H-2254.1  _______________________________________________

                 HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 4410

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State of Washington      55th Legislature     1997 Regular Session

By Representative McMorris

Read first time 02/28/97.  Referred to Committee on Commerce & Labor.

Establishing a joint select committee on consulting foresters.

    WHEREAS, Washington State has rich and diverse forest resources; and

    WHEREAS, There are 21.5 million acres of public and private forest lands in this state; and

    WHEREAS, Washington forests supply many goods and services, including water, fish, wildlife, recreation, timber, forage, and open space; and

    WHEREAS, The regulation and importance of forest practices and their effect on the environment and quality of soil in Washington State are increasingly complex; and

    WHEREAS, There is increasing demand for timber from private nonindustrial landowners; and

    WHEREAS, An increasing number of individuals hold themselves out as experts in forest management practices as the available supply of harvestable timber diminishes and the value of forest products increases; and

    WHEREAS, There currently are no means of providing reliable information to private landowners about the training and expertise of persons representing themselves as consulting foresters; and

    WHEREAS, Individuals without adequate training and experience can cause significant damage to the forests of our state by recommending unproven or unsound forest management practices;

    NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, By the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring, That a joint select committee on consulting foresters be established to conduct an interim review to determine appropriate methods for developing consistent and reliable information about consulting foresters, and for publication and distribution of such information to the public; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the committee consist of eight members, four members each selected by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That advice and counsel should be sought from representatives of the Association of Consulting Foresters; Washington Farm Forestry Association; Society of American Foresters; and Washington Forest Protection Association to make the best use of information currently available; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the committee report its findings to the legislature prior to the 1998 regular session of the legislature.

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