Okla. Stat. tit. 2, § 2-16-8

Powers and duties - Entry upon lands - Arrests, etc.

A. The Forestry Division of the Oklahoma Department of

Agriculture, Food, and Forestry, in connection with the enforcement

of the Oklahoma Forestry Code, shall have the following powers,

authority, and duties:

1. To enforce the provisions of this code and other forest and

forest protection laws of this state;

2. To prevent, mitigate, detect, suppress, and investigate

wildfires in this state;

3. To provide wildland firefighting crews, who shall be under

the control and direction of forest rangers and other designated

agents of the Division;

4. To appoint district foresters, investigators, rangers, and

other employees;

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5. To use the resources of the Division on state-owned parks

and other state-administered land to prevent and suppress wildfires,

to mitigate hazardous wildland fuels, and to establish wildland

firefighting crews, who shall be authorized to suppress wildfires on

state land;

6. To be reimbursed on an actual cost basis for all services

provided to state parks and other land administered by the State of

Oklahoma;

7. To investigate cases of forest timber theft;

8. To make available for sale surplus state vehicles directly

to rural fire departments or municipal fire departments, in cities

or towns under ten thousand (10,000) population. State vehicles may

be offered for sale only after approval is given in writing by the

Office of Management and Enterprise Services and an evaluation is

made of each vehicle and a price set by the Office of Management and

Enterprise Services. The Forestry Division may only receive the

amount authorized by the Office of Management and Enterprise

Services for the sale of the vehicle;

9. To purchase equipment from the Rural Fire Defense Equipment

Revolving Fund's inventory, when advantageous to the state, and to

reimburse the Revolving Fund; and

10. To plan and conduct prescribed burning at the request and

expense of landowners on public or private land for the purpose of

controlling invasive or exotic species, for hazardous fuel

reduction, wildlife habitat manipulation, ecosystem restoration, or

achieving silvicultural objectives. Forestry Division employees

shall be protected under The Governmental Tort Claims Act and shall

not be personally liable beyond the limits established therein for

activities pursuant to this paragraph unless gross negligence is

established in a competent court of law.

B. Forest rangers, and the firefighting crews under their

control and direction, may enter upon any land for the purpose of

preventing and suppressing wildfires and to enforce the provisions

of the Oklahoma Forestry Code and other wildfire and forest

protection laws of this state.

C. Forest rangers, employees of the Division, and all persons

under contract or agreement with the Division to assist in

firefighting operations, as well as persons called upon by forest

rangers or other authorized employees of the Division to assist in

firefighting under the direction or supervision of employees of the

Division, may, in the performance of their duties, set backfires,

dig trenches, construct control lines, and carry on all customary

activities in the fighting of wildfires without incurring liability

to any person.

D. Under the direction of forest rangers and upon written

consent of the landowner, county officers and employees may, in the

performance of their duties and without incurring liability to any

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person, construct control lines and carry out all customary

activities for conducting prescribed burns to mitigate hazardous

wildland fuels to prevent wildfires on private lands.

E. Upon written consent from a landowner or designated agent,

forest rangers, in the performance of their duties and without

incurring liability to any person, may construct control lines,
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person, construct control lines and carry out all customary

activities for conducting prescribed burns to mitigate hazardous

wildland fuels to prevent wildfires on private lands.

E. Upon written consent from a landowner or designated agent,

forest rangers, in the performance of their duties and without

incurring liability to any person, may construct control lines,

carry out all customary activities for conducting prescribed burns,

and utilize mechanized equipment to reduce hazardous wildland fuels

in order to mitigate or reduce the effects of wildfires on lives,

property, forests, and natural resources on private and public lands

in this state.

1. The Director of the Forestry Division may appoint, subject

to the approval of the State Board of Agriculture, special officers

who shall have the power and authority to arrest. The special

officers shall have power and authority throughout the state, under

the direction and control of the Division, to enforce the criminal

provisions contained in the Oklahoma Forestry Code, other laws

relating to forests and wildfires and the Oklahoma Agricultural

Code.

2. The special officers shall have power and authority to make

arrests with or without warrants for violations of the criminal

provisions of the Oklahoma Forestry Code, other laws relating to

forests and wildfires and the Oklahoma Agricultural Code to the same

extent and under the same limitations and duties as peace officers

under the provisions of Chapter 3 of Title 22 of the Oklahoma

Statutes.

3. In connection with the enforcement of the criminal

provisions, the special officers and other state investigators or

law enforcement officers may go upon all premises when necessary for

the enforcement of laws. All special officers shall be ex officio

forest rangers and shall be under the control and direction of the

Division; except, the Director may at any time, for cause, remove

any powers and authority of arrest conferred. Special officers

shall have the same right and authority to carry arms as the

sheriffs of this state. The compensation of special officers shall

be fixed and paid by the Division from its funds.