PRINTER'S NO. 3598
No. 712 Session of 2008
INTRODUCED BY HUTCHINSON, HALUSKA, RAPP, CAUSER, ARGALL,
BASTIAN, CALTAGIRONE, CAPPELLI, CREIGHTON, DALEY, DENLINGER,
GEIST, GEORGE, GINGRICH, GRUCELA, HARHART, HENNESSEY,
HERSHEY, HESS, JAMES, LONGIETTI, MAJOR, McGEEHAN, McILHATTAN,
MILLARD, R. MILLER, MILNE, MOUL, MUSTIO, MYERS, NAILOR,
O'NEILL, PEIFER, PETRONE, PHILLIPS, PICKETT, QUINN, READSHAW,
RUBLEY, SAYLOR, SIPTROTH, STERN, SURRA AND THOMAS,
APRIL 15, 2008
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY,
APRIL 15, 2008
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
1 Establishing a forestry task force to study issues concerning
2 the renewal and management of this Commonwealth's forests;
3 providing for an advisory committee; and directing the Joint
4 Legislative Air and Water Pollution Control and Conservation
5 Committee to provide administrative support to the task
6 force.
7 WHEREAS, Seventeen million acres in Pennsylvania are forest
8 land; and
9 WHEREAS, Forests provide numerous economic, recreational and
10 environmental resources; and
11 WHEREAS, Sustainable forestry provides new management
12 strategies for our forest resources and improves the health,
13 quality and diversity of Pennsylvania's forests; and
14 WHEREAS, The new strategies will determine the future of
15 forests in this Commonwealth; and
16 WHEREAS, The forestry task force previously established by
1 House Resolution No. 263, Printer's No. 4110 (1994), Senate
2 Resolution No. 29, Printer's No. 720 (1997), House Resolution
3 No. 13, Printer's No. 2113 (1999), Senate Resolution No. 81,
4 Printer's No. 1077 (2001) and House Resolution No. 256,
5 Printer's No. 1510 (2003) has been helpful to the General
6 Assembly and instrumental in addressing issues facing the
7 forestry community; therefore be it
8 RESOLVED, (the Senate concurring), That the General Assembly
9 establish a forestry task force to be comprised of two members
10 of the Senate, one appointed by the President pro tempore of the
11 Senate and one appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate,
12 two members of the House of Representatives, one appointed by
13 the Speaker of the House of Representatives and one appointed by
14 the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, and the
15 members of the forestry task force shall choose a chairman from
16 their number; and be it further
17 RESOLVED, That the forestry task force conduct a
18 comprehensive study of and investigate the following:
19 (1) the Federal Highlands Project and its implications
20 for commercial forest management;
21 (2) the role of State forests in carbon sequestration;
22 (3) the role of woody biomass utilization in alternative
23 energy production; and
24 (4) the implications of possible commercial scale wind
25 power generation sites on State forest lands;
26 and be it further
27 RESOLVED, That the forestry task force hold hearings, take
28 testimony and make its investigations at such places within this
29 Commonwealth as it deems necessary; and be it further
30 RESOLVED, That an advisory committee be created by the
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1 forestry task force to assist in developing facts and
2 recommendations concerning the renewal and management of forests
3 in this Commonwealth and that the advisory committee be composed
4 of representatives of the following entities:
5 (1) Department of Conservation and Natural Resources,
6 Bureau of Forestry;
7 (2) Department of Agriculture, Hardwoods Development
8 Council;
9 (3) Pennsylvania Game Commission;
10 (4) The Pennsylvania State University, School of Forest
11 Resources and Cooperative Extension Service; and
12 (5) United States Forest Service;
13 and be it further
14 RESOLVED, That the advisory committee have one representative
15 from each of five business organizations representing the forest
16 products industry, one representative from each of five
17 nonprofit conservation and environmental organizations and one
18 representative from up to three other organizations that the
19 forestry task force deems appropriate to be represented; and be
20 it further
21 RESOLVED, That the General Assembly direct the Joint
22 Legislative Air and Water Pollution Control and Conservation
23 Committee to provide sufficient staff and other administrative
24 support to the forestry task force; and be it further
25 RESOLVED, That the forestry task force prepare a report
26 containing its findings and recommendations, together with any
27 necessary legislation, and deliver it to the General Assembly as
28 soon as possible.
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