An Act To Protect Small Forest Landowners
Maine Legislature, Session 122, LD 1368
Committee: Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
Sponsors: CARR, PIOTTI, SHERMAN, SMITH, TWOMEY, NUTTING, RA YE
Amends: 1 MRSA §402, 12 MRSA §8883-B

Legislative Document 
No. 1368 
H.P.954 
House of Representati ves, March 17, 2005 
An Act To Protect Small Forest Landowners 
Submitted by the Department of Conservation pursuant to Joint Rule 204. 
Reference to the Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry suggested and 
ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative CARR of Lincoln. 
!1J~ 
/J7.7l!P£~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Cosponsored by Representatives: PIOTTI of Unity, SHERMAN of Hodgdon, SMITH of 
Monmouth, TWOMEY of Biddeford, Senators: NUTTING of Androscoggin, RA YE of 
Washington. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 1 MRSA §402, sub-§3, 11M, as amended by PL 2003, c. 
614, §2, is further amended to read: 
M. 
Records 
or 
information describing 
the 
architecture, 
design, 
access authentication, 
encryption or security of 
information technology infrastructure and systems. 
Records 
or information covered by this paragraph may be disclosed to 
the 
Legislature 
or, 
in 
the 
case 
of 
a 
political 
or 
administrative subdivision, to municipal officials or board 
members under conditions that protect the information from 
further disclosure; aRe 
Sec. 2. 1 MRSA §402, sub-§3, 1IN, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 
614, §3, is amended to read: 
N. 
Social 
security 
numbers 
in 
the 
possession 
of 
the 
Department of Inland Fisheries and WildlifeT ~ 
Sec.3. 1 MRSA §402, sub-§3, 110 is enacted to read: 
o. 
Forest management plans and supporting documentation of 
forest management activities on private forest lands, when 
such 
documentation 
is 
held 
by 
the 
Department 
of 
Conservation, 
Bureau 
of 
Forestry 
for 
the 
purpose 
of 
administering landowner assistance programs. 
Sec.4. 12 MRSA §8883-B, sub-§8 is enacted to read: 
8. 
Confidentiality. 
The addresses, telephone numbers and 
electronic mail addresses of forest landowners owning less than 
1,000 acres statewide contained in notifications filed under this 
section are not public records for the purposes of Title 
1, 
section 402, subsection 3. 
Sec. S. 36 MRSA §S81-E, as enacted by PL 1989, c. 555, §18, 
is amended to read: 
§581-E. Report to the Bureau of Forestry 
The 
municipal 
assessor 
or 
chief 
assessor 
of 
a 
primary 
assessing area shall report to the Bureau of Forestry by November 
1, 1990, or 30 days following the tax commitment date, whichever 
is sooner, 
and annually thereafter, on forms provided by the 
bureau, 
the 
following 
information 
relating 
to 
land 
taxed 
according to this subchapter: 
1. 
Landowner names and addresses. 
The names and addresses 
of landowners; 
Page l-LR0640(1) 
2. 
Total acreage. 
The total acres taxed pursuant to this 
subchapter, including a forest type breakdown by softwood, mixed 
wood and hardwood; ana 
3. 
Year of acceptance. 
The year each parcel was first 
accepted for taxation under this subchapterTL 
4. 
Year of recertification. 
The 
year 
of 
most 
recent 
recertification of each parcel: and 
5. 
Identifying information for each parcel listed. 
The tax 
map number. plan number and lot number for each parcel listed. 
Addresses, telephone numbers and electronic mail addresses 
of forest landowners owning less than L 000 acres statewide in 
reports filed under this section are not public records for the 
purposes of Title I. section 402, subsection 3. 
SUMMARY 
This bill provides confidentiality for 
forest management 
plans 
and 
supporting 
documentation 
of 
forest 
management 
activities on private forest lands, when such documentation is 
held by the Department of Conservation, Bureau of Forestry for 
the purpose of administering landowner assistance programs. 
It 
also 
provides 
confidentiality 
for 
the 
addresses, 
telephone 
numbers and electronic mail addresses of forest landowners owning 
less 
than 
1,000 
acres 
statewide 
contained 
in 
harvest 
notifications and reports of assessors to the Bureau of Forestry.