Source: http://www.wvwvermont.org/cgi-bin/vt_legis/fullchapter.cfm?Title=10&Chapter=083&form_access_date=20140109
Timestamp: 2017-09-20 18:20:51
Document Index: 613218464

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 1', '§ 44', '§ 1', '§ 18', '§ 603', '§ 1', '§ 3', '§ 157', '§ 89', '§ 2606', '§ 1', '§ 2822', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 2641', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 2642', '§ 1', '§ 5', '§ 2643', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§ 2']

T: 10 C: 83 - DEPARTMENT OF FORESTS, PARKS AND RECREATION The Vermont Statutes Online
(a) The conservation of the forests, timberlands, woodlands, and soil and recreational resources of the state are hereby declared to be in the public interest. It is the policy of the state to encourage economic management of its forests and woodlands, to maintain, conserve and improve its soil resources and to control forest pests to the end that forest benefits, including maple sugar production, are preserved for its people, floods and soil erosion are alleviated, hazards of forest fires are lessened, its natural beauty is preserved, its wildlife is protected, the development of its recreational interests is encouraged, the fertility and productivity of its soil are maintained, the impairment of its dams and reservoirs is prevented, its tax base is protected and the health, safety and general welfare of its people are sustained and promoted.
(b) The department shall implement the policies of this chapter by assisting forest land owners and lumber operators in the cutting and marketing of forest growth, encouraging cooperation between forest owners, lumber operators and the state of Vermont in the practice of conservation and management of forest lands, managing, promoting and protecting the multiple use of publicly owned forest and park lands; planning, constructing, developing, operating and maintaining the system of state parks; determining the necessity of repairs and replacements to all department-owned buildings and causing urgent repairs and replacements to be accomplished, with the approval of the secretary of administration, if within the limits of specific appropriations or if approved by the emergency board; and providing advice and assistance to municipalities, other political subdivisions, state departments and nongovernmental organizations in the development of wholesome and adequate community or institutional recreation programs. (Added 1977, No. 253 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 1993, No. 233 (Adj. Sess.), § 44, eff. June 21, 1994.)
(1) "Agency" means the agency of natural resources as created by chapter 51 of Title 3;
(2) "Department" means the department of forests, parks and recreation within the agency of natural resources;
(3) "Commissioner" means the commissioner of the department of forests, parks and recreation;
(4) "Secretary" means the secretary of the agency of natural resources. (Added 1977, No. 253 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 1987, No. 76, § 18.)
(c)(1) The Commissioner, subject to the direction and approval of the secretary, shall promulgate and publish regulations in the name of the Agency for the use of State forests, or park lands, including reasonable fees or charges for the use of the lands, roads, camping sites, buildings, and other facilities and for the harvesting of timber or removal of minerals or other resources from such lands, notwithstanding 32 V.S.A. § 603.
(f) Associations of amateur radio operators licensed as such by the United States Federal Communications Commission shall not be required to pay a fee or other charge as provided by subsection (c) of this section, as a condition of either a lease or a sublease of State property executed under this title, for access to mountaintop electronic sites designated as such in conformance with policy of the Secretary of Natural Resources, except that each such association shall by January 1 annually pay a $ 25.00 access fee and submit to the Commissioner at that time a list of the association's current membership.
(h) All interest accrued from bonds deposited in the Agency Fund and forfeited bonds in the Agency Fund for the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation's timber management program may be transferred annually by the Commissioner, with the approval of the Commissioner of Finance and Management, to the Natural Resources Management Fund. (Added 1977, No. 253 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 1981, No. 240 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. April 28, 1982; 1991, No. 83; 1999, No. 49, § 157; 2001, No. 149 (Adj. Sess.), § 89, eff. June 27, 2002; 2009, No. 146 (Adj. Sess.), § B14; 2011, No. 63, § E.704.1.)
§ 2606b. License of forest lands for maple sugar production
(3) Maple sugaring is a sustainable use of forest land.
(4) State forest land should be managed and used for multiple uses including maple sugar production.
(c) Beginning on July 1, 2009, pursuant to guidelines developed jointly by the department of forests, parks and recreation and the Vermont maple sugar makers' association, the department shall issue licenses for the use of state forest land for the tapping of maple trees, the collection of maple sap, and the transportation of such sap to a processing site located off state forest land or to sites located on state forest land if approved by the commissioner. All tapping of maple trees authorized under a license shall be conducted according to the guidelines for tapping maple trees agreed to by the department and the Vermont maple sugar makers' association. Each person awarded a license under this section shall maintain and repair any road, water crossing, or work area according to requirements set by the department in the license. Each license shall include such additional terms and conditions set by the departmentas may be necessary to preserve forest health and to assure compliance with the requirements of this chapter and applicable rules. A license shall be issued for a fixed term not to exceed five years and shall be renewable for two five-year terms subsequent to the initial license. Subsequent renewals shall be allowed where agreed upon by the department and the licensee. The department shall have power to terminate or modify a license for cause, including damage to forest health.
