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1    AN ACT concerning civil law.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Wrongful Tree Cutting Act is amended by
5changing Sections 1, 2, 3, and 4 and by adding Sections 2.5,
62.6, 2.7, 2.8, 3.5, 4.5, and 4.7 as follows:
 
7    (740 ILCS 185/1)  (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 9401)
8    Sec. 1. As used in this Act, unless the context otherwise
9requires, the term:
10    (a) "Stumpage value" means the value of timber as it stands
11uncut in terms of an amount per unit of volume expressed as
12dollar value per board foot for that portion of a tree or
13timber deemed merchantable by Illinois forest products markets
14standing tree.
15    (b) "Department" means the Department of Natural
16Resources.
17    (c) "Director" means the Director of Natural Resources.
18    (d) "Party" means any person, partnership, firm,
19association, business trust or corporation.
20    (e) "Protected land" means land in public or private
21ownership that is:
22        (1) subject to a permanent conservation right
23    consistent with the Real Property Conservation Rights Act;

 

 

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1        (2) registered or designated as a Nature Preserve,
2    buffer or Land and Water Reserve under the Illinois Natural
3    Areas Preservation Act;
4        (3) owned by a conservation land trust meeting
5    requirements as set forth in Section 501(c) of the United
6    States Internal Revenue Code; or
7        (4) owned by a local, State, or federal agency and
8    primarily used for one or more conservation purposes, such
9    as wildlife habitat, erosion control, energy conservation,
10    natural community restoration, general reforestation,
11    timber production, or research.
12    (f) "Qualified professional forester or ecological
13restoration professional" means a person who holds any
14necessary licenses and has performed the type of remediation
15work necessary as part of the person's profession for greater
16than 30% of his or her working hours during each of the
17preceding 3 years.
18(Source: P.A. 89-445, eff. 2-7-96.)
 
19    (740 ILCS 185/2)  (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 9402)
20    Sec. 2. Except as provided in Sections 2.5, 2.7, and 7, any
21Any party found to have intentionally cut or knowingly caused
22to be cut any timber or tree, other than a tree or woody plant
23referenced in the Illinois Exotic Weed Act, which he or she did
24not have the full legal right to cut or cause caused to be cut
25shall pay the owner of the timber or tree 3 times its stumpage

 

 

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1value.
2(Source: P.A. 84-138.)
 
3    (740 ILCS 185/2.5 new)
4    Sec. 2.5. Trees intentionally cut or knowingly caused to be
5cut on protected land. Any party found to have intentionally
6cut or knowingly caused to be cut any standing timber or tree,
7other than a tree or woody plant referenced in the Illinois
8Exotic Weed Act, on protected land, which he or she did not
9have the legal right to so cut or cause to be cut, must pay 3
10times stumpage value plus remediation costs to the party that
11owns an interest in the land, including but not limited to
12holding a conservation right to the land. Remediation costs
13include one or more of the following:
14        (1) cleanup to remove trees, portions of trees, or
15    debris from trees cut, damaged, moved, placed, or left as a
16    result of tree cutting from perennial drainage ways or
17    water holding basins;
18        (2) soil erosion stabilization and remediation for
19    issues that were not pre-existing;
20        (3) remediation of damages to the native standing trees
21    and other native woody or herbaceous plant understory;
22        (4) remediation of damages to the native tree
23    understory through coppicing, planting of potted native
24    trees, planting of native tree seedlings as individual
25    practices or in combination as deemed appropriate under

 

 

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1    Section 3.5 of this Act. Any work under this item (4) must
2    be done by a qualified professional forester or ecological
3    restoration professional;
4        (5) associated exotic invasive plant species control
5    for a period of 3 years with one treatment per year on
6    those portions of the property where trees were wrongfully
7    cut if prior to the encroachment there had been an active
8    and ongoing effort made to control the plants, and due to
9    the disturbance, advantage was given to pre-existing or new
10    exotic invasive plant growth. Exotic plant control must be
11    done by a qualified professional forester or ecological
12    restoration professional;
13        (6) seeding of annual grass to skid trails; or
14        (7) staff salaries, contractor fees, and materials as
15    directly related, documented, and required to address
16    remediation costs under this Section.
 
17    (740 ILCS 185/2.6 new)
18    Sec. 2.6. Remediation plan. The court may order parties
19that seek remediation costs for damage to protected land under
20Section 2.5 to develop a remediation plan pursuant to Section
213.5 of this Act. The remediation plan shall delineate the steps
22to address remediation costs identified under Section 2.5 of
23this Act.
 
