Bill Text: IL SB3602 | 2021-2022 | 102nd General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Amends the Illinois Forestry Development Act. Provides that in order to be eligible to submit a forest management plan to participate in the cost share program, a timber grower must own or operate at least 5 contiguous acres (instead of 10 contiguous acres) of land in this State on which timber is produced. Makes a corresponding change.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 2)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-02-10 - Rule 3-9(a) / Re-referred to Assignments [SB3602 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2021-SB3602-Introduced.html

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102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2021 and 2022 SB3602 Introduced 1/19/2022, by Sen. Brian W. Stewart SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
525 ILCS 15/5 from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 9105
Amends the Illinois Forestry Development Act. Provides that in order to be eligible to submit a forest management plan to participate in the cost share program, a timber grower must own or operate at least 5 contiguous acres (instead of 10 contiguous acres) of land in this State on which timber is produced. Makes a corresponding change.
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A BILL FOR
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AN ACT concerning conservation.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Illinois Forestry Development Act is
amended by changing Section 5 as follows:
(525 ILCS 15/5) (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 9105)
Sec. 5. A forest development cost share program is created
and shall be administered by the Department of Natural
Resources.
A timber grower who desires to participate in the cost
share program shall devise a forest management plan. To be
eligible to submit a proposed forest management plan, a timber
grower must own or operate at least 5 10 contiguous acres of
land in this State on which timber is produced, except that, no
acre on which a permanent building is located shall be
included in calculations of acreage for the purpose of
determining eligibility. Timber growers with Department
approved forest management plans covering less than 10 acres
in effect on or before the effective date of this amendatory
Act of the 96th General Assembly shall continue to be eligible
under the Illinois Forestry Development Act provisions. The
proposed forest management plan shall include a description of
the land to be managed under the plan, a description of the

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types of timber to be grown, a projected harvest schedule, a
description of forest management practices to be applied to
the land, an estimation of the cost of such practices, plans
for afforestation, plans for regenerative harvest and
reforestation, and a description of soil and water
conservation goals and wildlife habitat enhancement which will
be served by implementation of the forest management plan.
Upon receipt from a timber grower of a draft forest
management plan, the Department shall review the plan and, if
necessary, assist the timber grower to revise the plan. The
Department shall officially approve acceptable plans. Forest
management plans shall be revised as necessary and all
revisions must be approved by the Department. A plan shall be
evaluated every 2 years for reapproval.
The eligible land shall be maintained in a forest
condition for a period of 10 years or until commercial
harvest, whichever last occurs, as required by the plan.
The Department shall enter into agreements with timber
growers with approved forest management plans under which the
Department shall agree to pay a share of the total cost of
acceptable forest management plans and practices implemented
under the plan. The cost share amount is up to 80% of the total
cost of the forest management practices for such practices
approved to be funded from monies appropriated for this
purpose for subsequent fiscal years. Cost share funds shall be
paid from monies appropriated to the Department by the General

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Assembly for that purpose from the Illinois Forestry
Development Fund or any other fund in the State Treasury.
The Department, upon recommendations made to it by the
Council, may provide for the categorization of forest
management practices and determine an appropriate cost share
percentage for each such category. Forest management practices
submitted by timber growers on whose timber sales fees of 4% of
the sale amount were paid as provided in Section 9a of the
"Timber Buyers Licensing Act", approved September 1, 1969, may
be accorded a priority for approval within the assigned
category. Such timber growers may receive a cost share amount
which is increased above the amount for which they would
otherwise qualify by an amount equal to the fees paid by the
timber grower on sales occurring in the 2 fiscal years
immediately preceding the fiscal year in which the forest
management practices are approved and funded; provided,
however, that the total cost share amount shall not exceed the
total cost of the approved forest management practices.
Upon transfer of his or her right and interest in the land
or a change in land use, the timber grower shall forfeit all
rights to future payments and other benefits resulting from an
approved plan and shall refund to the Department all payments
received therefrom during the previous 10 years unless the
transferee of any such land agrees with the Department to
assume all obligations under the plan.
(Source: P.A. 96-217, eff. 8-10-09; 96-545, eff. 8-17-09.)