(e) There is hereby established a maple advisory board to provide the commissioner of forests, parks and recreation with guidance on licensing of state forest land for maple sugar production, including identification of potential sites on state lands for licensure. The board shall be composed of:
(f) There shall be an annual license fee imposed based on the number of taps installed in the license area. The per tap fee for a license issued under this section shall be one-quarter of the average of the per pound price of Vermont fancy grade syrup and the per pound price of Vermont commercial grade syrup as those prices are set on May 1 of each year. The fee set each May 1 shall apply to licenses issued by the department for the succeeding period beginning June 1 and ending May 31. Fees collected under this section shall be deposited in the forest parks revolving fund established under section 2609 of this title and shall be used by the department to implement the license program established by this section.
(g) On or before January 15, 2010, the commissioner of forests, parks and recreation shall submit to the senate and house committees on natural resources and energy and the senate and house committees on agriculture a report regarding the implementation of the requirements of this section. The report shall include:
(1) A copy of the guidelines required by this section for issuing licenses for the use of state forest land for maple sap collection and production.
(2) A summary of the process used to identify parcels of state forest land suitable for licensing for maple sap collection and production and the process by which the department allocated licenses.
(3) A summary of the licenses issued for maple sap collection and production on state forest land.
(4) An estimate of the fees collected for licenses issued under this section.
(5) A copy of any rules adopted by or proposed for adoption by the commissioner to implement the requirements of this section. (Added 2009, No. 21, § 1.)
(a) Enforcement of the provisions of this chapter or any regulations or proclamations promulgated hereunder shall be in accordance with the provisions of 3 V.S.A. § 2822(c).
(b) A person who violates any provision of this chapter or regulations or proclamations promulgated hereunder, or neglects or refuses to assist a fire warden when called upon to do so as provided in section 2644 of this title, shall be imprisoned not more than 30 days or fined not more than $ 50.00, or both. Such person shall be liable for all damages resulting from a violation to be recovered in a civil action under this statute by the person injured. (Added 1977, No. 253 (Adj. Sess.), § 1.)
Sub-Chapter 2: Forest Conservation
The commissioner shall adopt rules to establish methods by which the harvest and utilization of timber in private and public forest land will be consistent with continuous forest growth, including reforestation, will prevent wasteful and dangerous forestry practices, will regulate heavy cutting, will encourage good forestry management, will enable and assist landowners to practice good forestry management, and will conserve the natural resources consistent with the purposes and policies of this chapter, giving due consideration to the need to assure continuous supplies of forest products and to the rights of the owner or operator of the land. Such rules shall be advisory, and not mandatory, except that the rules adopted under section 2625 of this title shall be mandatory as shall other rules specifically authorized to be mandatory. (Added 1977, No. 253 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 1997, No. 15, § 1, eff. May 6, 1997.)
Sub-Chapter 3: State Nurseries
Sub-Chapter 4: Forest Fires And Fire Prevention
§ 2641. Fire wardens, appointment and removal
(a) Upon approval by the select-board and acceptance by the appointee, the commissioner shall appoint a town forest fire warden for a term of five years or until a successor is appointed. The warden may be removed for cause at any time by the commissioner with the approval of the select-board. A warden shall comply with training requirements established by the commissioner by rule.
(b) The commissioner may appoint a forest fire warden for an unorganized town or gore, who shall hold office until he or she resigns or is removed for cause. The forest fire warden shall have the same powers and duties as town forest fire wardens.
(c) When there are woodlands within the limits of a city or incorporated village, the chief of the fire department of such city or village shall act as city or village fire warden with all the powers and duties of town forest fire wardens.
(d) When the commissioner deems it difficult in any municipality for one warden to take charge of protecting the entire municipality from forest fires, he may appoint one or more deputy forest fire wardens. Such wardens under the direction of the fire warden shall have the same powers, duties and pay and make the same reports through the fire warden to the commissioner as forest fire wardens.
