AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 1, 2026

AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 21, 2025

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

96

Introduced by Assembly Member Hadwick

(Coauthor: Assembly Member Tangipa)

February 6, 2025

An act to amend Sections 4593.2 and 4597.1 of, and to repeal Section 4597.22 of, the Public Resources Code, relating to forestry.

Vote: majority   Appropriation: no   Fiscal committee: yes   Local program: no

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

Under the Z’berg-Nejedly Forest Practice Act of 1973, the Legislature finds and declares that it is the policy of the state to encourage prudent and responsible forest management of nonindustrial timberlands by approving working forest management plans in advance. Existing law regulates nonindustrial tree farmers and working forest landowners for timberland management purposes, including by setting a maximum acreage each may own, and authorizes a person who intends to become a nonindustrial tree farmer or a working forest landowner to submit to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection a nonindustrial timber management plan or a working forest harvest plan, respectively, regarding that acreage. Existing law provides a maximum of 2,500 acres owned for nonindustrial tree farmers and nonindustrial timber management plans and a maximum of 10,000 acres owned for working forest landowners and working forest management plans.

This bill would increase the maximum acreage for nonindustrial tree farmers and nonindustrial management plans to 4,000 acres and for working forest landowners and working forest management plans to 15,000 acres.

Existing law requires the harvest area of a working forest management plan to be contained within a single hydrological area, as defined.

This bill would eliminate the requirement that the harvest area of a working forest management plan be contained within a single hydrological area.

Existing law requires the working forest landowner who owns, leases, or otherwise controls or operates on all or any portion of any timberland within the boundaries of an approved working forest management plan, and who plans to harvest any of the timber during a given year, to file a working forest harvest notice, as defined, with the department in writing. Existing law exempts the Southern Subdistrict of the Coast Forest District, as described in regulations, from these provisions regarding working forest management plans.

This bill would eliminate this exemption.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section 4593.2 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:

4593.2.

Notwithstanding Section 4521, unless the context otherwise requires, the following definitions govern construction of this article:

(a) “Nonindustrial timberlands” means timberland owned by a nonindustrial tree farmer.

(b) “Nonindustrial tree farmer” means an owner of timberland with less than 4,000 acres who has an approved nonindustrial management plan and is not primarily engaged in the manufacture of forest products.

(c) “Uneven aged management” means the management of a specific forest, with the goal of establishing a well stocked stand of various age classes and which permits the periodic harvest of individual or small groups of trees to realize the yield and continually establish a new crop.

(d) “Sustained yield” means the yield of commercial wood that an area of commercial timberland can produce continuously at a given intensity of management consistent with required environmental protection and which is professionally planned to achieve over time a balance between growth and removal.

(e) “Nonindustrial timber management plan” means a management plan for nonindustrial timberlands with an objective of an uneven aged managed timber stand and sustained yield for each parcel or group of contiguous parcels meeting the requirements of Section 4593.3. A nonindustrial timber management plan may include multiple nonindustrial tree farmers, but shall not cover more than 4,000 acres.

(f) “Nonindustrial timber harvest notice” means notice of timber harvest operations pursuant to an approved nonindustrial timber management plan and meeting the requirements of Section 4594.

SEC. 2.

Section 4597.1 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:

4597.1.

Notwithstanding Section 4521, unless the context otherwise requires, the following definitions govern construction of this article:

(a) “Long-term sustained yield” means the average annual growth sustainable by the inventory predicted at the end of a 100-year planning horizon, or a shorter planning horizon if the forest encompassed by the working forest management plan has reached a balance between growth and yield.

(b) “Major stand type” means a stand that occupies an area equal to or greater than 25 percent of a working forest management plan.

(c) “Management unit” means a geographically identifiable area delineated for silviculture or management purposes. A management unit is intended to reflect an area scheduled for harvest under the plan in any given year, but may also be designated to address specific resource sensitivities.

(d) “Stand” means a geographically identifiable group of trees sufficiently uniform in age-class distribution, composition, and structure and growing on a site of sufficiently uniform quality to be a distinguishable unit.

(e) “Strata” means a grouping of similar stands defined for silvicultural or management purposes, usually according to similarities in stand composition, structure, and age.

(f) “Sustained yield” means the yield of commercial wood that an area of commercial timberland can produce continuously at a given intensity of management consistent with required environmental protection and that is professionally planned to achieve over time a balance between growth and removal. Sustained yield management implies continuous production planned so as to achieve, at the earliest practical time, a balance between growth and harvest.

(g) “Uneven aged management” means forest management with the goal of establishing a well-stocked stand of various age classes, which permits the periodic harvest of individual or small groups of trees to achieve sustained yield objectives of the working forest management plan, and provide for regeneration of trees and maintenance of age class structure.

(h) “Working forest harvest notice” means notice of timber harvest operations, pursuant to an approved working forest management plan, which meets the requirements of Section 4597.11.

(i) “Working forest landowner” means an owner of timberland with less than 15,000 acres who has an approved working forest management plan and is not primarily engaged in the manufacture of forest products.

(j) “Working forest management plan” means a management plan for working forest timberlands, with objectives of maintaining, restoring, or creating uneven aged managed timber stand conditions, achieving sustained yield, and promoting forestland stewardship that protects watersheds, fisheries and wildlife habitats, and other important values. A working forest management plan may include multiple working forest landowners, but shall cover no more than 15,000 acres of timberland.

(k) “Working forest timberlands” means timberland owned by a working forest landowner.

SEC. 3.

Section 4597.22 of the Public Resources Code is repealed.