SECTIONS 4531-4540 - California Statutes

PUBLIC RESOURCES CODE

SECTION 4531-4540

4531. The board shall divide the state into not less than three
districts. In establishing these districts, the board shall take into
account differing physical characteristics, including, but not
limited to, climate, soil type, and principal forest crops. Insofar
as possible, the board shall group together lands that have
substantially similar characteristics and that will best be served by
substantially similar regulations. Boundaries of such districts may
be altered from time to time as the board determines is necessary.

4532. Each committee shall consist of nine members, and all shall
represent the general public interest.

4533. All members shall be appointed on the basis of their
educational and professional qualifications and their general
knowledge of, and interest and experience in, ecology, soil science,
watershed hydrology, range management, silviculture and forestry,
forest recreation, forest landscape architecture, forest products
manufacture, forest industry economics, or fish and wildlife habitat.

4534. Five members of the committee shall be selected from the
general public, three members shall be selected from the forest
products industry, and one member shall be selected from the range
livestock industry. At no time shall a majority of the members, nor
any of the members selected from the general public, be persons with
a direct personal financial interest, within the meaning of Section
1120 of the Government Code, in timberlands.

4536. The committees shall be continuing bodies, and vacancies
shall be filled in the same manner as original appointments are made.
An appointment to a vacancy on a committee occurring before the
expiration of a term shall be for the remainder of that term, and the
person appointed shall be appointed from the appropriate group for
the vacant seat.

4537. The committees shall meet at least once each year, in
January, and at other times as necessary. All meetings of the
committee shall be open to the public, and notice of such meetings
shall be provided 10 days in advance to any person who requests such
notice in writing; provided, that meetings may be held with 24-hour
notice when such meetings are necessary to discuss unforeseen
emergency conditions as may be provided by the board in regulations
adopted pertaining hereto.

4538. An employee of the department shall be designated by the
board to serve as secretary of each district committee and shall meet
with and take part in all deliberations of the committee, but shall
vote only in the case of a tie.

4539. The appointive members of the committee shall receive no
compensation for their services but shall be entitled to their actual
and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties.

4540. Each committee shall advise the board in the establishment of
district forest practice rules to govern timber operations on
timberlands within the district. In advising the board, the committee
shall not interfere with any of the powers and duties of the board.
The committees shall consult with, and carefully evaluate the
recommendations of, the department, concerned federal, state and
local agencies, educational institutions, civic and public interest
organizations, and private organizations and individuals. Each
committee shall seek an optimum of interagency cooperation in
identification of problems and proposing solutions.