(e) The commissioner may appoint special forest fire wardens who shall hold office during the pleasure of the commissioner. Such fire wardens shall have the same powers and duties throughout the state as town forest fire wardens, except that all expenses and charges incurred on account of their official acts shall be paid from the appropriations for the department. (Added 1977, No. 253 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 1987, No. 107, § 1.)
§ 2642. Salary and compensation of fire wardens
(a) The salary of a town fire warden shall be determined by the selectmen for time spent in the performance of the duties of his office, which shall be paid by the town. He or she shall also receive from the town the sum of $0.15 for each fire permit issued. In addition thereto, he or she shall receive from the commissioner $20.00 annually for properly making out and submitting reports of fires in his or her district and keeping the required state records. He or she shall also receive from the commissioner $15.00 per diem for attendance at each training meeting called by the commissioner.
(b) The pay of a warden of an unorganized town or gore and his or her assistants, including patrolmen, and all expenses incurred by him or her in extinguishing forest fires, as provided for by the commissioner, including employment of a person to assist him or her, on the approval of the commissioner, shall be paid by the state from the moneys annually available from taxes in the unorganized town and gore, and the commissioner of finance and management shall issue his or her warrant therefor.
(c) A person employed by a warden to assist him or her in extinguishing a forest fire as authorized under section 2644 of this title, shall be paid at the same rate per hour as is paid for labor upon highways. A minimum of two hours' pay for the first hour or any portion thereof shall be allowed persons who are officially summoned to assist in the extinguishment of forest fires. When a warden employs men in extinguishing a fire in a municipality adjoining his or her own, the expense incurred shall be paid by the municipality in which the work was done at the rate of pay prevailing in the municipality where the laborers reside. A municipality wherein such warden resides shall forthwith pay the warden and assistants for their services, and the municipality may recover the expense thereof in a civil action on this statute from the municipality where the work was done. (Added 1977, No. 253 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 1983, No. 195 (Adj. Sess.), § 5(b).)
§ 2643. Town's liability for extinguishing forest fires; state aid
(a) For the purpose of extinguishing forest fires, a town shall not be held liable in any one year for an amount greater than ten percent of its grand list.
(b) The state shall reimburse a town for its forest fire suppression costs in excess of ten percent of its grand list and for one-half its forest fire suppression costs up to and including ten percent of its grand list when the bills are presented to the commissioner by December 31 of each year with proper vouchers and in a form approved by him. (Added 1977, No. 253 (Adj. Sess.), § 1.)
(a) When a forest fire or fire threatening a forest is discovered in his or her town, the warden shall enter upon any premises and take measures for its prompt control and extinguishment. The warden may call upon any person for assistance. He or she may arrest without warrant any person found in the act of violating a provision of law or proclamation pertaining to forest fires.
(b) A warden shall keep a record of his or her acts, the amount of expenses incurred, the number of fires and causes, the areas burned over and the character and amount of damages done in the warden's jurisdiction. Within two weeks after the discovery of such a fire, he or she shall report the same to the commissioner on forms which shall be furnished by him or her, but the making of such report shall not be a charge against the town.
(c) During the danger season and subject to the approval or direction of the commissioner, a warden shall establish a patrol in dangerous localities, and the expense for the same shall be paid as expenses for fighting fires. Wardens shall receive the same pay for time spent in posting notices, patrolling or in making investigations of damages done that they receive for time spent in actual fire fighting. (Added 1977, No. 253 (Adj. Sess.), § 1.)
(b) Whenever the commissioner deems that the public safety of any town or portion of a town of this state does not require the protection provided by this section, he or she may cause the town fire warden of any such town to post notices to that effect in not less than five conspicuous places in such town.
(b) Owners or operators of timber or woodlots shall leave the main logging roads through cut-over areas free from slash so that tractors may pass over these roads unobstructed in order to carry men and supplies and fire fighting equipment to fire suppression crews.
(c) If in the opinion of the town forest fire warden there is no fire hazard as a result of a cutting, the warden may issue, upon request, a statement relieving the operator of the conditions required in this section. (Added 1977, No. 253 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 1987, No. 107, § 2.)
Sub-Chapter 5: Municipal Forests
Sub-Chapter 6: Forest Pest Control
(a) Whenever the commissioner finds that an area in the state is infested or threatened to be infested with forest pests, he or she shall determine whether measures of control are needed and are available and the area over which the control measures shall be applied. The commissinoer shall prescribe a proposed zone of infestation covering the area in which control measures are to be applied, and shall publish notice of the proposal in one or more newspapers having a general circulation in the area in which control measures are to be undertaken.
Sub-Chapter 7: Uniform Fire Prevention Ticket