SP0315
LD 870		 Session - 127th Maine Legislature
 
 LR 445
Item 1
Bill Tracking, Additional Documents Chamber Status

An Act To Amend the Maine Spruce Budworm Management Laws

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:

Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §8422, sub-§§1, 2 and 4,  as enacted by PL 1979, c. 737, §12, are amended to read:

1. Supply of wood.   The protection of an adequate Monitoring the status of and reporting on the present and future supply of wood to support the long-term economic needs of the State and of its forest products industries;
2. Development of program.  The development and utilization in both the public and private sectors of forest protection and management programs which that are cost-effective, biologically sound and responsive to the public's environmental and health concerns of the public;
4. Private efforts; pest management.  The encouragement of private efforts to undertake a variety of integrated pest management techniques which that result in a long-term reduction in the susceptibility vulnerability of the state's State's forests to spruce budworm infestation and loss;

Sec. 2. 12 MRSA §8422, sub-§4-A  is enacted to read:

4-A.  Presalvage and salvage harvesting.   The regulation of presalvage and salvage harvesting designed to reduce losses of timber while protecting public trust resources;

Sec. 3. 12 MRSA §8422, sub-§§5 to 7,  as enacted by PL 1979, c. 737, §12, are amended to read:

5. Implementation.  The implementation of equitable methods for determining private and public participation in , and financing of, spruce budworm suppression and prevention management programs, including provision for voluntary participation in future insecticide spray projects;
6. Regulatory review.  The provision for adequate regulatory review of any proposed insecticide spray projects by an independent state agency the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Board of Pesticides Control; and
7. Management options.  The provision of management and utilization assistance programs options for small forest landowners designed to minimize impacts of spruce budworm infestation and loss.

Sec. 4. 12 MRSA §8423-A, sub-§§2 and 4,  as enacted by PL 1981, c. 278, §2, are repealed.

Sec. 5. 12 MRSA §8423-A, sub-§5,  as enacted by PL 1981, c. 278, §2, is amended to read:

5. Forest land owners.   "Forest land owners" means persons who own forest lands within the district, including, without limitation, persons owning or claiming timber and grass rights in public reserved land located within the district.

Sec. 6. 12 MRSA §8423-A, sub-§6,  as enacted by PL 1981, c. 278, §2 and amended by PL 2011, c. 657, Pt. W, §7 and PL 2013, c. 405, Pt. A, §23, is further amended to read:

6. Management program.  "Management program" means all activities undertaken by the Bureau of Forestry in connection with the short-term and long-term suppression, control and prevention management of spruce budworm infestations, including, without limitation, any activities undertaken in connection with spray projects, spruce budworm survey and detection activities, targeting silvicultural , marketing and integrated pest management programs, research , methods development and related activities and any involvement in any spray activities.

Sec. 7. 12 MRSA §8423-A, sub-§7-A  is enacted to read:

7-A.  Presalvage and salvage harvesting.   "Presalvage and salvage harvesting" means the harvesting of trees vulnerable to damage.

Sec. 8. 12 MRSA §8423-A, sub-§§8 and 10,  as enacted by PL 1981, c. 278, §2, are repealed.

Sec. 9. 12 MRSA §8423-A, sub-§11,  as enacted by PL 1981, c. 278, §2 and amended by PL 2011, c. 657, Pt. W, §7 and PL 2013, c. 405, Pt. A, §23, is repealed.

Sec. 10. 12 MRSA §8423-A, sub-§13  is enacted to read:

13.  Spruce budworm timber harvesting standards.   "Spruce budworm timber harvesting standards" means standards for presalvage and salvage harvesting of spruce and fir stands vulnerable to and subject to spruce budworm damage.

Sec. 11. 12 MRSA §8423-B,  as enacted by PL 1981, c. 278, §3, is repealed.

