BILL REQ. #:  H-3739.1 

Read first time 01/20/2004.   Referred to Committee on Agriculture & Natural Resources.

     AN ACT Relating to the enhancement and stabilization in perpetuity of state forest land revenue through the strategic marketing of wood products; amending RCW 79.10.320; adding a new section to chapter 79.10 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   (1) The legislature finds that all of the public lands granted to the state are held in trust and should be managed in a manner that enhances benefits in perpetuity.
     (2) The legislature further finds that globalization of the wood products industry is changing the context for forest product marketing. New forest technologies in the world marketplace are creating a new model for production of the wood fiber needed to provide for wood products. Worldwide industrial forestry is migrating to an agronomic model of wood fiber production and away from traditional forestry models. In order for state timber to compete in the forest marketplace of the twenty-first century, strategic niche marketing must be employed.
     (3) The legislature further finds that state timber revenues can be enhanced over time and given long-term stability by distinguishing state forest products from the competition in the market, thus providing sustainable revenue for trust beneficiaries into the future. This sustainable revenue can be realized by providing leadership in sustainable forestry and still providing ecological and social benefits to the public and local communities.
     (4) Therefore, the legislature finds that certification of the state forest lands will ensure access to economically valuable markets for state forest products, increasing the benefits to the trust beneficiaries in both the short and long term.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 79.10 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) Consistent with this section, the department shall seek to strategically position state forest products to enhance benefits and revenues to the trusts by obtaining third-party certification of the forest practices and silviculture conducted on all state-owned lands under its jurisdiction which are primarily managed for the purpose of growing forest crops.
     (2) In order to satisfy the requirements of this section, the department must obtain third-party certification from an organization that develops standards and objectives independent from any forest products or timber trade associations. The organization chosen to grant certification must, at a minimum, satisfy the following requirements:
     (a) The organization must measure on-the-ground performance of the department against predefined standards related to:
     (i) Long-term economic viability, including sustained forest yields of products, ecological services, and species diversity that provide for a stable future for the forest industry;
     (ii) Ecologically sound forest practices, including considerations for water quality, soil erosion, wildlife habitat, and biodiversity; and
     (iii) The maximization of social benefits, including public access and treaty rights.
     (b) The organization must require independent peer review of certification reports and decisions.
     (c) The organization must require the tracking of products removed from the certified forest from the place of production to the point of sale.
     (d) The organization must apply a certification system that is applicable worldwide, except that the organization may allow for regional differences in their standards.
     (e) The organization must require the people inspecting the forest to be accredited by the organization as having expertise in silviculture, ecology, social sciences, and other relevant disciplines, and must require the inspectors to consult with the scientific community and interested stakeholders during the certification process.
     (f) The organization must require certified landowners to reinvest in local communities and diversify local economies by managing for a diverse range of timber and nontimber forest products.
     (g) The organization must require certified landowners to protect old growth stands.
     (h) The organization must require certified landowners to protect their working forests from conversion to development and other nonforest uses.
     (i) The organization must require certified landowners to address the rights of indigenous peoples.
     (j) The organization must require certified landowners to reduce or eliminate the use of the most toxic chemicals.
     (3) The department and the board must satisfy the certification requirements of this section, including making any needed changes to silviculture practices, on the following timetable:
     (a) All state-owned lands under the jurisdiction of the department located west of the crest of the Cascade mountains, which are primarily valuable for the purpose of growing forest crops, must be certified by an organization that satisfies the requirements of this section by December 31, 2005.
     (b) All state-owned lands under the jurisdiction of the department located east of the crest of the Cascade mountains, which are primarily valuable for the purpose of growing forest crops, must be audited for certification by an organization that satisfies the requirements of this section by December 31, 2005, and must be certified within one year of the completion of the certification audit.

Sec. 3   RCW 79.10.320 and 2003 c 334 s 538 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The department shall manage the state-owned lands under its jurisdiction which are primarily valuable for the purpose of growing forest crops on a sustained yield basis ((insofar as compatible with other statutory directives)). ((To this end, the))
     (2) In order to satisfy the requirements of this section, the department shall periodically adjust the acreages designated for inclusion in the sustained yield management program and calculate a sustainable harvest level.
     (3) Any sustainable yield management conducted by the department under this section must be compatible with other statutory directives, including section 2 of this act.