Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter, a registered professional forester may in an emergency, on behalf of a timber owner or operator, file an “emergency notice” with the department that shall allow immediate commencement of timber operations. The emergency notice shall include a declaration, under penalty of perjury, that a bona fide emergency exists which requires immediate harvest activities, and that any applicable timber yield taxes will be paid pursuant to § 38115 of the Revenue and Taxation Code. Those emergencies shall be defined by the board and may include, but are not limited to, the necessity to harvest to remove fire-killed or damaged timber or insect or disease-infested timber, or to undertake emergency repairs to roads.

(Amended by Stats. 1994, Ch. 746, Sec. 4. Effective September 22, 1994.)