Bill > H7914

This bill, titled the "Natural Forest Protection Act," aims to safeguard Rhode Island's natural forests on state lands and preserves by prohibiting "extractive logging" and "even-age logging operations." Extractive logging is defined as the felling or removal of any trees for any purpose, including even-age logging and selection management, while even-age logging involves creating large clearings or stands where most trees are the same age, or removing a significant portion of a stand's trees within a 30-year period. The bill allows for very limited exceptions, such as removing individual trees that pose a safety hazard or invasive trees threatening native ecosystems in natural area preserves, but only with approval from the natural heritage program coordinator. On state-owned land that is not a natural area preserve, tree felling for authorized construction projects or "selection management" (a method of selectively removing weaker trees to promote the growth of stronger ones while maintaining forest cover and native species) may be permitted, but only after environmental review, public hearings, and proper notice. The bill also establishes a new "natural heritage program" within the Rhode Island historical preservation and heritage commission, headed by a coordinator with specific qualifications, to oversee the inventory, mapping, and management of natural forests, old growth forests, and rare forest ecosystems, and designates numerous specific areas as "natural area preserves" to be protected in their natural state. Violations of the act will result in significant fines, and the bill emphasizes the importance of protecting these natural areas for public benefit and biodiversity.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

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