RCW 79.10.530 Identification of lands for forest health treatment—Prioritized list—Report to the legislature.

(1)(a) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, consistent with the prioritization policy developed pursuant to RCW 79.10.520, and to the extent feasible given all applicable trust responsibilities, the department must identify areas of state lands and state forestlands that would benefit from forest health treatments at the landscape level for the next twenty years, and ones that would benefit the most during the following six years, and prioritize and list specific lands for treatment during the subsequent biennium. The department shall update this list by November 15th of each even-numbered year.

(b) To expedite initial treatments under chapter 248, Laws of 2017, for the 2017-2019 biennium the department may prioritize and, if funds are appropriated for this purpose, address lands for treatment that are currently identified by the department as pilot treatment projects.

(2) In order to develop a prioritized list that evaluates forest health treatments at a landscape scale, the department should consult with and take into account the land management plans and activities of nearby landowners, if available, including federal agencies, other state agencies, local governments, tribes, and private property owners, in addition to any statewide assessments done by the department. The department may include federally, locally, or privately managed lands on the list. The department may fund treatment on these lands provided that the treatments are funded with nontrust funds, and provided that the treatments produce a net benefit to the health of state lands and state forestlands.

(3) By December 1st of each even-numbered year, the department must submit a report to the legislature consistent with the requirements of RCW 43.01.036, to the office of financial management, and to the board of natural resources. The report must include:

(a) A brief summary of the department's progress towards treating the state lands and state forestlands included on the preceding biennium's prioritization list;

(b) A list of lands prioritized for forest health treatments in the next biennium, including state lands and state forestlands prioritized for treatment pursuant to subsection (1) of this section;

(c) Recommended funding amounts required to carry out the treatment activities for the next biennium, including a summary of potential nontimber revenue sources that could finance specific forest health treatments pursuant to RCW 79.10.520, including but not limited to ecosystem services such as water and carbon sequestration as well as insurance and fire mitigation; and

(d) A summary of trends in forest health conditions.

[ 2017 c 248 § 2.]