A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to expand the findings, the purpose, and the approved practices of the current forest development act.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 113A‑177 reads as rewritten:
"§ 113A‑177.  Statement of purpose.
(a)	The General Assembly finds that:
(1)	It is in the public interest of the State of North Carolina to encourage the development of the State's forest resources and the protection and improvement of the forest environment.
(2)	Unfavorable environmental impacts, particularly the rapid loss of forest land to urban development, are occurring as a result of population growth. It is in the State's interest that corrective action be developed now to offset forest land losses in the future.
(3)	Regeneration of potentially productive forest land is a high‑priority problem requiring prompt attention and action. Private forest land will become more important to meet the needs of the State's population.
(4)	Growing demands on forests and related land resources cannot be met by intensive management of public and industrial forest lands alone.
(b)	The purpose of this Article is to direct the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources to implement a forest development program to:
(1)	Provide financial assistance to eligible landowners to increase the productivity of the privately owned forests of the State through the application of forest renewal practices and other practices that improve tree growth and overall forest health.
(2)	Insure that forest operations in the State are conducted in a manner designed to protect the soil, air, and water resources, including but not limited to streams, lakes and estuaries through actions of landowners on lands for which assistance is sought under provisions in this Article.
(3)	Implement a program of voluntary landowner participation through the use of a forest development fund to meet the above goals.
(c)	It is the intent of the General Assembly that in implementing the program under this Article, the Secretary will cause it to be coordinated with other related programs in such a manner as to encourage the utilization of private agencies, firms and individuals furnishing services and materials needed in the application of practices included in the forest development program."
SECTION 2.  G.S. 113A‑178(2) reads as rewritten:
"(2)	'Approved practices' mean those silvicultural practices approved by the Secretary for the purpose of commercially growing timber through the establishment of forest stands, of insuring the proper regeneration of forest stands to commercial production levels following the harvest of mature timber, or of insuring maximum growth potential of forest stands to commercial production levels. Such practices shall include those required to accomplish site preparation, natural and artificial forestation, noncommercial removal of residual stands for silvicultural purposes, cultivation of established young growth of desirable trees for silvicultural purposes, and improvement of immature timber stands for silvicultural purposes. In each case, approved practices will be determined by the needs of the individual forest stand. These practices shall include existing practices and such practices as are developed in the future to insure both maximum forest productivity and environmental protection."
SECTION 3.  This act is effective when it becomes law.