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H 3629

Forestry Commission

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Travis Moore

Empowers SC Forestry Commission to acquire land at appraised value and directs revenue to fund state forests and fire protection, boosting land management and fire response.

Act No. 107
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Bill Summary · H 3629

Summary — H 3629 (titled "Forestry Commission")

Bill number: H 3629
Title: Forestry Commission
Introduced / Prefiled: 12/12/2024 (prefiled); multiple filings Jan–Feb 2025; reported favorably by committee 2025-09-08 and referred to House Ways & Means.
Current status (per provided actions): Reported favorably and under House Ways & Means; hearings held/rescheduled in June 2025.
Note: The provided bill text contains two different items (a short Massachusetts trucking-permit amendment and a longer package of amendments to the South Carolina Code related to forestry). This summary focuses on the forestry-related provisions (South Carolina Code changes), and flags the transportation language as an apparent unrelated insertion.

Purpose / intent
- Update and modernize statutory authority, funding use, board duties, and fire‑protection procedures for the State Commission of Forestry and county forestry boards.
- Clarify permitted uses of revenue from Commission lands and streamline certain administrative authorities related to forest fire protection and land acquisition.

Key provisions (section-by-section, as reflected in the text)
- Amend §48-23-120 (Commission land acquisitions)
- Changes the acquisition-price language: replaces a fixed per‑acre price cap language (average not to exceed $5/acre and not above $10/acre) with authority to acquire lands at their current appraised value. Uses remain timber production, demonstration, erosion/flood prevention, game sanctuaries, public shooting grounds, and general recreation.

  • Amend §48-23-132 (use of revenues from Commission lands)

    • Clarifies that revenue from hunting privileges, rentals, fuelwood, pine straw, merchantable timber, tree seed, and miscellaneous products (excluding Sand Hills State Forest) is to be retained by the Commission and used for:
    • Reforestation of Manchester State Forest (modernized to “state forests” in later drafts)
    • Development and operation of state forests and tree seed orchards
    • Maintenance of wildlife habitat
    • Administration and operation of Commission programs on Commission holdings
    • Permits carrying forward unexpended funds for these purposes.

  • Amend §48-33-60 (county forestry boards)

    • Specifies county boards’ role: assist in administering the chapter, review/revise/adopt the annual forest-fire protection plan.
    • Provides that county rangers, fire wardens, towermen and other county forestry protection officers are employed/retained/dismissed only with the county forestry board’s consent.
    • Requires those county officers to be residents of the county in which they serve.

  • Amend §48-33-70 (forest fire protection planning)

    • Requires the State Commission of Forestry to prepare a forest fire protection plan for each county and to present an update on forest fire protection activities at the county board’s July annual meeting.
    • Confirms Commission authority to make and enforce rules for forest fire protection.

  • Amend §48-33-80 (access to property to prevent/control fires)

    • Authorizes the State Commission of Forestry, authorized agents, and any member of a county forestry board to enter any land at any time for purposes of preventing or controlling forest fires, without incurring trespass liability.

  • Repeals §48-23-270 and §48-23-280

    • These repeals remove statutory earmarks that previously directed use of certain revenues for scrub oak eradication, reforestation, timber stand improvement, and harvest cutting in state parks and specific forests (Manchester and Sandhills).

Effective date
- The act (as drafted in the provided text) takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

Who is affected / potential impacts
- State Commission of Forestry: greater flexibility to purchase lands at appraised value; clarified revenue uses and ability to carry funds forward.
- County forestry boards and local forestry personnel: clarified duties, hiring authority, residency requirement, and strengthened role in fire‑protection planning.
- Private landowners and the public: statutory authorization for Commission staff/agents and county board members to enter private lands for fire prevention/control without trespass liability may affect property‑access expectations and emergency response.
- State forest management and habitat programs: funding uses broadened/clarified; removal of narrow revenue earmarks (scrub oak programs) shifts discretion to Commission/state forests generally.

Procedural notes and anomalies
- The text includes an unrelated Massachusetts provision (amendment to chapter 90, §19A) permitting trucks with combined trailer weight up to 99,000 pounds to travel on a public way with a permit. That provision appears to be from a different bill and is not part of the South Carolina Code amendments.
- Legislative actions supplied indicate committee activity, hearings, amendments, and that a related HD 3631 replaces this filing in part; readers should consult the official legislative docket for the final enrolled language and current status.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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