BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  AB 468
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   January 23, 2014

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                  Mike Gatto, Chair

                   AB 468 (Chesbro) - As Amended:  January 6, 2014 

          Policy Committee:                              Natural  
          ResourcesVote:9-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:              

           SUMMARY  

          This bill replaces the term "tree farmer" with the term "forest  
          landowner" in the Nonindustrial Timber Management Plan (NTMP)  
          provisions within the Forest Practices Act of 1973.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Negligible, if any state costs.

           COMMENTS  

           1)Background and Purpose  . The NTMP was created in 1990 to allow  
            landowners with 2,500 acres or less to apply for a timber  
            harvesting document that would allow for long-term approval  
            pursuant to specified forest practice rules.  The NTMP defines  
            "nonindustrial tree farmer" as an owner of timberland with  
            less than 2,500 acres with an approved plan, not currently  
            engaged in the manufacture of forest products.

            Last year, the Legislature enacted AB 904 (Chesbro, chapter  
            648, statutes of 2013) to establish the Working Forest  
            Management Plan Act (WFMP) for nonindustrial landowners with  
            less than 15,000 acres of timberlands.  The WFMP established  
            incentives for sustainable forestry practices.  The WFMP  
            updated the term "tree farmer" to better reflect the current  
            management activities of a nonindustrial forest landowner.  

            This bill replaces the term "tree farmer" with "forest  
            landowner" in the NTMP without modifying the existing  
            definition.









                                                                  AB 468
                                                                  Page  2

            According to the author, the purpose of this bill is to  
            provide consistency in terminology for both the NTMP and the  
            WFMP and acknowledge that owning forest lands general involves  
            more than timber harvesting.





           Analysis Prepared by  :    Jennifer Galehouse / APPR. / (916)  
          319-2081