Amended in Senate June 16, 2015

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 417

Introduced by Assembly Member Dahle

February 19, 2015

An act to amend Section 4561.2 of the Public Resources Code, relating to forest practices.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 417, as amended, Dahle. Forest practices: resource conservation standards.

The Z’berg-Nejedly Forest Practice Act of 1973 prohibits a person from conducting timber operations on timberland unless a timber harvesting plan has been prepared by a registered professional forester and has been submitted to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and approved by the Director of Forestry and Fire Protection or the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection. Existing law establishes minimum acceptable stocking standards and provides that an area covered by a timber harvesting plan is considered acceptably stocked if either one of 2 conditions are met within 5 years after completion of timber operations: (1) that the area contains an average point count of 300 per acre, as provided, or (2) that the average residual basal area is at least 85 square feet per acre, as provided. Existing law requires the board to adopt stocking standards for each district, after a public hearing, that are equal to or stricter than the minimum standards. Existing law, notwithstanding the stocking conditions relating to areas with an average point count of 300 per acre, authorizes the board to adopt alternative stocking standards if those alternative standards reasonably address variables in forest characteristics and achieve suitable resource conservation, as provided.

This bill would extend the authorization to adopt alternative stocking standards notwithstanding the stocking conditions relating to the begin insert average residual end insert basal begin delete area for purposes of authorizing the board to adopt alternative standards. end delete begin insert area, as provided. end insert

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Section 4561.2 of the Public Resources Code is
amended to read:

4561.2.  

Notwithstanding Section 4561.1 or the resource
conservation standards relating to stocking pursuant to Section
4561, the board may adopt alternative stocking standards that meet
the purposes of Section 4561 if those alternative standards
reasonably address the variables in forest begin delete characteristics and end delete
begin insert characteristics, end insert achieve suitable resource begin delete conservation. end delete
begin insert conservation, and end insert begin insert contribute to specific forest health and
ecological goals as defined by the board. end insert