2023 Code of Virginia › Title 10.1 - Conservation › Chapter 11 - Forest Resources and the Department of Forestry › § 10.1-1169. Liability for failure to carry out planting, cutting or management plan; reforestation of area by State Forester

A. Any person failing to carry out, fulfill or complete any term or provision of any planting, cutting, or management plan submitted to and approved by the State Forester as provided in subsection D of § 10.1-1163 shall be liable to the Commonwealth in a civil suit brought by the Attorney General in the name of the Commonwealth in any court of competent jurisdiction for, at least $240 per acre for each acre or part of an acre subject to such plan and legal fees incurred by the Commonwealth. All moneys collected pursuant to this subsection, exclusive of court costs and legal fees incurred by the Commonwealth, shall be delivered to the State Forester, who shall deposit the money in the Forestry Operations Fund in the state treasury until it is used or released as hereinafter provided. Such deposit may only be spent to ensure that the area for which the planting, cutting or management plan was approved by the State Forester shall be reforested in the manner hereinafter specified.
B. During the year following the date of payment of any judgment rendered in favor of the Commonwealth pursuant to subsection A of this section and at the season when forest tree seedlings are customarily planted in the section of the Commonwealth where the planting, cutting or management plan area is located, the State Forester shall plant, or cause to be planted, on the area, as many forest tree seedlings as he deems necessary to reforest the area adequately. The tree species used in reforesting the area may be the same as the pine species cut from the area, or the species may be a mixture suitable for reforesting the area, in the judgment of the State Forester.
C. If, upon inspection, the State Forester finds that the area for which the forest management plan was approved is covered with a growth of woody plants, sprouts, brush and briars of such a density as to retard or preclude the establishment and development of the planted tree seedlings, he may perform or cause to be performed forest cultural measures, such as bulldozing, disking, poisoning by spray, and similar measures, necessary to make the area suitable for the planting, establishment and development of tree seedlings.
D. The State Forester shall keep an accurate account of all costs involved, including reasonable administrative costs, and shall transfer such costs from the Forestry Operations Fund into the Department operating account for protection and development of the forest resources of the Commonwealth. If, after having complied with the reforestation provisions of this section, any money remains in the special account to the credit of any particular case, the unexpended balance shall be paid to the person against whom a judgment was rendered pursuant to the provisions of subsection A.
E. The expenditure by the State Forester for reforestation on any individual area as herein provided shall not exceed the amount of the judgment paid for the reforestation of such area.
1964, c. 235, § 10-83.01; 1972, c. 163; 1986, c. 567; 1988, c. 891; 1996, c. 285.