BILL ANALYSIS
AB 2351
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Date of Hearing: April 28, 2010
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Felipe Fuentes, Chair
AB 2351 (Chesbro) - As Amended: February 15, 2010
Policy Committee: Natural
ResourcesVote:7-2
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY
This bill authorizes the California Department of Forestry and
Fire Protection (CDF) to charge a user fee for overnight camping
and group activities in a state demonstration forest. The bill
requires the fee to be no more than needed to reimburse CDF's
costs for maintaining and improving campground and recreational
facilities, the natural environment, and public access, all
within the states' demonstration forests.
FISCAL EFFECT
Potential annual revenue to CDF in range of $80,000 to $120,000
(Forest Resources Improvement Trust Fund (FRIF)).
COMMENTS
1)Rationale . The author contends it appropriate to charge
recreational users of the state's demonstration forests a fee
equal to the costs to CDF to provide for recreational use in
those forests. The author notes that, currently, recreational
users enjoy access to the state's demonstration forests free
of charge, with costs to CDF covered by the sale of products
made from timber grown in the demonstration forests. The
author further notes that recent declines in timber product
sales have reduced revenue to CDF, thereby exacerbating the
need for CDF to recuperate the costs of recreation in
demonstration forests.
2)Background . CDF manages eight demonstration forests that,
together, cover 71,000 acres. The purpose of the forests is
to demonstrate sustainable forest practices. Activities in
AB 2351
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the forests include management, watershed protection and
restoration, and harvesting techniques. In addition, CDF
reports about 40,000 days of recreational camping in the
demonstration forests each year.
The state's demonstration forests are financially self
sufficient. This is because CDF is authorized to sell timber
and related products generated by the state forests. Revenue
from such sales is deposited in the Forest Resources
Improvement Trust Fund and is available, upon appropriation,
to pay for the costs of managing the demonstration forests.
Traditionally, timber sale revenue was sufficient to cover
CDF's costs resulting from recreational use of the
demonstration forests, as campers and other recreational users
enjoyed the demonstration forests free of charge. CDF reports
that more recently, however, a decline in timber product sales
has reduced revenues flowing into the trust fund. As a
result, the trust fund has been strained as CDF continues to
cover the cost of both demonstration forest management and
recreational use of these forests.
3)Related Legislation . AB 2360 clarifies the allowable uses of
revenues and revenue-generating activities in the FRIF and
diverts excess FRIF revenues from General Fund to CDF to
support specified programs when GF does not sustain CDF's
resource management budget.
4)Supporters , including the California Licensed Foresters
Association and the California Native Plant Society, contend
recreational users of the state's demonstration forests should
cover the costs that result from their use of the forests.
This is especially true, supports argue, in a time of economic
austerity and limited state funding.
5)There is no registered opposition to this bill on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Jay Dickenson / APPR. / (916) 319-2081