Amendment ID: S3050-75

Amendment 75

Carbon Forestry Committee

Mr. Cronin moves that the proposed new draft be amended in section 17 by inserting after the word "vegetation," the following words:-

"To develop the complex regulations to accommodate this change, the department of conservation and recreation shall form a Carbon Forestry Committee. The membership of this committee shall consist of:

(i) 2 Massachusetts family forest landowners with forestland enrolled in Chapter 61 and who are not employed or engaged in the forest products industry, including but not limited to forester or timber harvesters, sawmill owners or worker and firewood dealers; (ii) 1 forest landowner representative from east of the Connecticut River; (iii) 1 forest landowner representative from west of the Connecticut River; (iv) 2 Massachusetts-licensed consulting foresters who are actively developing forest management plans for forest landowners in Massachusetts, one of whom has received training to write Climate Forest Stewardship Plans; (v) 1 Massachusetts-licensed timber harvester who is actively engaged in the practice of timber harvesting on privately-owned forestland in Massachusetts; (vi) 1 forester or other staff member of a company offering treatment of invasive plants for Massachusetts forest landowners; (vii) 2 PhD forest ecologists or climate scientists with demonstrated experience in climate-friendly forest management and forest carbon who work for The Nature Conservancy, Massachusetts Audubon, or other leading environmental organizations; (viii) 2

professors with demonstrated experience in climate-friendly forest management and forest carbon, one of whom shall be affiliated with the University of Massachusetts; (ix) 1 representative of a land trust that owns forestland and has forest acreage in both active management and in forest reserves; (x) 1 representative of a forestry organization with demonstrated experience working on regulatory and legislative issues related to forestry in Massachusetts, included but not limited to Massachusetts Forest Alliance; (xi) state employees, to include the state climate forester, the state forest biometrician, select service foresters, a wildlife biologist, and optionally others with experience in climate-friendly forest management and forest carbon.

The Committee shall meet at least three times to help the department develop regulations to implement this change. The Committee shall complete its work by June 30, 2027, and the department shall have regulations in effect no later than January 1, 2028.