2007 Minnesota Statutes

89A.07 MONITORING.
    Subdivision 1. Forest resource monitoring. The commissioner shall establish a program for
monitoring broad trends and conditions in the state's forest resources at statewide, landscape, and
site levels. The council shall provide oversight and program direction for the development and
implementation of the monitoring program. To the extent possible, the information generated
under the monitoring program must be reported in formats consistent with the landscape regions
used to accomplish the planning and coordination activities specified in section 89A.06. To the
extent possible, the program must incorporate data generated by existing resource monitoring
programs. The commissioner shall report to the council information on current conditions and
recent trends in the state's forest resources.
    Subd. 2. Practices and compliance monitoring. The commissioner shall establish a
program for monitoring silvicultural practices and application of the timber harvesting and
forest management guidelines at statewide, landscape, and site levels. The council shall provide
oversight and program direction for the development and implementation of the monitoring
program. To the extent possible, the information generated by the monitoring program must be
reported in formats consistent with the landscape regions used to accomplish the planning and
coordination activities specified in section 89A.06. The commissioner shall report to the council
on the nature and extent of silvicultural practices used, and compliance with the timber harvesting
and forest management guidelines.
    Subd. 3. Effectiveness monitoring. The commissioner, in cooperation with other research
and land management organizations, shall evaluate the effectiveness of practices to mitigate
impacts of timber harvesting and forest management activities on the state's forest resources. The
council shall provide oversight and program direction for the development and implementation of
this monitoring program. The commissioner shall report to the council on the effectiveness of
these practices.
    Subd. 4. Other studies and programs. The council shall monitor the implementation of
other programs, formal studies, and initiatives affecting Minnesota's forest resources.
    Subd. 5. Citizen concerns. The council shall facilitate the establishment of a process to
accept comments from the public on negligent timber harvesting or forest management practices.
History: 1995 c 220 s 84,141,142; 1995 c 263 s 12; 1996 c 351 s 1; 1999 c 231 s
120,121,191; 1Sp2001 c 2 s 151; 2002 c 379 art 1 s 108