Public resources.

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not provide specific details on how these changes will be implemented or their potential impacts, leaving some uncertainty.

Changes to Forest Practices and Coastal Development

This legislation modifies rules related to forest management practices by removing certain requirements for the Forest Resilience Exemption, and clarifies the scope of authority over coastal development permits and long-range development plans for state universities.

What This Bill Does

• Removes a requirement that all trees harvested under the Forest Resilience Exemption must be marked by or supervised by a registered professional forester before felling operations begin.
• Limits the California Coastal Commission's coastal development permit review authority to state universities, removing references to state colleges.
• Restricts the commission’s authority over long-range development plans to apply only to state universities and private universities, excluding state colleges.

Who It Names or Affects

• Registered professional foresters involved in forest management activities
• The California Coastal Commission
• State universities within the coastal zone
• Private universities

Terms To Know

Forest Resilience Exemption

An exemption from certain timber harvesting regulations to allow tree removal for fire prevention purposes.

California Coastal Commission

A state agency responsible for administering the California Coastal Act, which regulates development in coastal areas.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify an effective date.
• It is unclear how these changes will impact current forest management and coastal development practices without further implementation details.

Official Summary Text

AB 2791, as introduced, Committee on Natural Resources.
Public resources.
(1) The Z’berg-Nejedly Forest Practice Act of 1973 prohibits a person from conducting timber operations, as defined, unless a timber harvesting plan prepared by a registered professional forester has been submitted to, and approved by, the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The act authorizes the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection to exempt from some or all of those provisions of the act a person engaging in specified forest management activities, including an exemption, known as the Forest Resilience Exemption, for the harvesting of certain trees for the purpose of reducing the rate of fire spread, duration and intensity, fuel ignitability, or ignition of tree crowns. The act requires certain conditions to be met to qualify for the exemption, including that all trees harvested are marked by, or under the supervision of, a registered professional
forester before felling operations begin.
This bill would remove the above-described condition to qualify for the Forest Resilience Exemption.
(2) The California Coastal Act of 1976, which is administered by the California Coastal Commission, requires a person wishing to perform or undertake any development in the coastal zone to obtain a coastal development permit. The act further provides for the certification of local coastal programs by the commission. The act generally prohibits, after certification of a local coastal program and all implementing actions within the affected area, the commission from exercising its coastal development permit review authority over any new development within the area to which the certified local coastal program, or any portion thereof, applies. This prohibition does not apply to development proposed or undertaken within any state university or college within the
coastal zone. The act defines “state university” to mean the University of California and the California State University.
This bill would make the commission’s authority pursuant to the above-described provision on coastal development permit review authority applicable only to state universities by removing references to state colleges.
The act also provides for the submission to, and approval by, the commission of state university or college or private university long-range development plans and provides for amendments to those plans.
This bill would make the commission’s authority pursuant to long-range development plans as described above applicable only to state universities or private universities by removing the references to state colleges.
This bill would also define a nonprofit organization for purposes of the act and would make
various nonsubstantive and conforming changes.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF