Forestry: timber harvesting plans.

(1) The Z'berg-Nejedly Forest Practice Act of 1973 prohibits a person from conducting timber operations unless a timber harvesting plan prepared by a professional forester has been submitted to, and approved by, the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. This bill would require the Director of Forestry and Fire Protection, if the director determines a preharvest inspection is necessary to review a timber harvesting plan, to coordinate with a specified interdisciplinary team to ensure that all necessary members of the team that request participation are present for the inspection. The bill would require a review team member who requests participation to make a good faith effort to participate in the scheduled preharvest inspection. The bill would authorize the director, if there are compelling reasons why a member of the review team cannot attend the initial inspection, and the director articulates those reasons, in writing, to the person who submitted the plan, to schedule an additional onsite visit to complete the initial inspection. (2) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.