Sec. 17. 12 MRSA §8013, as enacted by PL 2001, c. 439, Pt. KKKK, §1, is amended to read:

§8013. Administration of grant fund; procedure

The bureau shall administer the grant fund pursuant to this section.

1. Eligibility. The bureau may award grants to a licensed professional forester seeking initial independent 3rd-party certification as a forest resource manager in order that the forester's client landowners may obtain the benefits accruing from such certification.

2. Amount of grant. The bureau may provide a grant to a licensed professional forester in an amount equal to 50% of the cost of obtaining independent 3rd-party certification as a forest resource manager or $1,000, whichever is less.

3. Repayment. A licensed professional forester who accepts a grant but who fails to qualify as a certified forest resource manager within one year of receiving the grant or who fails to retain certification for the full certification period shall repay the amount of the grant to the bureau. The bureau may impose a reasonable interest rate on the amount of the grant.

4. Forms; rulemaking. The bureau shall provide application forms for licensed professional foresters seeking grants pursuant to this chapter. The bureau shall adopt rules to implement the purposes of this chapter. Rules adopted pursuant to this chapter are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter II-A 2-A.

5. Report. By January 2, 2007, the director of the bureau shall submit a report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over forestry matters outlining the costs and benefits of the certified forest resource manager grant fund.

This subsection is repealed January 31, 2007.

Sec. 18. 12 MRSA §8879, sub-§1-A, as enacted by PL 2001, c. 564, §2, is amended to read:

1-A. Report on changes in ownership of forest land. Using information received under Title 36, section 581-E 581-G, the director shall monitor changes in ownership of parcels of forest