BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  AB 2082
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   April 30, 2014

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                  Mike Gatto, Chair

                 AB 2082 (Dahle) - As Introduced:  February 20, 2014 

          Policy Committee:                              Natural  
          ResourcesVote:9-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:              

           SUMMARY  

          This bill deletes current stocking standards in statute and  
          instead authorizes the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection  
          (Board) to adopt alternative post-timber harvesting stocking  
          standards if those standards are necessary to address variables  
          in forest characteristics.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Minor, absorbable costs for the Board to include new standards  
          in their ongoing regulatory process.

           COMMENTS  

           1)Rationale.   Seedling stocking standards are designed to ensure  
            forest lands are adequately maintained after timber harvesting  
            occurs.  Existing stocking standards in the Forest Practices  
            Act are prescriptive and have not been updated since the  
            creation of the Act in 1973.    

             Since then, due to improved nursery, handling and planting  
            operations, seedling survival rates have increased from less  
            than 50% to more than 90%.  Increased seedling survival has  
            led to elevated tree densities and the need for thinning  
            operations for optimal growth and to reduce wildfire risk.

            This bill allows the Board to adjust stocking standards as  
            necessary to address changes in climate, precipitation, and  
            planting practices.

           2)Background.   The Forest Practices Act prohibits timber  








                                                                  AB 2082
                                                                  Page  2

            operations unless a timber harvest plan (THP) is prepared by a  
            registered professional forester and approved by the Director  
            of CALFIRE or the Board.  Within five years after completion  
            of timber operations, the area covered by the THP is required  
            to be stocked according to minimum stocking standards provided  
            by law.   The Board may adopt higher minimum stocking  
            standards if the Board determines the standards are necessary  
            to address specific resource and environmental quality issues.  
             In order to adopt higher standards, the Board must adopt  
            standards for each district, after a public hearing.   The  
            Board is not currently authorized to adopt standards lower  
            than the minimum provided by law.  
           
           Analysis Prepared by  :    Jennifer Galehouse / APPR. / (916)  
          319-2081