3. Independent 3rd-party certification. "Independent 3rd-party certification" means a system that verifies sustainable forest management through an independent 3rd-party audit of a licensed professional forester's management of a client's forest lands. that forest management is consistent with a certification program's standards through an independent 3rd-party audit of the management of forest lands.__To be considered an "independent 3rd-party certification" system:

A.__The certification program, including, but not limited to, the standards for awarding certification and the protocols for ascertaining compliance, must be developed and administered by an entity with no financial interest in the entity seeking certification except by reason of the contract for certification services; and

B.__The organization retained to perform the certification audit may not receive any financial benefit from timber harvesting on the land or from the entity being audited, except for the contractual relationship for the audit service.

Sec. 4. 12 MRSA §8012, sub-§4, as enacted by PL 2001, c. 439, Pt. KKKK, §1, is amended to read:

4. Licensed forester. "Licensed professional forester" means a person licensed pursuant to Title 32, chapter 75 76.

Sec. 5. 12 MRSA §8013, as enacted by PL 2001, c. 439, Pt. KKKK, §1, is repealed.

Sec. 6. 12 MRSA §8014 is enacted to read:

§8014.__Administration of cost-share fund; procedure

The bureau shall administer the fund to reimburse eligible persons for a portion of the costs of obtaining independent 3rd- party certification in accordance with this section.

1.__Eligibility.__The following persons are eligible for cost- share funds:

A.__A licensed forester who has obtained independent 3rd- party certification or recertification as a forest resource manager in order that the forester's client landowners may obtain the benefits accruing from such certification;