SENATE BILL REPORT

                            SB 6457

AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES, FEBRUARY 4, 1994

Brief Description:  Providing for more intensive forestry of smaller parcels of forest land.

SPONSORS: Senators Erwin, Owen, Oke, Hargrove, Franklin, Snyder, L. Smith and M. Rasmussen

SENATE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES

Majority Report:  That Substitute Senate Bill No. 6457 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass and be referred to Committee on Ways & Means. 

     Signed by Senators Owen, Chairman; Amondson, Erwin, Franklin, Oke, Sellar, L. Smith and Snyder.

Staff:  Vic Moon (786‑7469)

Hearing Dates: February 2, 1994; February 4, 1994

BACKGROUND:

There is a significant shortage of reasonably priced wood and wood materials for pulp available on the market.  This shortage is projected to continue into the future in Washington State.  Importation of pulp for pulp and paper production is not economically feasible and could not meet all of the pulp and paper needs for state manufacture.

SUMMARY:

Legislative intent is established to provide a regulatory climate that is favorable to the creation of more intensive forestry to produce a greater amount of timber and wood fiber from existing forest lands. 

The Forest Practices Board will develop rules to assist forest landowners for small parcels.  The board will develop assistance that all forest landowners know the rules that affect their land and let them know ways that the Department of Natural Resources can assist them.  The board will conduct a study in conjunction with the department on the issue of applied forest genetics and develop statewide rules to assist small landowners to produce more timber.

The board will review current rules and policies to develop a special set of rules for small landowners.  All rules adopted under the authority of the Department of Natural Resources and the Forest Practices Board are required to have a commodity supply assessment for rule or recommended policy and an accumulative economic impact statement for rule or recommended policy. 

The Department of Natural Resources shall study and develop recommendations to encourage small landowners reforestation and share complete use of harvested wood and wood fiber and develop an incentive program.  The department will also develop and report to the Legislature a report on laws that restrict intensive forest management, the Forest Tax Program, set aside impacts for small ownerships and the authority and make-up of the Forest Practices Board.

EFFECT OF PROPOSED SUBSTITUTE:

The requirements for new small landowner rules is deleted.  The Legislature will study the Forest Practices Board, the tax program and the forest management issues.  The Board of Natural Resources is required to review current cut and management on state trust lands.

Appropriation:  none

Revenue:  none

Fiscal Note:  available

TESTIMONY FOR:

We need to use all the wood products we can from small land ownerships because of cutbacks in state and federal forest land production.

TESTIMONY AGAINST:

The department is already doing all it can.

TESTIFIED:  Tim Boyd, WFPA (pro); Dan Wood, TUG/WFFA (pro); Myrtle and Merton Cooper (pro); Kent Lebsack, WA Cattlemen's Assn. (pro) Josh Baldi, WA Environmental Council (con)