New York S 4710: Requires forest management plans for certain lands and forbids clearcutting without, and increases the jurisdiction of the Adirondack park agency over clearcutting

Bill Text

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S04710 Summary:

BILL NOS04710 

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SAME ASSAME AS A01252

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SPONSORFAHY

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COSPNSR

&nbsp

MLTSPNSR

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Ren §49-0311 to be §49-0313, add §49-0311, En Con L; amd §§809, 810 & 803, Exec L

&nbsp

Requires forest management plans, subject to the approval of the department of environmental conservation, for certain lands subject to a conservation easement purchased by the state; forbids clearcutting on such lands without such forest management plan; increases the jurisdiction of the Adirondack park agency over clearcutting.

Go to top S04710 Actions:

BILL NOS04710 

&nbsp

02/12/2025REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION

01/07/2026REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION

Go to topS04710 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topS04710 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topS04710 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 4710

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN SENATE

 February 12, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by Sen. FAHY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
 printed to be committed to the Committee on Environmental Conservation

 AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to the
 preparation of forest management plans subject to the approval of the
 department of environmental conservation; and to amend the executive
 law, in relation to increasing the jurisdiction of the Adirondack park
 agency over clearcutting

 The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
 bly, do enact as follows:

 1 Section 1. Section 49-0311 of the environmental conservation law is
 2 renumbered section 49-0313 and a new section 49-0311 is added to read as
 3 follows:
 4 § 49-0311. Forest management plans.
 5 1. The department is hereby authorized and directed to promulgate
 6 regulations, within six months of the effective date of this section,
 7 for the preparation of forest management plans on lands where the prac-
 8 tice of forestry is to continue under the terms of a conservation ease-
 9 ment purchased by the state. There shall be no harvesting of timber for
 10 commercial purposes or infrastructure activities on such lands until the
 11 forest management plan has been approved by the department.
 12 2. The forest management plan and supporting documents shall, at a
 13 minimum, include the following:
 14 a. a description of the forest resources to be managed, environmental
 15 conditions and limitations, land use and ownership status, and a profile
 16 of adjacent lands;
 17 b. a description of silvicultural and other management systems, as
 18 applicable, based on the ecology of the forest in question and informa-
 19 tion gathered through resource inventories;
 20 c. a rationale for the rate of annual harvest, species selections, and
 21 expected outcomes;
 22 d. provisions for monitoring of forest growth and dynamics;

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD03258-01-5

 S. 4710 2

 1 e. environmental safeguards based on environmental assessments. Such
 2 environmental assessments shall, at a minimum, include an evaluation of
 3 potential environmental impacts and their cumulative effects, and iden-
 4 tification of measures to mitigate those impacts, to the maximum extent
 5 possible, including impacts upon plants and animals, and soil and water
 6 resources, and the maintenance or restoration, as applicable, of the
 7 long term ecological functions of the forest;
 8 f. plans for the identification and protection of rare, threatened,
 9 and endangered species and their habitats;
 10 g. maps describing the forest resource base, including protected
 11 areas, planned management activities, and land ownership; and
 12 h. a description and justification of harvesting techniques and equip-
 13 ment to be used.
 14 3. The management plan shall be revised periodically to incorporate
 15 the results of monitoring or new scientific and technical information,
 16 as well as to respond to changing environmental, social, and economic
 17 circumstances.
 18 § 2. Section 809 of the executive law is amended by adding a new
 19 subdivision 10-a to read as follows:
 20 10-a. The agency shall not approve any project proposed for ti