CHAPTER 10. Protection of Forest and Lands [4671. - 4771.6.]
Chapter 10 added by Stats. 1965, Ch. 1144.
§§ 4671–4771.6 · 59 sections
ARTICLE 1. Cooperative Agreements §§ 4671–4676 · 6 sections
- § 4671 The department may, in accordance with the policy of the board, engage in and demonstrate methods of developing, using, and protecting the forest and wild land…
- § 4672 The department may, in accordance with the policy of the board, engage in surveys of soil, vegetation, and forest products on the forest, range, and watershed…
- § 4673 The department, with the approval of the Director of General Services, may enter into an agreement with any federal agency for the purpose of investigating the…
- § 4674 The department may, with the approval of the Department of General Services, enter into a cooperative agreement, upon the terms and under the conditions as the…
- § 4675 It is in the public interest and to the benefit of the state that watershed lands are rehabilitated to conserve water and soil and to prevent destructive…
- § 4676 (a) The director may authorize any work for any purpose authorized by Section 4675 as an exercise of the director’s emergency powers and may request the…
ARTICLE 2. State Nurseries §§ 4681–4685 · 6 sections
- § 4681 State nurseries shall be maintained under the management of the department for all of the following purposes: (a) Operation of a state seed bank to provide…
- § 4682 The department shall construct and maintain such buildings, improvements, and equipment, and shall employ and fix the compensation of such employees as may be…
- § 4683 The department may purchase nursery stock and seed, and may distribute stock or seed for the following purposes: (a) Public planting or reforestation of public…
- § 4684 Trees, plants, nursery stock, and seeds which are sold pursuant to this article shall be sold at prices that are established by the department and approved by…
- § 4684.5 Notwithstanding Section 4684, the director may give such forest seedlings or native plants for the purposes of reforestation or soil erosion control at the end…
- § 4685 The Governor, on behalf of the state, may receive all conveyances or donations of real or personal property necessary to vest in the state the title to any…
ARTICLE 3. Reforestation Studies and Plans §§ 4691–4695 · 5 sections
- § 4691 It is hereby declared to be in the interest of the welfare of the people of this state that the need for wood, lumber, poles, piling, wood pulp and other…
- § 4692 The department may make surveys and prepare maps setting forth the areas of nonrestocking forest lands.
- § 4693 The department may undertake experiments and studies, on lands owned by the state or made available by private owners through cooperative agreements pertinent…
- § 4694 Experimentation and studies shall be conducted with the advice and cooperation of the University of California School of Forestry.
- § 4695 The department may collect the additional seed required, increase the capacity of state nurseries, purchase the necessary equipment and employ the necessary…
ARTICLE 4. Gifts of Land and Contributions §§ 4701–4703 · 3 sections
- § 4701 The director, upon the recommendation of the board, may accept on behalf of the state gifts of land suitable for forestry purposes or suitable for the purposes…
- § 4702 The acceptance of the land or contributions shall be subject to such conditions or restrictions as the board deems advisable. Any conditions or restrictions…
- § 4703 Before accepting conveyance of the land, the director shall have the title examined. The director shall not accept title unless a good and merchantable title…
ARTICLE 5. Forest Insect and Plant Disease Control §§ 4712–4718 · 8 sections
- § 4712 As used in this article: (a) “Owner” includes any individual, partnership, corporation, or association. (b) “Timberland” means any land which has enough…
- § 4713 Pine beetles and other insect pests or plant diseases which are harmful, detrimental and injurious to timber and forest growth are a public nuisance.
- § 4714 Every owner of timber or timberlands shall control or eradicate the insect pests or plant diseases on lands owned by the owner or under the owner’s control. If…
- § 4714.5 The movement of eucalyptus wood containing live Eucalyptus Longhorn Borers or their larvae in trucks or trailers is prohibited. A violation of this section is…
- § 4715 The department, in accordance with policy established by the board, may enter into agreements with any owner and with any agency of government, including the…
- § 4716 (a) Whenever the director determines that there exists an area that is infested or infected with insect pests or plant diseases injurious to timber or forest…
- § 4717 The department may make the necessary surveys and appraisals to obtain pertinent data and information on insect infestations and disease infections. The…
- § 4718 If the director determines that insect or disease control work within the designated zone of infestation or infection is no longer necessary or feasible the…
ARTICLE 6. Preservation of Big Trees §§ 4721–4727 · 6 sections
- § 4721 It is the policy of the state to preserve as far as possible the species Sequoia gigantea in the interest of conservation, both of soil and of the species…
- § 4722 Upon the finding of the Department of Parks and Recreation or the director, or both, that any Sequoia gigantea grove is suitably situated and is of a size and…
- § 4723 Pursuant to Sections 4721 and 4722, the Department of Parks and Recreation, or the department, on favorable recommendation of the board, may acquire any…
- § 4725 Nothing in this article shall be construed as establishing a policy to acquire any such Sequoia gigantea groves for preservation and conservation out of any…
- § 4726 Any person who willfully cuts down, strips of its bark, or destroys by fire, any tree “over 16 feet in diameter,” in the groves of big trees situated in the…
- § 4727 Upon the arrest and conviction of any person for violation of Section 4726, the party informing is entitled to one-half of the fines collected.
