Wisconsin Administrative Code › Department of Natural Resources › NR 1-99 - Fish, Game and Enforcement, Forestry and Recreation › Chapter NR 1 - Natural Resources Board Policies › Section NR 1.26 - Contracting with cooperating foresters for timber sale establishment

Current through June 24, 2024
(1) PURPOSE. The
				department may contract with private cooperating foresters to assist the state
				in the harvesting and sale of timber from state forest lands to meet the annual
				allowable timber harvest established under s.
				28.025,
				Stats.
(2) DEFINITION. "Cooperating
				forester" has the meaning given in s.
				NR 1.21(2)
				(b).
(3) CONTRACTED TASKS. Tasks included in
				cooperating forester contracts for state land timber harvests may include
				updating of forest reconnaissance, marking of trees and harvest boundaries,
				estimating volume, preparing maps, recommending timber sale contract terms or
				operational specifications, providing data on cutting notices and reports,
				scaling cut products, and inspecting active harvests. The department shall
				determine which of these services are appropriate to contract for on individual
				timber sales.
(4) DEPARTMENT TASKS.
				The department shall select areas to harvest, determine silvicultural harvest
				systems to be applied, and define any additional timber sale procedures or
				precautions necessary to achieve objectives in approved master plans or other
				department policies. The department shall review and approve cutting notices
				and reports, prepare contracts, advertise for timber sale bids, award sales,
				receive stumpage payments and performance bonds, and administer timber sale
				contracts. The department shall monitor the performance of cooperating
				foresters contracting on state forest timber harvests for quality of service
				and conformance to department standards.
(5) BIDS FOR SERVICES AND PAYMENTS TO
				COOPERATING FORESTERS. Cooperating foresters shall be compensated at the
				department's choice of a rate per hour, acre or project established by bids.
				When a need for timber sale assistance is identified, the department shall
				issue a request for bids to cooperating foresters serving the area. Bids shall
				include labor, travel, equipment and any supplies such as marking paint not
				identified as being provided by the department that a contractor would need to
				do the work. Timber sale assistance contract awards shall be determined on
				price alone unless additional evaluation criteria such as specialized training
				or experience are included in the request for bids.
(6) METHOD TO ALLOT TIMBER SALE REVENUE. As
				provided in s.
				28.05,
				Stats., payments to cooperating foresters for timber harvesting and selling
				assistance on state-owned land shall be paid from an allocation of timber sale
				proceeds. The department of natural resources shall make periodic requests to
				the department of administration for allocations of funding to the cooperating
				foresters appropriation, s.
				20.370(2)
				(cy), Stats. The size of the requested
				allocation shall be based on outstanding purchase requisitions for the
				contracted timber harvest assistance. The appropriation shall be split-funded
				with the proportionate splits coming from the administrative function accounts
				where the timber sale revenues are deposited.