The bill amends Washington's forestry riparian easement program to enhance the participation of small forestland owners by redefining eligibility criteria and updating compensation structures. It specifies that "qualifying timber" must be on land owned by a qualifying small forestland owner and revises the definition of "small forestland owner" to include those with timber rights for at least 40 years, down from 50 years. Compensation for these owners is set at 90% of the determined value of their qualifying timber, with a cap of $150,000 for timber on potentially unstable slopes during any biennial funding period. The bill also emphasizes the program's role in carbon sequestration and aquatic resource protection, while establishing a two-year timeline for application transactions and allowing for temporary eligibility for alternative management plans if funding is insufficient.

Additionally, the bill modifies riparian buffer requirements for small forestland owners with parcels of 20 contiguous acres or less, exempting them from leaving riparian buffers adjacent to streams under certain conditions. Instead, they must follow the permanent forest practices rules from January 1, 1999, and may only need to leave a volume of timber equivalent to 15% of a well-managed 50-year-old commercial timber stand. The bill also increases the percentage of value that these owners can net from trees left in buffer areas from 50% to 90%, allows the use of actual mill receipts for fair market value determination, and outlines compensation for compliance costs related to the forestry riparian easement program.

Statutes affected:
Original Bill: 76.13.120, 76.13.130, 76.13.140