Current through Register 2024 Notice Reg. No. 38, September 20, 2024
(a) Every application shall provide
sufficient information to enable the Director to verify the parcel's
eligibility for the Program and to understand the conservation objectives and
the parcel's environmental value or potential to protect forest and aquatic
resources.
(b) Proposed projects
shall meet the eligibility criteria set forth in this section prior to review
pursuant to the ranking criteria set forth in Section
1573.3. To be eligible for
participation, private forest land parcels proposed for inclusion in the
Program shall comply with all of the following:
(1) Be threatened by potential
conversion.
(2) Be owned by
landowners who are willing and interested in selling or donating lands or
interests in lands.
(3) Be forested
with at least 10-percent canopy cover by conifer or hardwood species, or be
capable of being so forested under natural conditions.
(4) Possession of one or more environmental
values of great concern to the public and the state:
(A) Important fish and wildlife
habitat.
(B) Areas that can help
maintain habitat connectivity across landscapes.
(C) Rare plants.
(D) Biodiversity.
(E) Riparian habitats.
(F) Oak woodlands.
(G) Ecological old growth forests.
(H) Other key forest types and seral stages
that are poorly represented across California.
(I) Lands that directly affect water quality
and other watershed values.
(5) Provision for continuity of one or more
traditional forest uses, such as timber harvesting and rangeland livestock
production which is utilized for economic purposes, or habitat maintenance and
restoration that addresses fire hazard, mortality from pests and disease,
carbon storage, restocking of underutilized forests, and reduction of
non-native invasive species.
(6)
Possession of environmental values that can be protected and managed
effectively through conservation easements at reasonable costs.
(7) Be at least partially within or adjacent
to a Forest Legacy Area.
(8) Be
available for future timber harvesting, grazing or recreation (e.g. hunting,
fishing, hiking and other similar uses) and not be prohibited from these
activities by any statute, previous conservation easement, or other regulatory
requirements.
1. New
article 3 (sections 1572-1572.2) and section filed 4-29-2011; operative
4-29-2011 pursuant to Government Code section
11343.4
(Register 2011, No. 17).
Note: Authority cited: Section
12249,
Public Resources Code. Reference: Sections
12250
and
12251,
Public Resources Code.
