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AB 442

Z'berg-Nejedly Forest Practice Act of 1973: working forest management plans: nonindustrial timber management plans.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Heather Hadwick and 1 co-sponsor

AB 442 broadens harvest areas beyond hydrologic boundaries for working forest plans and creates a CEQA exemption for prescribed fire and thinning in communities with a single evacu

In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.
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Bill Summary · AB 442

AB 442 — Summary (Hadwick)

Title: Z’berg–Nejedly Forest Practice Act of 1973: working forest management plans: harvest area; CEQA exemption for specified fuel-reduction projects
Introduced: February 6, 2025. Status: Re‑referred to Assembly Committee on Natural Resources (last action April 22, 2025).

Purpose / Intent

AB 442 makes two substantive changes to state law to facilitate certain forest and fuel‑reduction activities:
1. Removes a geographic limitation on the harvest area for approved working forest management plans under the Z’berg–Nejedly Forest Practice Act of 1973, allowing the harvest area to cross previously required hydrologic boundaries.
2. Adds a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) exemption for prescribed fire, thinning, or fuel‑reduction projects conducted within communities that have a single ingress/egress evacuation route.

The overall intent is to streamline planning and implementation of forest management and fuel‑reduction activities, particularly in vulnerable communities.

Key provisions

  • Public Resources Code §4597.1 (definition section for working forest plans)

    • Deletes the requirement that the harvest area of a working forest management plan “must be contained within a single hydrologic area” as defined by the State Water Resources Control Board’s CalWater 2.2.
    • All other definitions of “working forest management plan,” “working forest landowner,” acreage limits (plan covers no more than 10,000 acres), etc., remain unchanged.

  • Adds Public Resources Code §21080.52

    • Establishes that CEQA does not apply to prescribed fire, thinning, or fuel‑reduction projects undertaken within a community that has a single ingress and egress evacuation route.
    • Because the lead agency must determine applicability of this exemption, the bill is identified as imposing a state‑mandated local program.

  • Fiscal note / reimbursement

    • Bill digest indicates no appropriation; the bill states no state reimbursement is required under Article XIII B, Section 6 of the California Constitution because local agencies can levy fees/charges (per Gov. Code §17556).

Who is affected

  • Working forest landowners (owners of timberland <10,000 acres with approved working forest management plans) — may be able to plan harvests that cross hydrologic boundaries.
  • Local lead agencies and permitting authorities — must decide if the CEQA exemption applies for projects in single‑ingress/egress communities.
  • Residents of communities with limited evacuation routes — may see faster implementation of fuel‑reduction projects.
  • Environmental and water‑quality oversight interests — changes to hydrologic containment could alter watershed planning and review processes.

Potential impacts and considerations

  • Implementation may accelerate prescribed fire and thinning projects in isolated communities, potentially reducing wildfire risk and improving evacuation safety.
  • Removing the hydrologic‑area constraint could allow larger or more geographically distributed harvest planning, which may complicate watershed-based analyses for water quality, erosion, and aquatic habitat protection.
  • The CEQA exemption narrows environmental review for certain projects; the practical effect will depend on how lead agencies interpret and apply the exemption.
  • The bill creates a state‑mandated local determination requirement but claims no constitutional reimbursement is required.

Procedural timeline

  • Feb 6, 2025: Introduced and read first time.
  • Feb 18, 2025: Referred to Assembly Committee on Natural Resources.
  • Apr 21, 2025: Amended and read second time; re‑referred to Committee on Natural Resources.
  • Apr 22, 2025: Re‑referred to Committee on Natural Resources (current status).

Vote threshold: Majority. Fiscal committee review required; bill indicates no appropriation.

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

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