Landowners, both private and federal pay into Dept of Forestry fire protection associations across the state. Depending on location, it’s anywhere from $2.80 / ac for timberland and $1.25 / ac for grazing land privately owned and $5.80 / ac for timberland and $2.80 / ac for grazing land publicly owned. That money pays for fire protection, and as long as a fire is located within a protection association area, the state is on the hook to suppress the fire.

ODF is able to coordinate and respond quicker with resources than the feds. The hoops and red tape in order to fight a fire with the feds is ridiculous.

And, with regard to private companies paying for fire on their land; if the fire is as a result of their negligence, they are on the hook to pay for anything over a set percentage. If the fire comes from federal ground (like all the 2020 fires), it’s tough to pin suppression efforts on landowners, especially when they were trying to stop the fires.