(1) Pursuant to a request by the State Forester:

Terms Used In Oregon Statutes 526.310

  • Forester: means the State Forester or the authorized representative of the forester. See Oregon Statutes 526.005
  • Forestland: means any woodland, brushland, timberland, grazing land or clearing that, during any time of the year, contains enough forest growth, slashing or vegetation to constitute, in the judgment of the forester, a fire hazard, regardless of how the land is zoned or taxed. See Oregon Statutes 526.005
  • Joint committee: Committees including membership from both houses of teh legislature. Joint committees are usually established with narrow jurisdictions and normally lack authority to report legislation.

(a) The governing body of a county may establish a forestland classification committee of six persons, of whom one shall be appointed by the State Forester, one by the Director of the Oregon State University Extension Service, one by the State Fire Marshal and three by the governing body. Of the members appointed by the governing body, one must be an owner of forestland or the representative of an owner of forestland, and, if the land to be investigated and studied by the committee includes or is expected to include grazing land, one must be an owner of grazing land or the representative of an owner of grazing land; or

(b) The governing bodies of two or more counties may, by written agreement, establish a joint forestland classification committee. One member of a joint committee shall be appointed by the State Forester, one by the Director of the Oregon State University Extension Service and one by the State Fire Marshal. The governing body of each participating county shall appoint two members. Of the members appointed by a governing body to a joint committee, one must be an owner of forestland or the representative of an owner of forestland.

(2) Each appointing authority shall file with the State Forester the name of its appointee or appointees, and the persons so named shall constitute the committee. Unless otherwise provided for by the appointing authority, members of the committee shall serve a term of four years and may be reappointed to any number of terms. Each member of the committee at all times is subject to replacement by the appointing authority, effective upon the filing with the State Forester by that authority of written notice of the name of the new appointee.

(3) The committee shall elect from among its members a chair and a secretary and may elect other officers as it finds advisable. It shall adopt rules governing its organization and proceedings and the performance of its duties, and shall keep written minutes of all its meetings.

(4)(a) The governing body of a county may provide for the committee and its members such accommodations and supplies and such county funds not otherwise appropriated as the governing body finds necessary for the proper performance of the committee’s functions.

(b) The forester may provide for the committee and its members such accommodations and supplies and such forest protection district funds as the forester finds necessary for the proper performance of the committee’s functions.

(5) The members of the committee shall receive no compensation for their services but a governing body or a forest protection district may reimburse them for their actual and necessary travel and other expenses incurred in the performance of their duties. [Amended by 1965 c.253 § 34; 1967 c.429 § 30; 1997 c.274 § 42; 2009 c.69 § 4; 2013 c.148 § 1]