prescribed burning management, not local governments.”
CSF appreciates the leadership of Caucus Co-Chair Representative Chas Cannon and his Caucus colleagues on this important issue for Georgia’s sporting-conservation community. The legislation dovetails with the shared stewardship agreement that the State of Georgia recently signed with the U.S. Forest Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service to accelerate active forest management. CSF is excited to see legislation signed into law to expand prescribed fire use on private and public lands to support Georgia’s wildlife and sporting traditions.
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