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Board of Forestry seeks statutory fee-range increases as membership falls; lawmakers ask about workforce implications
Summary
The Board of Forestry described a long-running decline in registered professional foresters, presented a trailer-bill request to raise statutory fee ranges and discussed workforce outreach; lawmakers asked about training pipelines and whether fee changes would deter entrants.
Dan Stapleton, assistant executive officer for Foresters Licensing at the Board of Forestry, briefed the subcommittee on the state27s registered professional foresters (RPF) program and a trailer-bill request to expand statutory fee ranges so the board can set fees that cover program costs.
Stapleton said the program predates the Forest Practice Act and that the state now manages fewer than 1,100 registered foresters, a decline from more than 2,000 at earlier peaks. The RPF fund is a special fund supported by application and renewal fees; Stapleton said the board increased fees by about 84% in 2019 but still required a further $70 increase this year and needs statutory authority to adjust certain application fees.
He also described the entry requirements for professional licensure: seven years of qualifying forestry work experience (or a combination of education and work) and an apprenticeship requirement for engineers who later become eligible for captain-like roles on projects. Members asked whether fee levels deter new entrants; Stapleton said candidates are generally committed to the long training path and that fee increases are not the primary barrier.
Committee members asked the board to consider indexing the fee cap to a cost-of-living measure; the Department of Finance had no immediate objection. Members also raised a possible workforce shortage concern because fuel-reduction and landscape-scale projects typically must be designed or supervised by licensed foresters under current law. Stapleton said that projects on "forested landscapes" require an RPF and that shortages could affect the pace of operations.
Ending: The subcommittee asked the Board of Forestry and the administration to consider indexing authority and to provide additional information on workforce pipelines and how fee revenue and program costs would be balanced.
