HF 4872 Summary

• Establishes the Lowland Conifer Carbon Reserve to mitigate climate change and protect ecologically unique areas, including all lowland conifer stands (black spruce, tamarack, and white cedar) in the state forest system.

• Restricts timber harvesting in the reserve to stands less than 90 years of age that are accessible to heavy logging equipment, and prohibits all peat harvesting in the reserve.

• Requires the commissioner to designate reserve areas by January 1, 2023; prepare maps and legal descriptions by July 1, 2023; and submit reports by January 1, 2024 identifying carbon sequestration in trees and peat, productive stands, and harvest history.

• Modifies the prioritization of positive general fund balance allocations to include compensation for permanent school fund lands within the reserve at $500 per acre (or negotiated rate for commercial value lands).

• Appropriates unspecified funding in fiscal year 2023 from the general fund to the commissioner of natural resources for reserve implementation, available until June 30, 2025.