UPDATE: FORM LETTER AVAILABLE ON RPF/LTO FROM ASSOCIATED CALIFORNIA LOGGERS:
Associated California Loggers has prepared a “form letter” for you to send to the California Board of Forestry to let them know of your support for the proposal detailed below. Please contact the ACL office at 916-441-7940 or ecarleson@calog.com or jpardee@calog.com to get a copy of the letter for you to insert your information. Comments must be received by the Board of Forestry by 5:00 pm on Monday, July 10.
FOUR OPTIONS TO GET THE FORM LETTER(WITH YOUR ADDITIONS), OR TO SEND YOUR OWN PERSONAL LETTER, TO THE BOARD OF FORESTRY:
ONE: POSTAL MAIL
Mail to:
Board of Forestry and Fire Protection
ATTN: Matt Dias
Executive Officer
P.O. Box 944246
Sacramento, CA 94244-2460
TWO: E-mail to:
THREE: FAX
FAX to
FOUR: HAND DELIVER TO:
Board of Forestry and Fire Protection
Room 1506-14
1416 9th Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Hand deliver to: Matt Dias or Eric Hedge.
REVIEW OF PREVIOUS INFORMATION:
It is now official: The “RPF/LTO Responsibilities” ACL Proposal (which Associated California Loggers has worked on for over 3 years!) is an Official Regulation Proposal that will receive a hearing for a final vote on July 20, 2017. The e-mail below has links to the 45-Day notice and Proposed Rule Package. Relevant points:
BOARD OF FORESTRY HEARING TO VOTE ON THIS PROPOSAL, THURSDAY, JULY 20, 2017IN ARCADIA (NEAR LOS ANGELES)
The hearing to vote on adopting this regulation will be at one of the few Board of Forestry meetings that will NOT be held in Sacramento. It will be held on Thursday, July 20, at the Angeles National Forest HQ, near LosAngeles, in the town of Arcadia. I will book a flight for myself and we will see who else from ACL would like to make the trip. This hearing will lead to (1) The regulation being adopted; or (2) the regulation being defeated(voted down) or (3) Changes being recommended to trigger an additional 15-day comment period (in which case, one more vote hearing will take place at the August BOF meeting, likely back in Sacramento.)
45-DAY COMMENT PERIOD
A 45-day comment period has commenced that will end on Monday July 10, at 5:00 pm.
HERE IS A PHONE NUMBER FOR BOARD OF FORESTRY STAFF RECEIVING COMMENTS, AND LINKS WITH FURTHER INFORMATION:
The State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection has published a Notice of Proposed Action regarding “RPF and LTO Responsibilities Amendments, 2017”. The notice can be found online here: 45-Day Notice. If you have any questions or would like additional information, please see the Board’s Proposed Rule Packages webpage here: Proposed Rule Packages or contact myself.
Sincerely,
Eric Hedge | Regulations Coordinator
Board of Forestry and Fire Protection | Cal Fire
Office: 916.653.9633
HERE IS A KEY PROVISION OF THE PROPOSED REGULATION:
“An LTO shall not be held responsible for Forest Practice Rule violations that result from work required of an RPF, under Board rules, that is determined by the Director(CALFIRE) to be inaccurate or inadequate.” (The California Licensed Foresters Association, representing RPFs, has agreed to support this proposal, which also calls for more meetings between RPFs and LTOs to avoid notices of violation being issued by CALFIRE.)
INVITATION FOR YOUR COMMENTS THE BOARD OF FORESTRY:
Associated California Loggers will be making extensive comments to the Board of Forestry, by July 10, in support of the RPF/LTO Responsibilties Regulation. Other organizations will be writing in support. CALFIRE may be opposing some of the regulation. We are asking you to get a comment letter to the Board of Forestry in support of the regulation. Please contact the ACL office at916-441-7940 if you need any further information, but if you read the “45-Day Notice” and “Proposed Rule Package,” you can see the ACL position expressed for your letter.
Thank you!