STAND. COM. REP. NO. 96

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 990

       S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Water and Land, to which was referred S.B. No. 990 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FOREST STEWARDSHIP,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to clarify the conditions that must be met by applicants to receive funds under the Forest Stewardship Program.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Office of Environmental Quality Control, Hawai‘i Forest Industry Association, and one individual.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from one individual.

     Your Committee finds that sixty-six percent of forest lands in Hawaii are privately owned.  The Forest Stewardship Program provides technical and financial assistance to private landowners and long-term leaseholders of forest lands in managing, protecting, and restoring important natural resources in Hawaii's forested and formerly forested lands.  Your Committee further finds that properly managed forest resources provide vital public and private socioeconomic and environmental benefits.  Your Committee further finds that the clarifications to the Forest Stewardship Program offered in this measure will reduce financial barriers to program participation by increasing reimbursement rates for the development of forest stewardship management plans, and will further increase program participation by clarifying eligibility requirements.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water and Land that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 990, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 990, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water and Land,

________________________________

KARL RHOADS, Chair