Appendix F - Professional Forester Law

El Dorado County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP)
 
 

In California, those tasks involving the practice of forestry on non-federal lands require the use of a Registered Professional Forester (RPF). Specifically, under Public Resources Code (PRC), §766:

"On and after July 1, 1973, it shall be unlawful for any person to act in the capacity of, or to use the title of, a professional forester without being registered pursuant to this article..." (emphasis added)

Under Public Resources Code (PRC), §752:

" 'Professional forester,' as used in this article, means a person who, by reason of his or her knowledge of the natural sciences, mathematics, and the principles of forestry, acquired by forestry education and experience, performs services, including, but not limited to, consultation, investigation, evaluation, planning, or responsible supervision of forestry activities when those professional services require the application of forestry principles and techniques."

Under the California Code of Regulations (CCR) §1602, the definition of a "professional forester":

"...refers to any person who is working in a responsible position as an individual or through the supervision of others, and performs services on forested landscapes applicable to 'forestry' as defined in PRC, Section 753 and clarified herein. Forestry requires specific knowledge of forestry principles for providing advice to, or management for, employers, clients, or others, through consultation; through conduct of investigations in forestry matters which have potential environmental effects, or are for site-specific purposes; through evaluation of forest properties; and through the planning or execution of forest programs, management, operations, and/or treatment." (emphasis added)

In this context, "forestry" is defined as:

"...the science and practice of managing forested landscapes and the treatment of the forest cover in general, and includes, among other things, the application of scientific knowledge and forestry principles in the fields of fuels management and forest protection, timber growing and utilization, forest inventories, forest economics, forest valuation and finance, and the evaluation and mitigation of impacts from forestry activities on watershed and scenic values..." (PRC §753)

Finally, "forested landscapes" are defined as:

"...those tree dominated landscapes and their associated vegetation types on which there is growing a significant stand of tree species, or which are naturally capable of growing a significant stand of native trees in perpetuity, and is not otherwise devoted to nonforestry commercial, urban, or farming uses." (PRC §754)

In the context of "forested landscape," consider that this definition would encompass all tree species, and is not limited to "commercial" species as referenced in the definition of "timberland" under PRC §4526.