Maine Legislature, Session 122, LD 1872
Committee Amendment CA_A_H798 (House)
Amends: 12 MRSA §8011, 12 MRSA §8013, 12 MRSA §8014

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to H.P. 1312, L.D. 1872, Bill, "An 
Act To 
Provide Forest Certification Cost-share Incentives 
to 
Forest Landowners and Licensed Foresters" 
Amend 
the bill by 
striking out all of 
section 
and 
inserting in its place the following: 
'Sec. 2. 12 MRSA §8011, as enacted by PL 2001, c. 439, pt_ 
KKKK, §1, is repealed and the following enacted in its place: 
S8011-
Cost-share fund established: p11rJ?ose 
A forest certification incentive cost-share fund. referred 
to in this chapter as "the fund." is established as a nonlapsing 
dedicated account to provide incentives to licensed foresters and 
landowners for obtaining independent 3rd-party certification and 
recertification. 
The 
bureau 
shall 
administer 
the 
fund 
in 
accordance with section 8014. 
The bureau may accept donations 
and grants from public and private sources for deposit in' the 
fund. ' 
Further amend the bill in section 3 in subsection 3 
in 
paragraph B in the 2nd line (page 2, line 5 in L.D.) by striking 
out the following: "must receive no" and inserting in its place 
the following: 'may not receive any' 
Further amend the bill by striking out all of section 5 and 
inserting in its place the following: 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to H.P. 13l2, L.D. 1872 
. Sec. 5. 12 MRSA §8013, as enacted by PL 2001, c. 439, Pt. 
KKKK, §1, is repealed. 
Sec.6. 12 MRSA §8014 is enacted to read: 
§8014. 
Administration of cost-share fund: procedure 
The bureau shall administer the fund to reimburse eligible 
persons for 
a 
portion of the costs of obtaining independent 
3rd-party certification in accordance with this section. 
1. 
Eligibi1iQr. 
The following persons are eligible for 
cost-share fundS: 
A. 
A 
licensed 
forester 
who 
has 
obtained 
independent 
3rd-party certification or. recertification 
as 
a 
forest 
resource 
manager 
in 
order 
that 
the 
forester's 
client 
landowners 
may 
obtain 
the 
benefits 
accruing 
from 
such 
certification; 
B. 
A landowner who owns 1.000 acres or less of forest land 
statewide 
and 
has 
obtained 
independent 
3rd-party 
certification or recertification for the land; and 
C. 
A group of landowners who have collectively obtained 
3rd-party certification or recertification for their land as 
long as some or all of the landowners own I. 000 acres or 
less. 
2. 
Maximum amount of cost-shftxe fUllds distributed. 
The 
amount of coSt-share funds distributed to a person eligible for 
reimbursement under subsection I. paragraph A or B may not exceed 
50~ of the cost of obtaining independent 3rd-party certification. 
The maximum amount of cost-share funds distributed to a group of 
landowners 
eligible 
for 
reimbursement 
under 
subsection 
1, 
paragraph C is calculated by multiplying the number of landowners 
in the group who own 1.000 acres or less of forest land by 50% of 
the cost of obtaining independent 3rd party certification and 
dividing the product by the total number of landowners in the 
grou,p. 
For 
the 
purposes 
of 
this 
su,bsection. 
"cost 
of 
obtaining 
independent 3rd-party certification" 
means the fee paid to an 
external auditor to complete the certification process. 
3. 
Repa~nt required. 
A licensed forester, landowner or 
grou,p of landowners that accepts cost-share funds in accordance 
with this chapter but that fails to retain certification for the 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
". (~~:~ 
• i"j$' 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
H.P. 1312, L.D. 1872 
full certification period shall repay the full amount of the 
cost-share funds received to the bureau. 
The bureau may impose a 
reasonable interest rate 
on the 
amount of the 
funds 
to be 
repaid. 
The bureau shall deposit all repayments and interest 
received under this subsection into the fund. 
4. 
Forms. 
The bureau shall provide application forms for 
licensed foresters, landowners and groups of landowners seeking 
cost-share funds pursuant to this chapter.' 
SUMMARY 
This amendment is the majority report of the Joint Standing 
Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. 
It expands 
the eligibility criteria for 
reimbursement 
from 
the 
forest 
certification incentive cost-share fund to include a group of 
landowners 
who 
collectively 
receive 
certification. 
It also 
allows the fund to be used for recertification. It limits the 
amount of reimbursement received by a group of landowners based 
on the number of landowners at or below the 1,000-acre ownership 
threshold. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT