S-4408.1 _______________________________________________
SENATE BILL 6457
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State of Washington 53rd Legislature 1994 Regular Session
By Senators Erwin, Owen, Oke, Hargrove, Franklin, Snyder, L. Smith and M. Rasmussen
Read first time 01/24/94. Referred to Committee on Natural Resources.
AN ACT Relating to forestry; adding a new section to chapter 76.09 RCW; adding new sections to chapter 76.04 RCW; and creating new sections.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. It is the intent of the legislature to provide a regulatory climate that is favorable to the creation of more intensive forestry in the state. The goal of this policy is to protect timber-related jobs, and provide more jobs in timber-producing regions than are currently available. The legislature also seeks to ensure more stability in the timber industry and in the timber-dependent communities around the state. One way to help accomplish these goals is to provide incentives to keep small forest land parcels in timber production.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 76.09 RCW to read as follows:
(1) The forest practices board shall develop and adopt rules that seek to assist forest landowners of small parcels. For the purposes of this section, "small parcels" means an area of land under one hundred acres.
(2) The forest practices board shall develop a system to let all forest landowners know of the rules that affect their land, and let them know of the ways that the department of natural resources can assist them in the stewardship of their land.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. (1) The forest practices board shall conduct a study, in conjunction with the department of natural resources, on the issue of applied forest genetics, and develop state-wide rules to assist all forest landowners to produce more timber.
(2) The forest practices board, in cooperation with small landowners shall, by December 1, 1994, review current rules and policies to further develop a special set of rules for small landowners that would encourage continued and more intensive forestry on that land. For the purposes of this section, "small landowners" means owners of parcels that are one hundred acres or less.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. A new section is added to chapter 76.04 RCW to read as follows:
For all rules adopted under the authority of the department of natural resources or the forest resources board, there is required:
(1) A commodity supply assessment for a rule or recommended policy; and
(2) An accumulative economic impact assessment for a rule or recommended policy.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. A new section is added to chapter 76.04 RCW to read as follows:
(1) The department of natural resources shall study and develop recommendations to:
(a) Encourage continuance of small landowners' reforestation;
(b) Ensure complete use of harvested wood and wood fiber; and
(c) Develop an incentive program for forest parcels of less than one hundred acres.
(2) The department of natural resources shall review and report to the legislature the status of the following issues:
(a) Laws that restrict intensive forest management;
(b) The forest tax program;
(c) Set-aside impacts on small landownerships of less than one hundred acres; and
(d) The authority and makeup of the forest practices board, set out under chapter 76.09 RCW.
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