Sec. 12. 12 MRSA §8423-C  is enacted to read:

§ 8423-C.  Presalvage and salvage harvesting

1.  Regulation.   The Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry shall regulate the presalvage and salvage harvesting of forest stands that, based on the proportion of balsam fir, white spruce, red spruce, black spruce, other softwood and hardwood components present, have significant risk of damage from spruce budworm.
A.  The assessments of risk and vulnerability of a specific forest stand must be supported by adequate data.
B.  A forest stand that is identified for presalvage and salvage harvesting must have a documented history of recent spruce budworm moth presence or foliage damage from spruce budworm feeding.
C.  Areas designated for presalvage and salvage harvesting must be inspected and verified by a licensed forester in the employ of the bureau.
2.  Notification.   Prior to beginning timber harvesting pursuant to this subchapter, a landowner or designated agent shall notify the bureau in accordance with the notification requirements set forth in chapter 805, subchapter 5.
3.  Reporting.   Timber harvests conducted pursuant to this subchapter are subject to the same reporting requirements set forth in chapter 805, subchapter 5, except that the director may require additional information to be reported to satisfy the requirements of this subchapter.
4.  Confidentiality.   Information contained in reports filed in accordance with rules adopted pursuant to this section may not be made public, except that summary reports may be published that use aggregated data that do not reveal the activities of an individual person or firm. Forms submitted pursuant to this section must be available for the use of the State Tax Assessor for the administration of Title 36.
5.  Rules.   The commissioner shall adopt rules to implement this section, including rules establishing spruce budworm timber harvesting standards. Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are major substantive rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.

The rules must provide for adequate review of any proposed presalvage or salvage harvesting in protection subdistricts within the jurisdiction of the Maine Land Use Planning Commission.

The Commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry shall consult with the Commissioner of Environmental Protection and the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to ensure that rules adopted under this subchapter are consistent with wildlife habitat and environmental protection.

Sec. 13. 12 MRSA §8424, sub-§1,  as enacted by PL 1979, c. 737, §12 and amended by PL 2011, c. 657, Pt. W, §7 and PL 2013, c. 405, Pt. A, §23, is further amended to read:

1. General authority.  In accordance with the provisions of this subchapter, the Bureau of Forestry, acting under the supervision of the director, shall be empowered to may plan for and undertake activities related to spray projects and spruce budworm management programs on behalf of the State.

Sec. 14. 12 MRSA §8424, sub-§2,  as amended by PL 2011, c. 657, Pt. W, §7; c. 662, §10; and PL 2013, c. 405, Pt. A, §23, is repealed.

Sec. 15. 12 MRSA §8424, sub-§3,  as amended by PL 1985, c. 58, §1, is repealed.

Sec. 16. 12 MRSA §8424, sub-§§4 and 5,  as enacted by PL 1979, c. 737, §12, are repealed.

Sec. 17. 12 MRSA §8424, sub-§6,  as amended by PL 1983, c. 623, is repealed.

Sec. 18. 12 MRSA §8424, sub-§§7 and 8,  as enacted by PL 1979, c. 737, §12 and amended by PL 2011, c. 657, Pt. W, §7 and PL 2013, c. 405, Pt. A, §23, are further amended to read:

7. Technical assistance programs.  The Bureau of Forestry shall undertake to develop and implement budworm management use its authorized technical assistance programs for small wood lot owners to assist landowners with spruce budworm management issues.
8. Supply-demand analyses.  The Bureau of Forestry shall conduct or cause to be conducted an analysis analyses of future supply and demand for the spruce and fir resources of the State. The purpose of such analysis shall be to determine the types and levels of future spruce budworm protection needs and strategies for such spruce and fir resources.

Sec. 19. 12 MRSA §8424, sub-§9,  as enacted by PL 1979, c. 737, §12 and amended by PL 2011, c. 657, Pt. W, §§5 and 7 and PL 2013, c. 405, Pt. A, §23, is repealed.

Sec. 20. 12 MRSA §8425,  as enacted by PL 1979, c. 737, §12 and amended by PL 2011, c. 657, Pt. W, §§5 and 7 and PL 2013, c. 405, Pt. A, §23, is repealed.

Sec. 21. 12 MRSA §8426,  as amended by PL 1985, c. 664, §1; PL 2011, c. 657, Pt. W, §7; and PL 2013, c. 405, Pt. A, §23, is repealed.

