Cultural burns and prescribed fire, while increasingly enabled by state policy, remain difficult to implement at scale due to complex access agreements, liability concerns, and the particular burden on landless tribes who must negotiate with landowners for every project. 

• Illustrative Example: The Tamien Nation cultural fire program and YTT Northern Chumash tribal burns both illustrate this challenge: significant volunteer time and relationship work was required before a single burn could take place, and reimbursement-based grants nearly excluded key partners.