Cal. Pub. Res. Code § 4781

The people of the state have a direct interest in the protection and improvement of public and private lands which are principally used or useful for range or forage purposes for domestic livestock and wildlife. This article is enacted in furtherance of that interest to provide not only for controlled land clearance and revegetation of such lands but also having as its objective fire prevention and protection, watershed protection and conservation, and the prevention of soil erosion.