(1) With the advice and assistance of the advisory committee established under ORS § 477.556, and subject to the review of the State Board of Forestry, the State Forester shall adopt and implement programs for meeting the objectives set forth in ORS § 477.013 and 477.552 to 477.562. The programs shall include:

(a) Collection, analysis and distribution of information regarding prescribed burning and other alternative fuel management techniques;

(b) Assistance to landowners wanting to evaluate alternative burning and nonburning fuel management strategies and the collection of data regarding fuel conditions existing before and after treatment;

(c) Aerial monitoring of prescribed burning activity;

(d) Distribution of information to the Department of Environmental Quality on progress toward meeting federal and state air quality standards;

(e) Establishment of a system to track forest burning on a geographically specific basis; and

(f) Collection, analysis and distribution of information regarding emissions from wildfires for comparison with prescribed burning.

(2) The programs shall be administered by the State Forestry Department. [1989 c.920 § 3; 1997 c.274 § 50; 2007 c.213 § 2]