BURNING OF FORESTS - S.B. 981 (S-3): FLOOR ANALYSIS

Senate Bill 981 (Substitute S-3 as reported)

Sponsor: Senator George A. McManus, Jr.

Committee: Hunting, Fishing and Forestry

CONTENT

The bill would amend Part 517 (Prevention of Forest Fires) of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act to prohibit the State or a department, bureau, board, commission, or other agency of the State or a political subdivision of the State from enacting, adopting, promulgating, enforcing, or practicing any law, rule, policy, or concept that authorized the burning of a forest area unless both of the following conditions were met before the burning:

-- Notice of the location of a prescribed burn of more than 40 acres was provided to the general public by publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where the proposed burn would occur at least two weeks before the first day of a designated 60-day period in which the burn was scheduled to occur.

-- Marketable timber had been offered for sale in the manner prescribed by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for sale of forest products, if consistent with management objectives.

"Prescribed burn" would mean a fire that was intentionally set by the DNR in a forest area on State- owned property or privately owned property to assist the Department in implementing one or more land use management goals or to create turkey and other wildlife habitats allowed under the Act.

MCL 324.51701 & 324.51702 - Legislative Analyst: N. Nagata

FISCAL IMPACT

The bill would generate an indeterminate amount of additional timber revenues by requiring the State to offer the sale of timber rights prior to a proposed burn.

Date Completed: 3-11-98 - Fiscal Analyst: G. Cutler

floor\sb981 - Analysis available @ http://www.michiganlegislature.org

This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.