Indiana 2025 Regular Session

Indiana House Bill HB1661 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2	Introduced Version
3	3	HOUSE BILL No. 1661
4	4	_____
5	5	DIGEST OF INTRODUCED BILL
6	6	Citations Affected: IC 14-23; IC 15-11-9.
7	7	Synopsis: Healthy forests and hardwoods expansion. Requires the
8	8	department of natural resources to create the landowner forest
9	9	management program. Requires the Indiana state department of
10	10	agriculture to: (1) conduct an inventory of all forest land lost in Indiana
11	11	from 2010 to 2024; and (2) conduct an economic impact study based
12	12	on the findings of the lost forest land report. Makes an appropriation.
13	13	Effective: July 1, 2025.
14	14	Baird
15	15	January 21, 2025, read first time and referred to Committee on Natural Resources.
16	16	2025 IN 1661—LS 7662/DI 150 Introduced
17	17	First Regular Session of the 124th General Assembly (2025)
18	18	PRINTING CODE. Amendments: Whenever an existing statute (or a section of the Indiana
19	19	Constitution) is being amended, the text of the existing provision will appear in this style type,
20	20	additions will appear in this style type, and deletions will appear in this style type.
21	21	Additions: Whenever a new statutory provision is being enacted (or a new constitutional
22	22	provision adopted), the text of the new provision will appear in this style type. Also, the
23	23	word NEW will appear in that style type in the introductory clause of each SECTION that adds
24	24	a new provision to the Indiana Code or the Indiana Constitution.
25	25	Conflict reconciliation: Text in a statute in this style type or this style type reconciles conflicts
26	26	between statutes enacted by the 2024 Regular Session of the General Assembly.
27	27	HOUSE BILL No. 1661
28	28	A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning
29	29	natural and cultural resources and to make an appropriation.
30	30	Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana:
31	31	1 SECTION 1. IC 14-23-1-1 IS AMENDED TO READ AS
32	32	2 FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 1. The department shall
33	33	3 do the following:
34	34	4 (1) Have the care, custody, and control of the forest land owned
35	35	5 by the state, exclusive of state parks.
36	36	6 (2) Adopt necessary rules to properly enforce this chapter.
37	37	7 (3) Establish, operate, and maintain nurseries for the production
38	38	8 of trees to be used in reforestation. The trees may be:
39	39	9 (A) used to reforest land owned by the state;
40	40	10 (B) supplied to owners of private land at a price not exceeding
41	41	11 cost of production; or
42	42	12 (C) used for planting on public roads or land under the terms
43	43	13 that are considered by the department to be for the public
44	44	14 benefit.
45	45	15 (4) Prepare, print, post, or distribute printed matter relating to
46	46	16 forestry.
47	47	17 (5) Make investigations or experiments with regard to forestry
48	48	2025 IN 1661—LS 7662/DI 150 2
49	49	1 questions.
50	50	2 (6) Subject to the approval of the governor, purchase land and
51	51	3 forests. For the purpose of acquiring land and forests, the
52	52	4 commission may exercise the right of eminent domain in the
53	53	5 manner provided in IC 14-17-3.
54	54	6 (7) Receive and accept, in the name of the people of Indiana, by
55	55	7 gift or devise, the fee or other estate in land or forests.
56	56	8 (8) Examine the forest land owned by the state or by a state
57	57	9 institution for the purpose of advising and cooperating in securing
58	58	10 proper forest management of the land.
59	59	11 (9) Employ, with approval of the authorities having control of the
60	60	12 state penal institutions, convicts committed to a penal institution
61	61	13 for the purpose of producing or planting trees, building roads, or
62	62	14 doing other work in the forests and in clearing, draining, or
63	63	15 developing land purchased or acquired by the state for forestry
64	64	16 purposes.
65	65	17 (10) Propagate trees and shrubs for state institutions or for
66	66	18 planting along highways. A common carrier may transport trees
67	67	19 or shrubs grown by the state at a rate less than the established
68	68	20 tariff to and from points within Indiana.
69	69	21 (11) Have the custody of all abstracts of title, papers, contracts, or
70	70	22 related memoranda, except original deeds to the state, for land
71	71	23 purchased or received under this section.
72	72	24 (12) Examine private forest land:
73	73	25 (A) upon request of; and
74	74	26 (B) at the expense of;
75	75	27 the owner for the purpose of advising the owner on the proper
76	76	28 methods of forest management.
