(a) On or before May 15 of each year, beginning with the year after the original claimant has received an approved application, the commissioner shall send each claimant enrolled under the sustainable forest incentive program a certification form. For purposes of this section, the claimant is the current property owner on record, or the person designated by the owners in the case of multiple ownership. The claimant must sign and return the certification to the commissioner by July 1 of that same year, and (1) attest that the requirements and conditions for continued enrollment in the program are currently being met, and (2) provide a report in the form and manner determined by the commissioner of natural resources describing the management practices that have been carried out on the enrolled property during the prior year. If the claimant does not return an annual certification form by the due date, the provisions in section 290C.11 apply. The commissioner of natural resources must verify that the land meets program requirements.

(b) The commissioner must provide the certification form and annual report described in paragraph (a), clause (2), to the commissioner of natural resources by August 1.

(c) The commissioner of natural resources must conduct annual monitoring of a subset of claimants, excluding land also enrolled in a conservation easement program. Claimants will be selected for monitoring based on reported violations, annual certification, and random selections. Monitoring will be conducted on ten percent of claimants as of July 1 of each year. Monitoring may include, but is not limited to, a site visit by a Department of Natural Resources or contracted forester. The commissioner of natural resources must develop a monitoring form to record the monitoring data.

History: 1Sp2001 c 5 art 8 s 9; 2005 c 151 art 5 s 38; 2008 c 154 art 13 s 47; 1Sp2017 c 1 art 10 s 7