BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  AB 2112
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   April 30, 2014 

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                  Mike Gatto, Chair

                 AB 2112 (Dahle) - As Introduced:   February 20, 2014

          Policy Committee:                              Natural  
          ResourcesVote:9-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:              

           SUMMARY  

          This bill extends the time to file a notice of extension for a  
          Timber Harvest Plan (THP) from 30 to 140 days prior to the  
          expiration date.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Negligible state costs.

           COMMENTS  

           1)Purpose.  The Forest Practices Act currently provides two  
            different notification requirements for extensions on THPs.   
            Existing law allows the notice of extension for any THP  
            approved between January 1, 2010 and December 21, 2011 to be  
            filed no earlier than 140 days but no less than 10 days before  
            the expiration date.  Extension notifications for all other  
            THPs must be filed no earlier than 30 days but no less than 10  
            days before the expiration date. 
            This bill provides the same notice of extension requirement  
            for all THPs thereby giving the permit holder an extra 110  
            days to prepare and file a notice of exemption.

           2)Background.   The Forest Practices Act prohibits timber  
            operations unless a THP has been prepared by a registered  
            professional forester and approved by the California  
            Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire).  A THP  
            must contain a description of the location and method of the  
            planned harvest, the timeframe of operations, measures to  
            avoid excessive erosion and any other information required by  
            regulations.  








                                                                  AB 2112
                                                                  Page  2


            Generally, the effective period of a THP is limited to five  
            years.  A THP may be extended for a two-year period in order  
            to complete timber operations if good cause is shown and all  
            timber operations conform with the plan at the time of filing  
            the notice of extension.  An extension is prohibited if listed  
            species are discovered in the logging area of the THP or if  
            there are significant changes in the harvest area or adjacent  
            areas after cumulative impacts were evaluated.

            THPs approved between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2011  
            may be extended for two two-year extensions.  The extension  
            notification requirement for this specific category of THPs is  
            the same as proposed by this bill.


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