The reason California hasn’t conducted more of these controlled burnings comes down to existing environmental laws in the U.S. that have posed bureaucratic obstacles to prescribed fires. It often takes years for proposals to go through reviews before any controlled burning can actually take place…
But in order for these prescribed fires to occur, they must go through the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review process, which can last anywhere from 3.6 years to 7.2 years between the time of initiation to when the burning can actually begin, according to a 2022 policy brief from the Property and Environment Research Center (PERC)…
Forest Service officials have estimated that planning and assessment consume a full 40% of the agency’s total direct work at the national forest level and that those efforts cost the Forest Service more than $250 million every year. "Although some planning is obviously necessary, Forest Service officials have
estimated that improving administrative procedures could shift up to $100 million a year from unnecessary planning to actual project work to restore ecosystems and deliver services on the ground," the agency said in its report.
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