The "Forestry Parity Act" aims to provide parity of treatment under the law for forestry and forest product operations, aligning them with farming and agriculture. The bill introduces definitions for terms related to forestry, such as "forest product operations," which encompasses various activities including harvesting, production, and sale of forest products. It establishes protections against nuisance actions arising from conflicts between forestry operations and urban land uses, and safeguards forest landowners with management plans from state regulations that exceed those applicable to agricultural operations.

The act establishes sales and use tax exemptions for machinery and equipment used in commercial forest product operations, including but not limited to chainsaws, sawmills, and log skidders. It also creates a new category of motor vehicle registration for "forestry vehicles," which would be exempt from taxation. Municipalities are permitted to tax forestry product operations buildings at a rate reflecting the actual costs incurred in providing services to these buildings.

Furthermore, the act clarifies that forest product operations are permitted uses within all zoning districts of a municipality, except where prohibited for public health or safety reasons or for the protection of wildlife habitat. The legislation takes effect upon passage.

Statutes affected:
3182: 42-64-5, 44-5-12.1, 44-18-30, 44-27-1, 45-24-37
3182  SUB A: 42-64-5, 44-5-12.1, 44-18-30, 44-27-1, 45-24-37