Watershed and Forest Practices. State and Local Government

WATERSHED AND FOREST PRACTICES. STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT. INITIATIVE STATUTE. Prohibits timber harvesting and other projects near waterways without permits. Limits timber harvesting in ancient forests and watershed areas. Prohibits harvesting more than 60% of timber volume in an area within 1S-year period. Prohibits total volume of timber harvested from exceeding total volume of timber grown. Requires equivalent-sized oak trees planted for every oak removed. Requires every city and county to adopt tree planting ordinance and designate watershed and endangered habitat areas within which any project would require state government\u27s permission. Imposes permit fees and increases timber yield tax. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: (1) Short-term impact on State: net administrative costs of approximately $20 million annually in first few years and $10 million annually thereafter; general tax revenue losses of millions or tens of millions of dollars annually from timber harvest and development restrictions; up to $1 million annual revenue losses from reduced state timber sales; and, potential annual savings of millions of dollars from reduced educational spending. (2) Short-term impact on local government: one-time administrative costs probably in excess of $10 million with ongoing annual costs of millions of dollars for increased planning responsibilities; general tax revenue losses in millions or tens of millions of dollars annually from timber harvest and development restrictions; and increased timber yield tax revenues potentially in the millions of dollars. (3) The long-term impact on state and local governments is unknown