Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter, a registered professional forester may in an emergency, on behalf of a timber owner or operator, file an “emergency notice” with the department that shall allow immediate commencement of timber operations. The emergency notice shall include a declaration, under penalty of perjury, that a bona fide emergency exists which requires immediate harvest activities, and that any applicable timber yield taxes will be paid pursuant to Section 38115 of the Revenue and Taxation Code. Those emergencies shall be defined by the board and may include, but are not limited to, the necessity to harvest to remove fire-killed or damaged timber or insect or disease-infested timber, or to undertake emergency repairs to roads.
(Amended by Stats. 1994, Ch. 746, Sec. 4. Effective September 22, 1994.)