The definitions in this section apply throughout RCW 79.15.500 through 79.15.530 and 79.15.540 unless the context clearly requires otherwise.

(1) "Commissioner" means the commissioner of public lands.

(2) "Contract harvesting" means a timber operation occurring on state forestlands, in which the department contracts with a firm or individual to perform all the necessary harvesting work to process trees into logs sorted by department specifications. The department then sells the individual log sorts.

(3) "Department" means the department of natural resources.

(4) "Harvesting costs" are those expenses related to the production of log sorts from a stand of timber. These expenses typically involve road building, labor for felling, bucking, and yarding, as well as the transporting of sorted logs to the forest product purchasers.

(5) "Net proceeds" means gross proceeds from a contract harvesting sale less harvesting costs.

(6) "Silvicultural treatment" means any vegetative or other treatment applied to a managed forest to improve the conditions of the stand, and may include harvesting, thinning, prescribed burning, and pruning.

Effective date—2004 c 218: See note following RCW 76.06.140.

Findings—2003 c 313: "The legislature finds that it is in the best interest of the trust beneficiaries to capture additional revenues while providing for additional environmental protection on timber sales. Further, the legislature finds that contract harvesting is one method to achieve these desired outcomes. Therefore, the legislature directs the department of natural resources to establish and implement contract harvesting where there exists the ability to increase revenues for the beneficiaries of the trusts while obtaining increases in environmental protection." [ 2003 c 313 s 1.]

Severability—2003 c 313: "If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected." [ 2003 c 313 s 15.]