36 C.F.R. § 230.4 State program administration.
Title 36 - Parks, Forests, and Public Property
(a) In each State participating in the Program, the Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with the State Forester, shall establish a State Forest Stewardship Coordinating Committee whose composition meets the requirements of section 19(b) of the Act. The Committee shall be chaired by the State Forester, or the designee thereof. (b) In each State participating in the Program, the Committee shall recommend to the State Forester for approval: (1) Stewardship Incentive Program needs within the State; (2) The minimum contiguous acreage of eligible nonindustrial private forest land, consistent with §230.5(c) of this subpart; (3) Those nationally approved practices that will be eligible for cost-share assistance within the State; (4) Those nationally approved technical practices and minimum specifications to be used in implementing practices; (5) The cost-share levels, by practice, which will encourage tree planting, maintenance, and improvement, and other high priority practices within the State that will result in multiple resource benefits: (6) The fixed rate or reimbursement or designated percentage of total cost for practice components; (7) The distribution mechanism for the allocation of cost-share funds within the State; (8) The assignment of technical responsibility, by type of Program practice, to the appropriate Service Representative; (9) Guidelines for establishing annual priorities for the approval of landowner applications; (10) The mechanisms for ensuring landowner compliance with practice specification; (11) The mechanisms to monitor State participation in the Program; and (12) Any adjustments in Program guideline, administration, or funding levels to better achieve Program objectives within the State. (c) The State Forester, after giving full consideration to the recommendations of the Committee, shall approve Program administration procedures as set forth in paragraph (b) of this section. In the event a Committee fails to make timely recommendations with regard to any matter listed in paragraph (b) of this section, the State Forester is authorized to approve administrative procedures for implementing the Program without further delay. (d) To participate in the Program, the State Forester, in consultation with the Committee, shall develop a State plan that shall provide baseline data on the forest resources of the State; outline threats to the forest resources of the State; describe economic and environmental opportunities that are linked with the forest resources of the State; address management problems, opportunities, and objectives associated with intermingled Federal, State, and private land ownership patterns within the State; and make planning recommendations for Federal, State, and local implementation of the Act. (1) The State Plan shall cover a 5-year period, identify management goals for nonindustrial private forest lands and set priorities for achieving the goals and objectives identified for the State for each year. (2) State Foresters may use existing resource inventories, landowner surveys, and other relevant planning data to develop the State plan. (3) State plans shall become effective upon approval by the Chief. (e) The State Forester shall administer the Program within the State and monitor the Programs to ensure that it is achieving desired results and shall ensure landowner compliance with practice installation specifications and maintenance of the practice. (f) Not more than 10 percent of a State allocation of funds may be used to finance State Program development and administration. The State Forester must obtain approval from the Regional Forester of the amount of the State's Program allocation to be used for State Program development and administration. (g) The percent of the State's Program allocation of funds that may be used to cost-share the development of Landowner Forest Stewardship plans will be determined pursuant to §230.3(e) of this subpart. The State Forester must obtain approval from the Regional Forester of the amount of the State's Program allocation to be used for Landowner Forest Stewardship Plan development (§230.7(a)(1) of this subpart). (h) The State Forester shall document and make available for public inspection all determinations made in consultation with the Committee.
Title 36: Parks, Forests, and Public Property
PART 230—STATE AND PRIVATE FORESTRY ASSISTANCE
Subpart A—Stewardship Incentive Program
§ 230.4 State program administration.
