(a)
The director may enter into an agreement, including a grant agreement, for prescribed burning or other hazardous fuel reduction that is consistent with this chapter and the regulations of the board with either the owner or any other person who has legal control of any property, any public agency with regulatory or natural resource management authority over any property that is included within any wildland, or any nonprofit organization for any of the following purposes, or any combination of those purposes:
(1)
Prevention of high-intensity wildland fires through reduction of the volume and continuity of wildland fuels.
(2)
Watershed management.
(3)
Range improvement.
(4)
Vegetation management.
(5)
Forest improvement.
(6)
Wildlife habitat improvement.
(7)
Air quality maintenance.
(b)
An agreement shall not be entered into pursuant to this section unless the director determines that the public benefits estimated to be derived from the prescribed burning or other hazardous fuel reduction pursuant to the agreement will be equal to or greater than the foreseeable damage that could result from the prescribed burning or other hazardous fuel reduction.