HB 2695 Summary

• Establishes the Oklahoma Resource Reclamation Act to manage unoccupied private lands infested with Eastern Red Cedar trees and reduce wildfire risk on property with 80% or more tree/vegetation coverage.

• Requires private absentee landowners to manage and remove infestation; failure results in city/county/state removal at the landowner's expense with reimbursement agreements required.

• Authorizes use of inmate labor under the Prisoners Public Works Act to harvest Eastern Red Cedar trees on private property deemed a public purpose.

• Creates an in lieu tax option of $1 per acre for landowners with qualifying Eastern Red Cedar property actively removing cedar; eliminates eligibility for certain manufacturing exemptions while under this tax treatment.

• Requires the Department of Central Services Purchasing Division to register manufacturers of products made from Oklahoma-harvested trees and extend procurement preferences to such products by November 1, 2012.