Whereas, the State's forest policy has suffered from instability for years; and

Whereas, forest policy stability is critical to the long-term investments needed for the State's working forests to continue providing economic, social and ecological benefits to the citizens of this State; and

Whereas, while command and control regulation can prevent abuses of public trust resources and public values, it can not by itself guarantee excellent forest management and may in fact discourage it; and

Whereas, outcome-based forest policy has the potential to encourage forest landowners to achieve publicly credible desired future conditions in the State's forests while having the freedom to use their creativity and skill to attain those conditions; and

Whereas, immediate enactment of this legislation is necessary to record the Legislature's position on forest policy stability; and

Whereas, in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create an emergency within the meaning of the Constitution of Maine and require the following legislation as immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; now, therefore,

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:

Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §8003, sub-§3, ¶Q is enacted to read:

Q.__The director, in cooperation with private landowners, shall actively pursue creating experimental areas on private land where the principles and applicability of outcome-based forest policy, as defined in section 8868, can be applied and tested.__No more than 6 such areas may be designated, a single area may not exceed 100,000 acres and the total area under agreement may not exceed 200,000 acres.__One area must be owned by a landowner holding fewer than 1,000 acres statewide.__The term of initial agreements may not exceed 5 years.

Sec. 2. 12 MRSA §8868, sub-§2-B is enacted to read: