SENATE BILL REPORT
SB 6281
As of January 24, 2024
Title: An act relating to investing in reforestation efforts following landscape-scale forest disturbances.
Brief Description: Investing in reforestation efforts following landscape-scale forest disturbances.
Sponsors: Senators Van De Wege, Warnick, Dozier, Mullet and Short.
Brief History:
Committee Activity: Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources & Parks: 1/25/24.
Brief Summary of Bill
  • Establishes a reforestation grant program at the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to incentivize reforestation after large forest stand replacement events including wildfires and landslides.
  • Appropriates $10 million for the reforestation grant program and $10 million for reforestation on DNR lands impacted by wildfires.
SENATE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, WATER, NATURAL RESOURCES & PARKS
Staff: Jeff Olsen (786-7428)
Background:

The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) manages a number of different categories of land, each for a specific purpose and under different management requirements. This includes approximately 3 million acres of federally granted lands and state forestlands, which the DNR manages to support common schools, counties, and other public institutions.  

 

The Natural Climate Solutions Account (NCSA) is an account established to increase the resilience of the state's waters, forests, and other vital ecosystems to the impacts of climate change and conserve working forestlands at risk of conversion. Funding must be used for projects and activities that will increase forest and community resilience to wildfire, improve forest health, prevent emissions by preserving natural and working lands from the threat of conversion, or increase support to small forestland owners through the Forestry Riparian Easement Program and the Family Forest Fish Passage Program.
Summary of Bill:

DNR shall administer a reforestation grant program designed to incentivize and invest in climate-informed reforestation after large forest stand replacement events such as wildfire, landslides, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, earthquakes, and other natural catastrophic events that damage the ecoservices of natural or managed forests. DNR must establish criteria for the grant program including a cost-share percentage, minimum and maximum potential grant awards, applicant eligibility, and the prioritization of funds. Entities that may be eligible for a grant include tribal ownerships, nonprofit landowners and managers, industrial and nonindustrial private forestland owners, local governments, and other state agencies.  Lands owned by the federal government or lands managed by DNR are not eligible for the grant program.  Additional criteria for the grant program include the reforestation of riparian buffers and potentially unstable slopes, and consideration of any relevant environmental justice assessments. 

 

The NCSA is amended to include incentivizing and investing in climate-informed reforestation of lands affected by catastrophic natural disturbances and reforestation efforts by the DNR following wildfires.

 

An appropriation of $10 million from the NCSA is provided for the reforestation grant program.  An additional $10 million from the NCSA is provided to the DNR for postfire reforestation of the forestlands managed by the DNR. The DNR must prioritize reforestation expenditures for the benefit of state trust lands.
Appropriation: The bill contains appropriations totaling $20,000,000 from the NCSA.
Fiscal Note: Requested on January 19, 2024.
Creates Committee/Commission/Task Force that includes Legislative members: No.
Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.