Legislature advances Guam Forest System Plan, adds clause preserving existing jurisdiction

An unnamed senator in the 37th Guam Legislature moved on Dec. 13 to place Bill 363-37COR — which would adopt the Guam Forest System Plan under the Guam Forestry Legacy Act — on third reading after floor amendments, and the motion carried by voice vote.

The bill would adopt a multi‑agency Forest System Plan submitted Sept. 23, 2024, pursuant to the Guam Forestry Legacy Act (2012) and related provisions in Title 5, Chapter 63 of the Guam Code Annotated. Supporters told colleagues the plan includes an inventory of lands proposed for the forest system, with lot numbers, sizes and locations included in an attached exhibit A of about 100 pages.

The sponsor offered a single substantive amendment that adds language to make explicit that adopting the forest system plan is not intended to transfer authority or jurisdiction over listed properties. That amendment was approved with no objection on the floor. The sponsor then moved the bill, as amended, into the third‑reading file; that motion carried by voice vote with no objection recorded.

Lawmakers and the sponsor said the plan implements a decades‑old statutory directive for several agencies to prepare an inventory and proposals for conservation, recreation and education uses. The departments and entities referenced in floor remarks as having participated in preparing the plan included the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Land Management, the Bureau of Statistics and Plans, the Department of Parks and Recreation, the Chamorro Land Trust and the Guam Central Lands Commission. The sponsor emphasized the bill expressly preserves existing jurisdiction: agencies and mayors who presently manage properties listed in the inventory would retain authority and the Department of Agriculture must coordinate with the relevant jurisdictional authority and may enter memoranda of understanding before taking any action.

Floor remarks identified some named places in the inventory, including Cocos Island and a site referred to as "Santas Park," and listed other smaller areas said to be under Department of Agriculture priority for conservation work. The sponsor said the inventory — the central substantive product of the public hearing — also includes proposed maintenance and public‑access stipulations and that the plan promises not to close current public access where it already exists.

The bill text cited the statutory authority (article 5, chapter 63, title 5, Guam Code Annotated) that established the deadline and process for submission and review of the plan. The sponsor urged colleagues to review the exhibit A on the legislative drive for parcel‑level details before further floor action.

What happened next: the amendment clarifying nontransfer of jurisdiction was approved without objection; the main motion to place Bill 363-37COR, as amended, on third reading was then moved and carried by voice vote. No roll‑call vote or numeric tally was recorded in the transcript excerpt provided.

The bill remains in the legislative process pending third‑reading consideration and any subsequent floor votes.