77	77	29 (13) Develop and implement a landowner forest management
78	78	30 program.
79	79	31 SECTION 2. IC 14-23-3-4 IS AMENDED TO READ AS
80	80	32 FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 4. The department shall
81	81	33 expend the fund for the following:
82	82	34 (1) The purchase, supervision, and development of state forests
83	83	35 and state forest land.
84	84	36 (2) The growing and distribution of forest tree seedlings for state
85	85	37 and private forest planting.
86	86	38 (3) The organized prevention, detection, control, and suppression
87	87	39 of forest fires in the forests, woodlands, and plantations within
88	88	40 Indiana.
89	89	41 (4) The providing of forestry assistance to farmers and private
90	90	42 forest landowners for the purpose of providing for the better
91	91	2025 IN 1661—LS 7662/DI 150 3
92	92	1 protection, management, development, and utilization of forest
93	93	2 products and forests located in Indiana.
94	94	3 (5) The development and implementation of the landowner
95	95	4 forest management program.
96	96	5 SECTION 3. IC 14-23-10 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE
97	97	6 AS A NEW CHAPTER TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
98	98	7 JULY 1, 2025]:
99	99	8 Chapter 10. Landowner Forest Management Program
100	100	9 Sec. 1. (a) The department shall create a landowner forest
101	101	10 management program that does the following:
102	102	11 (1) Educates landowners on forest management best practices.
103	103	12 (2) Provides training for landowners on forest management
104	104	13 best practices.
105	105	14 (3) Educates landowners on common types of invasive species
106	106	15 in Indiana forests.
107	107	16 (4) Provides training for landowners on how to mitigate
108	108	17 invasive species.
109	109	18 (5) Provides landowners with grants to mitigate invasive
110	110	19 species on private forest land.
111	111	20 (b) To apply for a grant under subsection (a), a person must
112	112	21 submit all information and documentation required by the
113	113	22 department.
114	114	23 Sec. 2. Expenses for the landowner forest management program
115	115	24 shall be paid from the state forestry fund established by
116	116	25 IC 14-23-3-2.
117	117	26 Sec. 3. The department shall adopt rules under IC 4-22-2 to
118	118	27 implement this chapter.
119	119	28 SECTION 4. IC 15-11-9-2.3 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE
120	120	29 AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY
121	121	30 1, 2025]: Sec. 2.3. (a) The department shall:
122	122	31 (1) conduct an inventory of all forest land lost in Indiana from
123	123	32 2010 to 2024; and
124	124	33 (2) identify the primary cause of the reduction of forest land
125	125	34 under subdivision (1).
126	126	35 (b) The department shall issue a report to the legislative council
127	127	36 containing the department's findings and recommendations,
128	128	37 including any recommended legislation, in an electronic format
129	129	38 under IC 5-14-6 not later than July 1, 2026.
130	130	39 (c) This section expires June 30, 2027.
131	131	40 SECTION 5. IC 15-11-9-2.4 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE
132	132	41 AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY
133	133	42 1, 2025]: Sec. 2.4. (a) The department shall conduct an economic
134	134	2025 IN 1661—LS 7662/DI 150 4
135	135	1 impact study based on the findings of the lost forest land report
136	136	2 described in section 2.3 of this chapter.
137	137	3 (b) The economic impact study must include:
138	138	4 (1) an analysis of the economic value to communities based on
139	139	5 every acre of forest land; and
140	140	6 (2) an assessment of economic development assistance for the
141	141	7 Indiana hardwood industry.
142	142	8 (c) The department shall issue a report to the legislative council
143	143	9 containing the department's findings and recommendations in the
144	144	10 economic impact study, including any recommended legislation, in
145	145	11 an electronic format under IC 5-14-6 not later than July 1, 2027.
146	146	12 (d) This section expires June 30, 2028.
147	147	13 SECTION 6. [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2025] (a) There is
148	148	14 appropriated to the state forestry fund established by IC 14-23-3-2
149	149	15 for the biennium beginning July 1, 2025, and ending June 30, 2027,
150	150	16 four million dollars ($4,000,000) from the state general fund for the
151	151	17 purpose of creating and operating the landowner forest
152	152	18 management program.
153	153	19 (b) This SECTION expires July 1, 2026.
154	154	2025 IN 1661—LS 7662/DI 150