PRINTER'S NO. 968
No. 137 Session of 2005
INTRODUCED BY MADIGAN, BOSCOLA, BROWNE, CONTI, MUSTO, ORIE,
PIPPY, TARTAGLIONE, WENGER, ROBBINS, COSTA, STOUT,
BRIGHTBILL, WOZNIAK, M. WHITE, RAFFERTY, PILEGGI, KASUNIC,
WONDERLING, SCARNATI, FUMO AND ARMSTRONG, JUNE 17, 2005
REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY, JUNE 17, 2005
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
1 Establishing a task force to study issues concerning the renewal
2 and management of this Commonwealth's forests; providing for
3 an advisory committee; and directing the Joint Legislative
4 Air and Water Pollution Control and Conservation Committee to
5 provide administrative support to the task force.
6 WHEREAS, Seventeen million acres in Pennsylvania are forest
7 land; and
8 WHEREAS, Forests provide numerous economic, recreational and
9 environmental resources; and
10 WHEREAS, Sustainable forestry provides new management
11 strategies for our forest resources and improves the health,
12 quality and diversity of Pennsylvania's forests; and
13 WHEREAS, The new strategies will determine the future of
14 forests in this Commonwealth; and
15 WHEREAS, The forestry task force previously established by
16 House Resolution No. 263, Printer's No. 4110 (1994), Senate
17 Resolution No. 29, Printer's No. 720 (1997), House Resolution
18 No. 13, Printer's No. 2113 (1999), Senate Resolution No. 81,
1 Printer's No. 1077 (2001) and House Resolution No. 256,
2 Printer's No. 1510 (2003) has been helpful to the General
3 Assembly and instrumental in addressing issues facing the
4 forestry community; therefore be it
5 RESOLVED, (the House of Representatives concurring), That the
6 General Assembly establish a forestry task force to be comprised
7 of two members of the Senate, one appointed by the President pro
8 tempore of the Senate and one appointed by the Minority Leader
9 of the Senate, two members of the House of Representatives, one
10 appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and one
11 appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of
12 Representatives, and the members of the forestry task force
13 shall choose a chairman from their number; and be it further
14 RESOLVED, That the forestry task force conduct a
15 comprehensive study of and investigate the following:
16 (1) the growing threat of forest pests and diseases,
17 including, but not limited to, emerald ash borer, sudden oak
18 death syndrome and Asian longhorn beetles;
19 (2) the impact of municipal ordinances on accessing
20 private forests and conducting sustainable forestry;
21 (3) the United States Forest Service's survey of the
22 private forest land owner in Pennsylvania;
23 (4) the prescribed burning as a forest regeneration
24 management tool; and
25 (5) the impact of government's increasing acquisition of
26 private forest land and the maintenance of those acquisitions
27 as working forests;
28 and be it further
29 RESOLVED, That the forestry task force hold hearings, take
30 testimony and make its investigations at such places within this
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1 Commonwealth as it deems necessary; and be it further
2 RESOLVED, That an advisory committee be created by the
3 forestry task force to assist in developing facts and
4 recommendations concerning the renewal and management of forests
5 in this Commonwealth and that the advisory committee be composed
6 of representatives of the following entities:
7 (1) Department of Conservation and Natural Resources,
8 Bureau of Forestry;
9 (2) Department of Agriculture, Hardwoods Development
10 Council;
11 (3) Pennsylvania Game Commission;
12 (4) The Pennsylvania State University, School of Forest
13 Resources and Cooperative Extension Service; and
14 (5) United States Forest Service;
15 and be it further
16 RESOLVED, That the advisory committee have one representative
17 from each of five business organizations representing the forest
18 products industry, one representative from each of five
19 nonprofit conservation and environmental organizations and one
20 representative from up to three other organizations that the
21 forestry task force deems appropriate to be represented; and be
22 it further
23 RESOLVED, That the General Assembly direct the Joint
24 Legislative Air and Water Pollution Control and Conservation
25 Committee to provide sufficient staff and other administrative
26 support to the forestry task force; and be it further
27 RESOLVED, That the forestry task force prepare a report
28 containing its findings and recommendations, together with any
29 necessary legislation, and deliver it to the General Assembly as
30 soon as possible.
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