103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
SB2942

 

Introduced 1/31/2024, by Sen. Julie A. Morrison

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
525 ILCS 15/5  from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 9105

    Amends the Forestry Development Act. Specifies that, before the Department of Natural Resources may approve a forest management plan under the Act, the timber grower must obtain approval of the plan from the corporate authorities of the municipality in which the affected land is located or, in the case of land located in an unincorporated area, from the county board. Provides that the Department may not approve a proposed forest management plan unless and until it receives a resolution or ordinance from the corporate authorities of the municipality or county, as the case may be, assenting to the adoption of the plan. Specifies that these requirements also apply to reapprovals of forest management plans.


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A BILL FOR

 

SB2942LRB103 37619 JAG 67745 b

1    AN ACT concerning conservation.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Illinois Forestry Development Act is
5amended by changing Section 5 as follows:
 
6    (525 ILCS 15/5)  (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 9105)
7    Sec. 5. A forest development cost share program is created
8and shall be administered by the Department of Natural
9Resources.
10    A timber grower who desires to participate in the cost
11share program shall devise a forest management plan. To be
12eligible to submit a proposed forest management plan, a timber
13grower must own or operate at least 10 contiguous acres of land
14in this State on which timber is produced, except that, no acre
15on which a permanent building is located shall be included in
16calculations of acreage for the purpose of determining
17eligibility. Timber growers with Department approved forest
18management plans covering less than 10 acres in effect on or
19before the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 96th
20General Assembly shall continue to be eligible under the
21Illinois Forestry Development Act provisions. The proposed
22forest management plan shall include a description of the land
23to be managed under the plan, a description of the types of

 

 

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1timber to be grown, a projected harvest schedule, a
2description of forest management practices to be applied to
3the land, an estimation of the cost of such practices, plans
4for afforestation, plans for regenerative harvest and
5reforestation, and a description of soil and water
6conservation goals and wildlife habitat enhancement which will
7be served by implementation of the forest management plan.
8    Upon receipt from a timber grower of a draft forest
9management plan, the Department shall review the plan and, if
10necessary, assist the timber grower to revise the plan. Before
11plan approval by the Department, the timber grower must obtain
12approval from the corporate authorities of the municipality in
13which the land to be managed under the plan is located or, in
14the case of land located in an unincorporated area, from the
15county board. The Department may not approve a proposed forest
16management plan unless and until it receives a resolution or
17ordinance from the corporate authorities of the municipality
18or county, as the case may be, assenting to the adoption of the
19plan. Upon receipt of such approval, the The Department shall
20officially approve acceptable plans. Forest management plans
21shall be revised as necessary and all revisions must be
22approved by the Department. A plan shall be evaluated every 2
23years for reapproval. All reapprovals shall follow the same
24notice and determination process set forth in this Section for
25initial approval.
26    The eligible land shall be maintained in a forest

 

 

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1condition for a period of 10 years or until commercial
2harvest, whichever last occurs, as required by the plan.
3    The Department shall enter into agreements with timber
4growers with approved forest management plans under which the
5Department shall agree to pay a share of the total cost of
6acceptable forest management plans and practices implemented
7under the plan. The cost share amount is up to 80% of the total
8cost of the forest management practices for such practices
9approved to be funded from monies appropriated for this
10purpose for subsequent fiscal years. Cost share funds shall be
11paid from monies appropriated to the Department by the General
12Assembly for that purpose from the Illinois Forestry
13Development Fund or any other fund in the State Treasury.
14    The Department, upon recommendations made to it by the
15Council, may provide for the categorization of forest
16management practices and determine an appropriate cost share
17percentage for each such category. Forest management practices
18submitted by timber growers on whose timber sales fees of 4% of
19the sale amount were paid as provided in Section 9a of the
20"Timber Buyers Licensing Act", approved September 1, 1969, may
21be accorded a priority for approval within the assigned
22category. Such timber growers may receive a cost share amount
23which is increased above the amount for which they would
24otherwise qualify by an amount equal to the fees paid by the
25timber grower on sales occurring in the 2 fiscal years
26immediately preceding the fiscal year in which the forest

 

 

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1management practices are approved and funded; provided,
2however, that the total cost share amount shall not exceed the
3total cost of the approved forest management practices.
4    Upon transfer of his or her right and interest in the land
5or a change in land use, the timber grower shall forfeit all
6rights to future payments and other benefits resulting from an
7approved plan and shall refund to the Department all payments
8received therefrom during the previous 10 years unless the
9transferee of any such land agrees with the Department to
10assume all obligations under the plan.
11(Source: P.A. 96-217, eff. 8-10-09; 96-545, eff. 8-17-09.)