24    (740 ILCS 185/2.7 new)

 

 

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1    Sec. 2.7. Trees intentionally cut or knowingly caused to be
2cut or damaged in residential areas. Any party that, without
3the legal right, intentionally cut or severely damaged, or
4knowingly caused to be cut or damaged any live and standing
5tree or woody plant in a residential yard must:
6        (1) pay the owner of the property 2 times the value of
7    the cut or severely damaged tree or woody plant or 2 times
8    the reduced value resulting from light to moderate damage
9    to the tree or woody plant, which at a minimum is based on
10    value consistent with the current International Society of
11    Arboriculture (ISA) Guide for Plant Appraisal. Appraisals
12    utilizing the ISA Guide must be calculated and established
13    by a certified arborist or professional consulting
14    forester, either of which is and has been practicing his or
15    her profession for a minimum of 50% of his or her working
16    hours for the previous 3 years;
17        (2) pay the owner repair costs to remove all tree or
18    woody plant debris resulting from wrongful cutting or
19    damage; and
20        (3) pay the owner the cost to repair landscaping
21    plants, materials, and vegetation if the items were damaged
22    in the process or as a result of wrongful cutting or
23    damage.
 
24    (740 ILCS 185/2.8 new)
25    Sec. 2.8. Remedies. Nothing in this Act limits the rights

 

 

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1of a party to pursue causes of action under other laws,
2including any available common law remedies for damages. A
3plaintiff may bring an action and recover damages under any
4applicable Section of this Act; however, if more than one
5Section applies to a given wrongfully cut tree, the plaintiff
6may bring an action and recover damages under only one
7applicable Section of this Act.
 
8    (740 ILCS 185/3)  (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 9403)
9    Sec. 3. The courts of this State may order the Director or
10his representative to secure 3 three independent value
11appraisals to determine the stumpage value of wrongfully cut
12timber or trees under Section 2 of this Act. Such order must
13shall state the reason the value information is needed, the
14parties involved in the action, the area to be examined and
15other information needed by the Department to carry out its
16responsibilities. The court must instruct all All parties to
17the court action shall be instructed to make themselves
18available to the Department at reasonable times to assist in
19the location of areas and material to be examined. Unless
20otherwise ordered by the court, the parties shall bear equally
21the cost of expenses Expenses incurred, including but not
22limited to those for surveys, consulting services, attorney's
23fees, and administrative costs, shall be borne equally by the
24parties unless otherwise ordered by the court. The court shall
25allow a plaintiff who prevails to recover the cost of expenses

 

 

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1incurred.
2(Source: P.A. 84-138.)
 
3    (740 ILCS 185/3.5 new)
4    Sec. 3.5. Court-ordered determination of costs. The court,
5upon evaluating whether independent appraisals are necessary
6and appropriate in matters arising under Section 2.5 of this
7Act, may order up to 3 independent appraisals of stumpage
8value, and further order the development of a plan detailing
9remediation strategies and their estimated cost, in
10conformance with Section 2.6 of this Act. Appraisals of
11stumpage value must be conducted by a professional consulting
12forester, who is and has been practicing his or her profession
13for a minimum of 50% of his or her working hours for the
14previous 3 years. Remediation plans must be prepared in
15consultation with a professional forester or biologist
16experienced in ecosystem restoration following a timber
17harvest, and may be implemented by the landowner or the
18landowner's designee. The court shall determine which party
19will bear the expense of conducting the appraisals and
20developing the remediation plan. The court may request that the
21Director or his or her representative assist in securing
22independent appraisals and advise the court as to adequacy of
23costs and measures in the remediation plan. The court shall
24allow a plaintiff who prevails to recover the cost of expenses
25incurred.
 

 

 

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1    (740 ILCS 185/4)  (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 9404)
2    Sec. 4. Within 90 30 days after the Department is ordered
3to establish value appraisals under Section 3, it shall notify
4the court of its findings of value and expenses. The court
5shall then average the appraisals and award triple the average
6value and make final determination as to which party or parties
7shall pay expenses. The failure of any party to make full
8payment within the time limits set by the court or to cooperate
9with the Department shall be considered contempt of court.
10(Source: P.A. 84-138.)
 
11    (740 ILCS 185/4.5 new)
12    Sec. 4.5. Department assistance. If the court requests
13assistance from the Department pursuant to Section 3.5 of this
14Act, within 90 days after the Department is provided
15independent appraisals and remediation plans for review, the
16Department shall provide the appraisals or valuations,
17remediation plan, and advice to the court. Otherwise, the
18parties shall directly provide the court with any ordered
19appraisals or valuations and a remediation plan pursuant to
20Section 3.5 of this Act. The court shall then make a final
21determination on the adequacy of the remediation plan and the
22appraised value to address remediation costs under Section 2.5
23of this Act. The court shall award triple the stumpage value
24plus remediation costs and expenses in accordance with any

 

 

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1approved remediation plan.
 
2    (740 ILCS 185/4.7 new)
3    Sec. 4.7. Use of award. Monetary awards for remediation
4costs of wrongfully cut trees under Section 2.5 of this Act
5must be used for costs related to remediation, restoration, or
6enhancement of the conservation value of the impacted property
7for protection, restoration, or enhancement. This Section does
8not apply to the use of awards for the stumpage value of trees
9wrongfully cut.
 
10    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
11becoming law.