SEARCH SITE

VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL

SEARCHABLE DATABASES

ACROSS SESSIONS

Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.

1996 SESSION

  • | print version

HB 612 Seed tree law.

Introduced by: John Watkins | all patrons    ...    notes | add to my profiles

SUMMARY:

Seed tree law. Exempts certain land from being subject to the seed tree law, and increases the penalties which may be imposed for violations of this law. The seed tree law prohibits clearcutting by requiring that a certain number of healthy trees ("seed trees") remain on the land after timber is harvested. Land which is zoned for a more intensive use than agricultural or forestal use is exempted by the bill. Currently, the requirements of the law apply to every acre of land where timber is cut and on which pine trees constitute 10 percent or more of the trees present. The bill makes the law applicable to every 10-acre tract where timber is cut on which pine trees constitute 25 percent or more of the trees present. Fines of $20 for each seed tree cut are increased to $30 per tree, and the maximum fine per acre is increased from $160 to $240. In addition to the fines, persons convicted of harvesting timber in a way that violates the law must post a cash deposit or bond in the same amount as the fine to ensure that tree seedlings are planted on the land where the violation occurred. Currently, for each seed tree cut, 100 seedlings must be planted. The bill provides instead that the State Forester can require up to 600 trees to be planted per acre cut in violation of the law. The seed tree law currently provides that the Attorney General can bring a civil suit when a person fails to carry out a planting, cutting or management plan approved by the State Forester. The bill allows the Commonwealth to recover legal fees in such a suit.


FULL TEXT

AMENDMENTS

HISTORY