AB 2082, as introduced, Dahle. Forest practices: resource conservation standards: stocking 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 certain conditions are met within 5 years after completion of timber operations, including that the area contains an average point count of 300 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.
This bill would delete that requirement and instead authorize the board to adopt alternative stocking standards if those alternative standards are necessary to address variables in forest characteristics, as provided.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 4561.1 of the Public Resources Code is
2repealed.
The resource conservation standards relating to
4stocking enumerated in Section 4561 shall constitute minimum
5requirements, and these shall be the standards to which all timber
6harvesting plans shall conform unless the board adopts higher
7stocking standards for each district. The board shall adopt standards
8for each district, after a public hearing, which are equal to or stricter
9than the standards of this chapter and shall report such standards
10to the Legislature.
11It is not the intent of the Legislature in designating minimum
12standards that such standards shall be deemed to be preferred as
13the standards to be adopted by the board. The board may, by a
14majority vote as provided in Section 736, adopt higher minimum
15standards of stocking if, in the opinion of the board, growing
16conditions, tree species, site quality, or other factors justify such
17stricter standards and if such action is consistent with the purposes
18of this article.
Section 4561.1 is added to the Public Resources Code,
20to read:
Notwithstanding the resource conservation standards
22relating to stocking enumerated in Section 4561, the board may
23adopt alternative stocking standards to meet the purposes of Section
244561 if those alternative standards are necessary to address the
25variables in forest characteristics.
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