Current through Bulletin 2024-18, September 15, 2024
(1) Wood product
permits, as defined in Section
R657-28-2, may be
issued by the division to applicants who wish to utilize division lands for the
removal of trees and wood, when such actions will be beneficial to wildlife and
the management of division lands.
(a) A wood
product permit may specify:
(i) A designated
area for collection;
(ii) The
allowed period for collection;
(iii) The species of trees that may be
collected; and
(iv) Permittees must
accompany wood products from the cutting site.
(b) The division may set a maximum number of
permits, per person or total permits, to harvest wood products on division
lands.
(c) Wood product permits are
non-transferable and non-refundable.
(d) The division may require compensation for
wood product permits issued on division lands.
(i) The fee for firewood, Christmas tree,
ornamental, and post permits is as defined in the fee schedule set forth by the
Utah Legislature.
(ii) Compensation
received by the division may be monetary, in-kind, or both.
(e) The division may terminate a
wood product permit for non-compliance or for failure to abide by any terms and
conditions in a signed wood product permit.
(2) Firewood, as defined in
Section
R657-28-2, may be
collected on division lands.
(a) A person may
purchase one permit per year to collect firewood on division lands.
(b) A firewood permit allows a person to
collect up to two cords of wood under the following conditions:
(i) Firewood collection is limited to felled
trees after tree removal projects or standing dead trees, unless otherwise
designated.
(ii) A living or dead
tree containing a nesting cavity may not be felled or collected.
(3) Christmas trees, as
defined in Section
R657-28-2, may be
collected on division lands.
(a) A person may
purchase one permit per year to cut a Christmas tree on division
lands.
(b) A tag will be issued
with each Christmas tree permit.
(c) The division may designate which division
lands are open to Christmas tree harvesting.
(d) Only pinyon pine, Rocky Mountain juniper,
or Utah juniper, or other species designated by the division on a specific
property may be cut and removed.
(e) The tag must be visibly attached to the
tree before it is transported from the cutting site.
(f) The Christmas tree permit fee may be
waived for any person who possesses a current Utah hunting or fishing
license.
(g) Division lands are not
accessible for Christmas tree permit collection when division lands are closed.
Closures may vary by property.
(4) Ornamentals, as defined in Section
R657-28-2, may be
collected on division lands.
(a) A person may
purchase one permit per year to remove ornamentals on division lands.
(b) A person may harvest up to six
ornamentals per permit.
(5) Posts, as defined in Section
R657-28-2, may be
collected on division lands.
(a) A person may
purchase one permit per year to cut posts on division lands.
(b) A person may harvest up to 25 posts per
permit.
(6) Wood product
contracts may be issued by the division for removing quantities of wood
products over those specified in this rule.
(a) Wood product contracts may be issued
under a first-come, first-served basis or a competitive bid process if multiple
entities express interest in a particular wood resource.
(i) The division shall notify all parties by
mail or email who have provided contact information and who have previously
indicated their desire to be contacted regarding wood collection opportunities
on division lands.
(ii) Negotiated
compensation shall reflect a fair market value of the opportunity
provided.
(b)
Compensation received by the division may be monetary, in-kind, or
both.
(c) The division must receive
a copy of the applicant's Commercial General Liability insurance, which will be
no less than one million dollars per person per occurrence and three million
dollars aggregate, and must list Utah Division of Wildlife Resources as a
co-insured party.
(7) The
division may issue seed harvesting permits, as defined in Section
R657-28-2, that grant
a permittee exclusive rights to harvest all seeds for a specified species for a
single growing season on the division property specified in the permit.
(a) Seed harvesting permits may be issued
under a first-come, first-served basis or a competitive bid process.
(b) The division may solicit competitive bids
for seed harvesting permits for locations the division determines may provide
opportunities for seed harvesting if such determination is made at least three
weeks in advance of the anticipated onset of harvest.
(c) The division shall notify all parties by
mail or email who have provided contact information and who have previously
indicated their desire to be contacted regarding seed harvesting opportunities
on division lands.
(d) The bid
award and seed harvesting permit shall be issued at least two weeks in advance
of the anticipated onset of harvest.
(e) Negotiated compensation shall reflect a
fair market value of the opportunity provided.
(i) To determine a fair market value of the
seed harvesting opportunity, the division may rely upon, but not be limited to,
one or more of the following:
(A) results of
competitive bids for seed harvesting permits on other division lands;
(B) market information obtained from other
landowners, the division's own seed requisitions, or other state
agencies;
(C) market information
provided by seed wholesalers or retailers;
(ii) Compensation received by the division
may be either a percentage of the final cleaned seeds harvested or other
in-kind compensation, monetary compensation, or a combination
thereof.
(f) The division
must receive a copy of the applicant's Commercial General Liability insurance,
which will be no less than one million dollars per person per occurrence and
three million dollars aggregate, and must list Utah Division of Wildlife
Resources as a co-insured party.
(g) All seed delivered to the division must
be tagged in accordance with Utah State Seed Laws Title 4, Chapter 16, Utah
Seed Act and Utah Administrative Code R68-8. All seed shall comply with Utah
State Noxious Weed Seeds and Weed Seed Restrictions. All seed shall also comply
with the Federal Seed Act,
7
U.S.C. Section 1551-1610 and shall
also meet minimum germination and purity standards determined by the
division.
(h) If the permittee
breaches the provisions of the permit, the permit may be terminated and the
permittee disqualified from bidding on future seed harvesting permits. The
division shall notify the permittee in writing of any breach of the terms of
the permit.
(i) Allowed methods of
harvest may be specified in the permit.
(8) The division may sell, lease, or
otherwise permit the excavation or extraction of any sand, gravel, cinders,
ornamental rock, as defined in Section
R657-28-2, or other
common mineral resource on division lands by any private or public entity when
the division determines that such sale, lease, excavation or extraction is
consistent with the purposes for which the land was acquired and provides a
net-benefit to wildlife.
(a) The division
shall receive fair market value for all sand, gravel, cinders, ornamental rock,
or other common mineral resources removed from division property.
(b) Reclamation practice shall adhere to
Section
R647-3-109 unless otherwise specified by the division.
(c) Bonding in an amount equal to two-times
the estimated cost of reclamation, as determined by the division, shall be
required before authorizing the sale, lease, excavation or extraction of any
sand, gravel, cinders, ornamental rock, or other common mineral resource on
division lands.
(d) Nothing in this
rule shall be construed as superseding the division's legal obligations to
obtain approval from any party possessing a legal interest in the property
before authorizing the extraction or excavation of sand, gravel, cinders,
ornamental rock, or other common mineral resource on division
property.