4629.2. In enacting this article, it is the intent of the Legislature to accomplish all of the following:
(a) Promote and encourage sustainable forest practices consistent with provisions of this chapter in a manner consistent with other laws, including, but not limited to, the Timberland Productivity Act of 1982 (Article 1 (commencing with Section 51100) of Chapter 6.7 of Part 1 of Division 1 of Title 5 of the Government Code), the California Environmental Quality Act (Division 13 (commencing with Section 21000)), the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Act (Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 13000) of Division 7 of the Water Code), and the California Endangered Species Act (Article 3 (commencing with Section 2080) of Chapter 1.5 of Division 3 of the Fish and Game Code).
(b) Ensure continued sustainable funding for the state’s forest practice program to protect the state’s forest resources, and replace the current piecemeal funding structure with a single funding source.
(c) Support in-state production of timber within the state’s environmental standards, and promote and encourage retention of forests and forested landscapes.
(d) Create a funding source for the restoration of the state’s forested lands and promote restoration of fisheries and wildlife habitat and improvement in water quality.
(e) Promote restoration and management of forested landscapes consistent with the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (Division 25.5 (commencing with Section 38500) of the Health and Safety Code).
(f) Promote transparency in regulatory costs and programs through the creation of performance measures and accountability for the state’s forest practice regulatory program and simplify the collection and use of critical data to ensure consistency with other pertinent laws and regulations.
(g) Identify and implement efficiencies in the regulation of timber harvesting between state agencies.
(h) Modify current regulatory programs to incorporate, and provide incentives for best practices, and develop standards or strategies, where appropriate, to protect natural resources, including the development of plans that address road management and riparian function on an ownershipwide, watershedwide, or districtwide scale.
(Added by Stats. 2012, Ch. 289, Sec. 3. (AB 1492) Effective September 11, 2012.)