An Act To Amend the Definition of "Timber Harvesting
Maine Legislature, Session 130, LD 0036
Committee: Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
Sponsors: DILL
Amends: 12 MRSA §8868, 12 MRSA §8881, 17 MRSA §2511, 23 MRSA §3360-A, 38 MRSA §436-A, 38 MRSA §438-B, 38 MRSA §480-B

Legislative Document
No. 36
S.P. 44
In Senate, January 13, 2021
An Act To Amend the Definition of "Timber Harvesting"
Submitted by the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry pursuant to Joint 
Rule 204.
Received by the Secretary of the Senate on January 11, 2021.  Referred to the Committee 
on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator DILL of Penobscot.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  12 MRSA §8868, sub-§4, as amended by PL 1997, c. 720, §6, is further 
amended to read:
4.  Timber harvesting.  "Timber harvesting" means the cutting or removal of timber 
for the primary purpose of selling or processing forest products trees or forest products that 
when cut or removed are transported to a roundwood processing operation, as defined in 
section 8881, subsection 10.
Sec. 2.  12 MRSA §8881, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 1989, c. 555, §12 and affected 
by c. 600, Pt. B, §11, is amended to read:
3.  Forest products.  "Forest products" means logs, pulpwood, veneer, bolt wood, 
wood chips, stud wood, poles, pilings, biomass fuel wood, fuel wood, bark or other 
products commonly known as forest products, but does not include Christmas trees, maple 
syrup, nursery products used for ornamental purposes, wreaths, bough material, cones or 
other seed crops.
Sec. 3.  12 MRSA §8881, sub-§10, as enacted by PL 1989, c. 555, §12 and affected 
by c. 600, Pt. B, §11, is amended to read:
10.  Roundwood processing operation.  "Roundwood processing operation" means 
sawmills; bolter mills; shingle mills; veneer mills; fence pole and piling making operations; 
pulp and paper mills; wafer board, particle board and plywood mills; whole tree chippers; 
commercial fuel wood processors; and bark processors; custom processing mills of these 
products; and log yards established to accumulate logs awaiting shipment to these 
operations.
Sec. 4.  17 MRSA §2511, sub-§1, ¶E, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 550, §1, is 
amended to read:
E.  "Timber harvesting" means the cutting or removal of timber for the primary purpose 
of selling or processing forest products has the same meaning as in Title 12, section 
8868, subsection 4.
Sec. 5.  23 MRSA §3360-A, sub-§1, ¶A-2, as enacted by PL 1999, c. 718, §1, is 
amended to read:
A-2.  "Commercial timber harvesting activity" means the cutting or removal of timber 
for the primary purpose of selling or processing forest products and includes the 
attendant operation of mobile or portable chipping mills and of cutting and skidding 
machinery and the creation, use and maintenance of skid trails, skid roads, winter haul 
roads and other roads to facilitate timber harvesting has the same meaning as "timber 
harvesting activities" as defined in Title 12, section 8868, subsection 5.
Sec. 6.  38 MRSA §436-A, sub-§13, as amended by PL 2013, c. 320, §6, is further 
amended to read:
13.  Timber harvesting.  "Timber harvesting" means the cutting and removal of timber 
for the primary purpose of selling or processing forest products has the same meaning as 
in Title 12, section 8868, subsection 4.  "Timber harvesting" does not include the cutting 
or removal of vegetation within the shoreland zone when associated with any other land 
use activities.
Sec. 7.  38 MRSA §438-B, sub-§1, ¶C, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 335, §5, is 
amended to read:
C.  "Timber harvesting" means cutting or removal of timber for the primary purpose of 
selling or processing forest products has the same meaning as in Title 12, section 8868, 
subsection 4.
Sec. 8.  38 MRSA §480-B, sub-§2-B, as amended by PL 2011, c. 599, §11, is 
further amended to read:
2-B.  Forest management activities.  "Forest management activities" means timber 
stand improvement, timber harvesting activities, forest products harvesting and 
regeneration of forest stands.  For the purposes of this definition, "timber harvesting 
activities" means timber harvesting, the construction and maintenance of roads used 
primarily for timber harvesting, the mining of gravel used for the construction and 
maintenance of roads used primarily for timber harvesting and other activities conducted 
to facilitate timber harvesting.  For the purposes of this definition, "timber harvesting" 
means the cutting or removal of timber for the primary purpose of selling or processing 
forest products has the same meaning as in Title 12, section 8868, subsection 4.
SUMMARY
This bill amends the definition of "timber harvesting" to clarify that timber harvesting 
means any cutting or removal of trees or forest products that when cut or removed are 
transported to a roundwood processing operation.  It also adds bark to the definition of 
"forest products" and log yards and bark processors to the definition of "roundwood 
processing operation" in the laws governing forest landowner and wood processor 
reporting requirements.