(1) Annual evaluations. The department, after
consulting with affected state agencies, Indian tribes, forest landowners, fish
and wildlife, natural resources, and environmental interest groups, shall
report annually to the forest practices board. This reporting will be an
assessment of how the rules and voluntary processes, including the Cultural
Resources Protection and Management Plan, as committed in the 1999
Forests and Fish Report, Appendix O (O.3), are working.
(2) Adaptive management program. The adaptive
management program will be used to determine the effectiveness of forest
practices rules in aiding the state's salmon recovery effort and provide
recommendations to the board on proposed changes to forest practices rules to
meet timber industry viability and salmon recovery. The program provides
assurances that rules and guidance not meeting aquatic resource objectives will
be modified in a streamlined and timely manner. The board may also use this
program to adjust other forest practices rules and guidance in order to further
the purposes of
chapter
76.09 RCW. The specific
components of the adaptive management program are set forth in WAC
222-12-045.
(3) Resource management plans. The department
is directed to develop a method for cooperative voluntary resource management
planning among forest landowners, governmental agencies, affected Indian
tribes, and environmental groups which would result in the development of plans
which might be used as an alternative to the forest practices rules in
achieving the purposes and policies set forth in the act. This should be done
through pilot projects, at least one of which should be located on the east
side of the Cascade summit and one on the west side of the Cascade
summit.
(4) Compliance monitoring.
The department shall conduct compliance monitoring that addresses the following
key question: "Are forest practices being conducted in compliance with the
rules?" The department shall provide statistically sound, biennial compliance
audits and monitoring reports to the board for consideration and support of
rule and guidance analysis. Compliance monitoring shall determine whether
forest practices rules are being implemented on the ground. An infrastructure
to support compliance will include adequate compliance monitoring, enforcement,
training, education and budget.
