HB 1360-S - DIGEST

(DIGEST OF PROPOSED 1ST SUBSTITUTE)

Declares that "ancestral trees" means a contiguous group of trees of similar characteristics that: (1) Is twenty acres or larger in size;

(2) Is composed of mixed conifer species with: (a) More than eight dominant trees per acre that are greater than thirty inches in diameter at breast height; (b) four or more conifer snags per acre that are greater than twenty inches in diameter at breast height and are greater than fifteen feet tall; and (c) down logs greater than fifteen tons per acre, including four pieces per acre greater than twenty-four inches at the widest point and greater than fifty feet long;

(3) Is greater than one hundred sixty years old, as determined by computing an arithmetic mean from department inventory on plots in the stand; and

(4) Was not purposefully planted as part of a reforestation effort following a commercial harvest or natural forest disturbance.

Provides that unless specifically authorized by the board prior to sale or harvest, the department may not offer for sale, sell, or harvest any ancestral trees located on public lands west of the crest of the Cascade mountains.

Declares that the board may only authorize the sale or harvest of ancestral trees located on public lands after making a formal finding that some harvest is necessary to preserve the health and safety of other ancestral trees in the immediate area, to protect public safety, or to enhance overall forest health in the stand containing the ancestral trees.