Sec. 22. 12 MRSA §8427,  as corrected by RR 2013, c. 2, §19, is repealed.

Sec. 23. 12 MRSA §8428, sub-§§2 and 3,  as enacted by PL 1979, c. 737, §12, are repealed.

Sec. 24. 12 MRSA §8428, sub-§4,  as enacted by PL 1979, c. 737, §12 and amended by PL 2011, c. 657, Pt. W, §6, is repealed.

Sec. 25. 12 MRSA §8428, sub-§5,  as enacted by PL 1979, c. 737, §12, is amended to read:

5. Entry on lands.  The director or his the director's representatives may enter , upon reasonable advance notice to the landowner, at any reasonable time and in a reasonable manner, any tract of land for on which application pursuant to section 8424, subsection 2, has been made in order to inspect the same free of any charge or cost imposed by the owner or his agents a spruce budworm management program is being conducted or is proposed to be conducted.

Sec. 26. 12 MRSA §8428, sub-§6,  as enacted by PL 1979, c. 737, §12, is repealed.

Sec. 27. 12 MRSA §8428, sub-§7,  as enacted by PL 1979, c. 737, §12, is amended to read:

7. Contractual authority.  The director , with the approval of the commissioner, shall have the authority to may enter into contracts for the acquisition of insecticides, aircraft, personnel and other goods and services necessary or appropriate for management programs and for other purposes related to this subchapter.

Sec. 28. 12 MRSA §8428, sub-§8,  as enacted by PL 1979, c. 737, §12, is repealed.

Sec. 29. 12 MRSA §8428, sub-§10,  as corrected by RR 2013, c. 1, §24, is amended to read:

10. Report.  The director shall, at the end of each calendar year, undertake a complete financial review of any spruce budworm management program activities undertaken that year and shall make a full report on the activities to the next session of the Legislature. The report shall must include, but not be limited to, sources of funding, private, state or federal and total expenditures broken down in the following categories: Insecticides, aircraft, monitoring, research and other appropriate categories. Also to be included shall be a statement of any remaining balance by source, private, state or federal spruce budworm survey and monitoring activities and findings, outcomes of any research or methods development activities, levels and outcomes of harvest monitoring for harvests conducted under rules adopted pursuant to this subchapter, scopes of landowner assistance activities conducted and other issues as appropriate. Reports required under this subsection must use aggregated data that do not reveal the activities of an individual person or firm.

Sec. 30. 12 MRSA §8428, sub-§11,  as enacted by PL 1985, c. 664, §3, is repealed.

Sec. 31. 12 MRSA §8430,  as amended by PL 1987, c. 183, §4; PL 2011, c. 657, Pt. W, §7; and PL 2013, c. 405, Pt. A, §23, is further amended to read:

§ 8430. Research

1. Authority.  The Bureau of Forestry, acting through its director, with the approval of the commissioner, may make grants of funds and enter into contracts for purposes of research related to forest management strategies, effects on wildlife and wildlife habitat, insecticide and spray application technologies, integrated pest management techniques, forest product marketing and utilization and other issues pertinent to the purposes of this subchapter. This research may be funded with any funds available, provided that as long as the cost of environmental and health monitoring of spray projects shall be are part of annual spray project costs and not paid out of General Fund moneys.
2. Research on public lands.  The commissioner, director or other chief executive officer of any state agency having jurisdiction over any public land may make that land over which the commissioner, director or officer has jurisdiction available on such terms and conditions as he deems the commissioner, director or officer considers reasonable to any public or private nonprofit entity engaged in spruce budworm control research and related silvicultural control research. The director shall likewise encourage private landowners within the State to make their lands available for the same purposes.

Sec. 32. 36 MRSA §112, sub-§8, ¶C,  as amended by PL 2011, c. 548, §10, is repealed.

SUMMARY

This bill updates the Maine Spruce Budworm Management Act to eliminate outdated language, such as that referring to pesticide spraying, and to add language governing presalvage and salvage harvesting of forest stands that have a significant risk of damage from spruce budworm.

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