ARTICLE 7. Protection and Development Corporations §§ 4731–4738 · 8 sections
- § 4731 Corporations may be formed under the general corporation laws of this state for the protection and development of forest and other renewable natural resources,…
- § 4732 All shares of stock issued by the corporation shall have a par value, and, in addition to other requirements prescribed by law, the articles of incorporation…
- § 4733 No shareholder of any corporation formed pursuant to this article shall receive or accept from the corporation in repayment of his investment in its shares any…
- § 4734 Any corporation formed pursuant to this article may, if so authorized by the Commissioner of Financial Protection and Innovation, borrow money from or sell,…
- § 4735 Any corporation operating in or upon forests or forest lands of this state which borrows money from any corporation or agency established under the authority…
- § 4736 No operation of a corporation operating pursuant to this article, involving the cutting of timber or other work upon forest lands shall be commenced without…
- § 4737 The board shall make regular examination of the properties of such corporations during the operating season at intervals of not more than two months apart.…
- § 4738 The operation of any corporation formed pursuant to this article shall, in addition to the requirements of this article, be subject to any stipulations or…
ARTICLE 8. Wildland Fire Prevention and Vegetation Management §§ 4740–4743 · 4 sections
- § 4740 The Legislature hereby finds and declares all of the following: (a) The department has extensive technical expertise in wildland fire prevention and vegetation…
- § 4741 (a) In accordance with policies established by the board, the department shall assist local governments in preventing future high-intensity wildland fires and…
- § 4742 (a) The state recognizes the problem of recruitment and retention of foresters who engage in fuel reduction at the department. Due to the continuing need to…
- § 4743 (a) For purposes of this section, “environmentally sensitive vegetation management” means vegetation management that reduces catastrophic wildfire risk over…
ARTICLE 9. Sudden Oak Death Management Act of 2002 §§ 4750–4750.7 · 8 sections
- § 4750 This article shall be known and may be cited as the Sudden Oak Death Management Act of 2002.
- § 4750.1 The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) The need for expanding the current efforts to slow the spread of sudden oak death grows more…
- § 4750.2 As used in this article, “task force” means the California Oak Mortality Task Force.
- § 4750.3 It is hereby declared to be the policy of the state, to the extent feasible, to stop the spread of sudden oak death and conserve oak trees and other plant…
- § 4750.4 (a) (1) The department shall implement a program to detect, remove, and treat, if possible, trees infected with Phytophthora ramorum. This program shall…
- § 4750.5 (a) The department shall provide information and technical assistance to cities, counties, districts, regional entities, homeowner neighborhood groups, and…
- § 4750.6 The director, with advice from the task force, may enter into contracts to provide assistance for project costs associated with the implementation of this…
- § 4750.7 (a) (1) The Department of Forestry and Fire Protection shall expend funds, subject to appropriation in the Budget Act, on sudden oak death management…
ARTICLE 10. Conservation Easements on Forested Lands §§ 4751–4752 · 2 sections
- § 4751 (a) (1) Except as provided in Section 4752, this section shall apply to any conservation easement, as defined in Section 815.1 of the Civil Code, contracted…
- § 4752 For any conservation easement purchased with state funds on or after January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2022, inclusive, wherein land subject to the easement…
ARTICLE 11. California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan Goals §§ 4770–4771.6 · 3 sections
- § 4770 For purposes of this article, “task force” has the same meaning as the task force described in Section 4005.
- § 4771 (a) On January 1, 2022, the task force, including, but not limited to, the Natural Resources Agency, the California Environmental Protection Agency, the Office…
- § 4771.6 (a) On or before June 30, 2025, the task force, in consultation with the Range Management Advisory Committee of the State Board of Forestry and Fire…