STATE FOREST PRACTICE REGULATORY PROGRAMS - AN APPROACH TO IMPLEMENTING ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT ON PRIVATE FOREST LANDS IN THE UNITED-STATES

Implemented in the context of a long history of intense public debate, forestry practices applied on private forest land are regulated in so me form by 38 stales. State regulatory activities can involve many age ncies implementing numerous regulatory laws, a single forestry agency administering a comprehensive regulatory prog ram, or a combination of the two. Regulatory programs are designed to protect resources such a s soils, water, wildlife, and scenic beauty. Program administration of ten involves rule promulgation, harvest plan reviews, coordination of interagency reviews, and pre- and postharvest on-site inspections. For est practice rules usually focus on reforestation, forest roads, harve st procedures, and wildlife habitat protection. Emerging regulatory tr ends include growth of multiagency regulatory authority and associated jurisdictional conflicts, increased tendencies to narrowly specify st andards in statutes and rules, emergence of contingent regulations, gr owing sensitivity to processes enabling the adoption of new forest pra ctice technologies and an ability to address cumulative effects, inter est in collaborative rule-making stemming from heightened concern over legalization of administration processes, and growing concern over th e constitutional foundations for regulatory programs and the governmen t and private sector cost of implementing such programs.