BILL ANALYSIS �
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 2082|
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CONSENT
Bill No: AB 2082
Author: Dahle (R), Chesbro (D), and Gordon (D), et al.
Amended: 6/16/14 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE NATURAL RESOURCES AND WATER COMMITTEE : 9-0, 6/10/14
AYES: Pavley, Cannella, Evans, Fuller, Hueso, Jackson, Lara,
Monning, Wolk
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 73-0, 5/8/14 (Consent) - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Forest practices: resource conservation standards:
stocking standards
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill authorizes the Board of Forestry and Fire
Protection (Board) to adopt alternative post-timber harvesting
stocking standards if those alternative standards reasonably
address variables in forest characteristics and achieve suitable
resource conservation, as provided.
ANALYSIS :
Existing law pursuant to the Z'Berg-Nejedly Forest Practice Act
of 1973 (FPA):
1.Requires the Board to adopt rules and regulations (Forest
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Practice Rules or FPR) to assure the continuous growing and
harvesting of commercial forest tree species and to protect
the soil, air, fish and wildlife, and water resources,
including but not limited to, streams lakes and estuaries.
2.Requires the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL
FIRE) to oversee the FPA and the FPR in consultation with
other public agencies and the interested public. The FPA and
FPR specifically govern, among other things, timber harvest
plans (THPs), Nonindustrial Timber Management Plans, Program
Timber Harvesting Plans, and other types of plans related to
timber operations on private lands in California.
3.Within five years after completion of timber operations,
requires either of the following minimum stocking standards
for an area covered by a THP:
A. An average point count of 300 per acre, except for site
IV classification or lower (i.e., sites with the lowest
productivity potential), which shall have an average point
count of 150 per acre. (The point count of a tree is
determined by tree size. For example, a tree that is less
than four inches in diameter at breast height counts as one
point. A tree over 12 inches in diameter counts as six
points.); or
B. An average residual basal area (i.e., the sum of tree
diameter for an acre) of at least 85 square feet per acre,
except for site II classification (i.e., sites with
intermediate productivity potential) or lower, which shall
have the minimum average residual basal area of 50 square
feet per acre.
This bill authorizes the Board to adopt alternative post-timber
harvesting stocking standards if those alternative standards
reasonably address variables in forest characteristics and
achieve suitable resource conservation, as provided.
Background
The FPA prohibits timber operations unless a THP is prepared by
a registered professional forester and approved by the Director
of CAL FIRE or the Board. Within five years after completion of
timber operations, the area covered by the THP is required to be
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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.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 6/30/14)
California Cattlemen's Association
California Farm Bureau Federation
California Licensed Professional Foresters Association
Pacific Forest Trust
The Buckeye Conservancy
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author, new stocking
standards need to be created on a species- and site-specific
basis to ensure that California is maintaining and growing
forests that can adapt to our rapidly changing climate and
environmental conditions.
The author points out that the Sierra Nevada region historically
had 20-50 trees per acre. Today, the author states that the
average is 266 trees per acre. The result is greater fire risk,
and less space and nutrients per tree. He also points out the
current statute was adopted at a time when the survival rate of
seedlings was 55% while today the survival rate is above 90%.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 73-0, 5/8/14
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Atkins, Bigelow, Bloom,
Bocanegra, Bonilla, Bonta, Bradford, Brown, Buchanan, Ian
Calderon, Campos, Chau, Ch�vez, Chesbro, Conway, Cooley,
Dababneh, Dahle, Daly, Dickinson, Donnelly, Fong, Fox,
Frazier, Beth Gaines, Garcia, Gatto, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon,
Grove, Hagman, Harkey, Roger Hern�ndez, Holden, Jones,
Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Linder, Logue, Lowenthal, Maienschein,
Medina, Melendez, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nazarian, Nestande,
Olsen, Pan, Patterson, Perea, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Rendon,
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Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Salas, Skinner, Stone, Ting, Wagner,
Waldron, Weber, Wieckowski, Wilk, Williams, Yamada, John A.
P�rez
NO VOTE RECORDED: Eggman, Gorell, Gray, Hall, Mansoor, V.
Manuel P�rez, Vacancy
RM:e 6/30/14 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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