CA SB653

Defines "environmentally sensitive vegetation management" as vegetation management that reduces catastrophic wildfire risk long-term while supporting native wildlife and biodiversity

Requires state public entities to consider incorporating 12 specific criteria into funding guidelines for grant programs funding environmentally sensitive vegetation management projects

Criteria include following integrated pest management principles, implementing monitoring plans before/during/after treatments, timing work to minimize wildlife impacts, and avoiding habitat type conversion

Defines "type conversion" as the process where dominant native plant species are significantly reduced and nonnative species colonize an area due to disturbance events like wildfire

Additional criteria cover minimizing erosion, consulting with native plant botanists, leaving buffers around water bodies, using prescribed grazing where applicable, and protecting rare species and habitats