The following definitions apply to this chapter:
(1)
"Commercially reasonable harvest unit" means a harvest area that meets the requirements of WAC
222-21-060.
(2)
"Completion of harvest" means that the trees have been harvested from an area under an approved forest practices application and that further entry into that area by any type of logging or slash treating equipment or method is not expected.
(3)
"Compliance costs" includes the cost of preparing and recording the easement, and any business and occupation tax and real estate excise tax imposed because of entering into the easement.
(4)
"Danger tree" means any qualifying timber reasonably perceived to pose an imminent danger to life or improved property.
(5)
"Easement premises" means the geographic area designated in a forestry riparian easement, including the areas in which qualifying timber is located. Easement premises may be categorized as follows:
(a)
Riparian area easement premises means riparian areas and areas upon which qualifying timber associated with riparian areas are located.
(b)
Other easement premises means areas of land required to be left unharvested under rules adopted under RCW
76.09.055 or
76.09.370 including areas upon which other qualifying timber outside riparian areas is located and areas of land upon which uneconomic qualifying timber is located.
(6)
"Forestry riparian easement" means an easement covering qualifying timber granted voluntarily to the state by a small forest landowner.
(7)
"Hazardous substances" means hazardous substances as defined in RCW
70.102.010(5), and
70.105D.020(7), and solid waste as defined in RCW
70.95.030(22).
(8)
"High impact regulatory threshold" means the threshold where the value of qualifying timber is greater than 19.1% (for timber in Western Washington) or 12.2% (for timber in Eastern Washington) of the value of the harvested timber and qualifying timber under the approved forest practices application covering the qualifying timber.
(9)
"Qualifying timber" means those trees covered by a forest practices application that the small forest landowner is required to leave unharvested under rules adopted under RCW
76.09.055 or
76.09.370 or that are made uneconomic to harvest by those rules, and for which the small forest landowner is willing to grant the state a forestry riparian easement. Qualifying timber is timber within or bordering a commercially reasonable harvest unit, or timber for which an approved forest practices application for timber harvest cannot be obtained because of restrictions under these rules. Qualifying timber is categorized as follows:
(a)
Permanent qualifying timber includes trees that shall not be harvested or damaged or removed from the easement premises during the term of the easement.
(i) Where permanent qualifying timber is in areas in which no harvest may take place, the easement shall describe the boundaries of the areas. No harvest of any tree within this area shall take place during the term of the easement.
(ii) Where permanent qualifying timber is located in areas in which selective harvest may take place, the permanent qualifying timber must be tagged for the duration of the easement.
(b)
Reserve qualifying timber includes trees that may be harvested and removed but only in compliance with the terms of the easement. Reserve qualifying timber shall be identified separately from the permanent qualifying timber.
(c)
Replacement qualifying timber includes trees which, in the future, will be substituted for the reserve qualifying timber before the reserve qualifying timber may be harvested or removed from the property. Replacement qualifying timber will be selected from time to time pursuant to the provisions of the easement and will be subject to the terms and protections of the easement.
(d)
Uneconomic qualifying timber includes trees made uneconomical to harvest. The trees are considered permanent qualifying timber and may not be harvested or otherwise damaged during the term of the easement.
(e)
Other qualifying timber outside riparian areas includes trees that may not be harvested under forest practices rules adopted under RCW
76.09.055 or
76.09.370 for reasons other than protection of riparian functions. It includes without limitation trees that are unharvestable because of public safety concerns. The trees are considered permanent qualifying timber and may not be harvested or otherwise damaged during the term of the easement.
(10)
"Reimbursement" means the repayment that the department shall provide to small forest landowners for the actual costs incurred for laying out the streamside buffers and marking the qualifying timber once a contract has been executed for the forestry riparian easement program.
(11)
"Riparian areas" include the areas designated in a forestry riparian easement. Riparian areas include without limitation all riparian and other special management zones required by the forest practices rules for protection of aquatic resources and includes associated qualifying timber.
(12)
"Riparian function" includes bank stability, recruitment of woody debris, leaf litter fall, nutrients, sediment filtering, shade, and other riparian features that are important to both riparian forest and aquatic systems conditions.
(13)
"Small forest landowner" means:
(a) A forest landowner meeting all of the following characteristics as of the date a forest practices application is received (see WAC
222-20-010(7)), or the date the landowner provides written notification to the small forest landowner office that the harvest is to begin, for which the forestry riparian easement is associated:
(i) Is an individual, partnership, corporate, or other nongovernmental legal entity. If a landowner grants timber rights to another entity for less than five years, the landowner may still qualify as a small forest landowner under this section;
(ii) Has a fee interest in the land and timber or has rights to harvest the timber to be included in the forestry riparian easement that extend at least fifty years from the date the forest practices application associated with the easement is received;
(iii) Has harvested from its own lands in this state during the three years prior to the year of application an average timber volume that would qualify the forest landowner as a small harvester under RCW
84.33.035(14); and
(iv) Certifies at the time the forest practices application is received that it does not expect to harvest from its own lands more than the volume allowed by RCW
84.33.035(14) during the ten years following receipt of the application.
(b) A forest landowner whose prior three-year average harvest exceeds the limit of RCW
84.33.035(14), or who expects to exceed this limit during the ten years following receipt of the forest practices application, may still qualify as a small forest landowner if that landowner establishes to the small forest landowner office reasonable satisfaction that the harvest limits were or will be exceeded to raise funds to pay estate taxes or equally compelling and unexpected obligations such as court-ordered judgments or extraordinary medical expenses. (Note: The small forest landowner office will establish a board manual governing these exceptions.)
(c) A landowner may still qualify as a small forest landowner if the landowner is unable to obtain an approved forest practices application for timber harvest for any of his or her land because of restrictions under the forest practices rules adopted under RCW
76.09.055 or
76.09.370.
(14)
"Small forest landowner office" is an office within the department described in RCW
76.13.110, and it shall be a resource and focal point for small landowner concerns and policies and shall have significant expertise regarding the management of small forest holdings and government programs applicable to such holdings, and the forestry riparian easement program.
(15)
"Uneconomic to harvest" means that a harvest area meets the requirements of WAC
222-21-065.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 76.09.040. 08-24-011, § 222-21-010, filed 11/21/08, effective 12/22/08. Statutory Authority: RCW 76.09.040, 76.09.370, chapters 76.13 and 34.05 RCW. 03-06-039, § 222-21-010, filed 2/26/03, effective 3/29/03. Statutory Authority: RCW 76.09.040, chapters 76.13, 34.05 RCW. 02-05-084, § 222-21-010, filed 2/20/02, effective 3/23/02. Statutory Authority: Chapter 34.05 RCW, RCW 76.09.040, [76.09.]050, [76.09.]370, 76.13.120(9). 01-12-042, § 222-21-010, filed 5/30/01, effective 7/1/01.]