An Act To Amend the Laws Governing the Unlawful Cutting of Trees
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 14 MRSA §7552, sub-§3, ¶B, as amended by PL 1999, c. 339, §1, is further amended to read:
B. For Except within areas that have been zoned for residential use, for lost trees, the owner may claim in lieu of market value the forfeiture amounts determined in Title 17, section 2510, subsections 2 and 3. In addition, the owner's damages may include the costs for regeneration of the stand in accordance with Title 12, section 8869. The court may reduce the damages awarded for good cause shown when the cutting of trees was done negligently or without fault.
Sec. 2. 14 MRSA §7552, sub-§3, ¶B-1 is enacted to read:
B-1. Within areas that have been zoned for residential use, for lost trees, the owner may claim in lieu of market value the forfeiture amounts determined in Title 17, section 2510, subsections 2 and 3. In addition, the owner's damages may include the costs for replanting and restoring the trees.
SUMMARY
This bill allows a landowner within an area zoned for residential use to recover the costs of replanting and restoring trees that have been cut down without permission of the landowner.