Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill to authorize expedited sale of timber.

Highlights:

• Authorizes the director, with consent from the commissioner, to approve contracts for the sale, lease, or other disposal of available land, resources, property, or interests in them with only a single written finding (Sec. 2).

• Authorizes the director the ability to impose additional conditions in the contracts, with the consent of the commissioner, that will best serve the interests of the state (Sec. 2).

• Specifies that a contract for sale or lease of available land is not legally binding on the state until the commissioner approves the contract (Sec. 2).

• Authorize the director to finalize the contract without commissioner approval if teh appraised value is less than $50,000 for the sale of land or less than $5,999 in the case of annual rental of land (Sec. 2).

• Requires public notice for the sale, lease, or other disposal of available land for oil and gas and a public written finding that sets out the material facts and applicable statutes and regulations (Sec. 2).

• Contract negotiated for timber sales;

• Leasing of land for a shore fishery site;

• Permit or other authorization revocable by the commissioner;

• A mineral claim;

• A mineral lease;

• Or an exempt oil and gas lease subject to a best interest finding issued within the last 10 years or a reoffer oil and gas lease sale.

• Requires that the director call for comments from the public for each oil and gas lease sale described and that the call period not be less than 30 days (Sec. 2).

• Prohibits the department from authorizing the harvest of timber, except for harvests of 10 acres or less, salvage sales, or expedited timber sales until a site-specific forest land use plan has been adopted (Sec. 4).

• Exempts sales of 160 acres or less, salvage sales, and expedited timber sales from the requirements of this section (Sec. 5).

• Specific that a sale of timber subject to a forest land use plan is 25 years unless a shorter period is requested, and a contract must provide rates that can be renegotiated once every 5 years (Sec. 6).

• Authorizes the commissioner, without a written finding, offer for salvage sale timber that has or will lose substantial economic value if not salvaged within 2 years( Sec. 7).

• Requires that the commissioner determines the timber to be sold and the conditions of the sale (Sec. 7).

• Requires that the sale conditions include the utilization and maintenance of the sustained yield principle (Sec. 7).

• Prohibits the commissioner from negotiating sales of timber without notice and requires that the negotiations are considered to be in the best interest of the state (Sec. 7).

• Specifies that sales under section 7 is limited to timber that has been killed by fire, insects, disease, or acts of nature that is being removed for conversion of land to a nonforest use, or is cleared as part of fire prevention (Sec. 8).

• Specifies that a timber sale made by the commissioner for use in the local manufacture of high value-added wood products and a contract entered into under this section may provide for a harvest of up to 10 million board feet of timber a year and may not be for a term of less than 7 years unless requested and can last up to 25 years (Sec. 9).

• Requires that the commissioner tries to negotiate at least two contracts under section 9 in each region of the state (Sec. 9).

• Authorizes coomisioner to expedite timber sales in areas subject to a high annual fire danger (Sec. 9).

Full Bill Text