California Regulatory Notice Register — Register 2026, No. 28-Z (JULY 10, 2026)

Cal. Reg. Notice Reg. 2026, No. 28

California Z Register

Time- Dated Material GAVIN NEWSOM, GOVERNOR OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATIVE LAW California Regulatory Notice Register REGISTER 2026, NUMBER 28–Z PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY THE OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JULY 10, 2026 PROPOSED ACTION ON REGULATIONS TITLE 14. BOARD OF FORESTRY AND FIRE PROTECTION Silviculture Amendments 2026 — Notice File Number Z2026–0630–01 ..................................... 881 TITLE 14.

BOARD OF FORESTRY AND FIRE PROTECTION Points of Light: Minor Rule Updates for Clarity and Consistency 2025 — Notice File Number Z2026–0630–04 ................................................................................. 886 TITLE 14. BOARD OF FORESTRY AND FIRE PROTECTION Noticing Processes and Rules Specific to the Southern Subdistrict and Santa Cruz County, 2026 — Notice File Number Z2026–0630–06 ................................................................. 890 TITLE 15.

CORRECTIONAL TRAINING AND REHABILITATION AUTHORITY Conflict–of–Interest Code — Notice File Number Z2026–0619–02 ......................................... 894 TITLE 16. BOARD OF REGISTERED NURSING Nurse Practitioner — Notice File Number Z2026–0626–01 ............................................... 895 TITLE 16. BUREAU OF AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR Airbag Safety — Notice File Number Z2026–0624–03 ................................................... 898 TITLE 16. ARCHITECTS BOARD Architect in Training — Notice File Number Z2026–0629–02 ............................................. 902 TITLE 19.

OFFICE OF ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE SAFETY/UNDERGROUND FACILITIES SAFE EXCA V ATION BOARD Regional Notification Center Membership Termination — Notice File Number Z2026–0630–05 .................. 905 (Continued on next page)

GENERAL PUBLIC INTEREST FISH AND GAME COMMISSION Notice of Findings of Candidacy for Southern Resident Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) ........................... 908 RULEMAKING PETITION DECISIONS DEPARTMENT OF FINANCIAL PROTECTION AND INNOV ATION Regarding Petition from Keith Paul Bishop Concerning Licensed Lenders ................................... 908 DEPARTMENT OF FINANCIAL PROTECTION AND INNOV ATION Regarding Petition from Keith Paul Bishop Concerning Updating and Correcting References ................... 909 DEPARTMENT OF FINANCIAL PROTECTION AND INNOV ATION Regarding Petition from Keith Paul Bishop to Amend Title 10,

Section 260.204.7, of the California Code of Regulations .............................................................................. 910 DEPARTMENT OF FINANCIAL PROTECTION AND INNOV ATION Regarding Petition from Keith Paul Bishop Concerning Repealing Title 10,

section 260.105.35 of the California Code of Regulations ..................................................................... 910 DEPARTMENT OF FINANCIAL PROTECTION AND INNOV ATION Regarding Petition from Keith Paul Bishop Concerning Petition to Amend Title 10 of the California Code of Regulations, Sections 250.60 and 250.61 ....................................................... 910 DECISION NOT TO PROCEED STATE PERSONNEL BOARD Concerning Discrimination Complaint Process, Original Notice Published on July 18, 2025 .................... 912 ACCEPTANCE OF PETITION TO REVIEW ALLEGED UNDERGROUND REGULATIONS EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES AUTHORITY Petition Challenging an Undated Two–Page Document Titled “Levels of Exclusivity for Scope of Operations of ‘Emergency Ambulance Services’” and “Ambulance Service Scope of Operation

Definitions” Issued by the Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) ................................... 913

SUMMARY OF REGULATORY ACTIONS Regulations filed with Secretary of State .............................................................. 913 The California Regulatory Notice Register is an official state publication of the Office of Administrative Law containing notices of proposed regulatory actions by state regulatory agencies to adopt, amend or repeal regulations contained in the California Code of Regulations. The effective period of a notice of proposed regulatory action by a state agency in the California Regulatory Notice Register shall not exceed one year [Government Code § 11346.4(b)].

It is suggested, therefore, that issues of the California Regulatory Notice Register be retained for a minimum of 18 months. CALIFORNIA REGULATORY NOTICE REGISTER is published weekly by the Office of Administrative Law, 300 Capitol Mall, Suite 1250, Sacramento, CA 95814-4339. The Register is printed by Barclays, a subsidiary of West, a Thomson Reuters Business, and is offered by subscription for $409.00 (annual price). To order or make changes to current subscriptions, please call (800) 328−4880. The Register can also be accessed at https://oal.ca.gov .

CALIFORNIA REGULATORY NOTICE REGISTER 2026, VOLUME NUMBER 28–Z 881 PROPOSED ACTION ON REGULATIONS Information contained in this document is published as received from agencies and is not edited by Thomson Reuters. TITLE 14. BOARD OF FORESTRY AND FIRE PROTECTION SILVICULTURE AMENDMENTS, 2026 NATURE OF PROCEEDING Notice is hereby given that the California State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection (Board) is pro- posing to take the action described in the Informative Digest.

PUBLIC HEARING The Board will hold a public hearing on August 26, 2026, at its meeting commencing at 9:00 a.m., in the Natural Resources Building, Room 2–201, 715 P Street, Sacramento, CA. At the hearing, any person may present statements or arguments, orally or in writing, relevant to the proposed action. The Board re- quests, but does not require, that persons who make oral comments at the hearing also submit a written

summary of their statements. Additionally, pursuant to Government Code (GOV) § 11125.1(b), writings that are public records pursuant to GOV § 11125.1(

a) and that are distributed to members of the state body prior to or during a meeting, pertaining to any item to be considered during the meeting, shall be made avail- able for public inspection at the meeting if prepared by the state body or a member of the state body, or after the meeting if prepared by some other person. Attendees may also participate via the online meet - ing platform or telephone conferencing. To partic - ipate via the online meeting platform please email PublicComments@bof.ca.gov by 4:30 p.m. on August 25, 2026 to request a link to the meeting.

A link to the meeting will also be posted under the “Webinar Infor- mation” heading on the front page of the Board web - site, no later than 8:00 a.m. the morning of the hearing. WRITTEN COMMENT PERIOD Any person, or authorized representative, may sub - mit written comments relevant to the proposed regula- tory action to the Board. The written comments must be received by the Board via mail, facsimile, or hand delivery no later than 5:00 p.m. August 26, 2026. Written comments may be delivered via email at the following address: PublicComments@BOF.ca.gov Written comments may be submitted via U.S.

Mail to the following address: Board of Forestry and Fire Protection Attention: Jane Van Susteren Regulations Coordinator P.O. Box 944246 Sacramento, CA 94244–2460 Written comments can also be hand delivered to the contact person listed in this notice at the following address: Board of Forestry and Fire Protection 715 P Street Sacramento, CA 95814 AUTHORITY AND REFERENCE (PURSUANT TO GOV § 11346.5(A)

(2) AND 1 CCR § 14) Authority cited: Sections 4551, 4553, and 4561 Pub- lic Resources Code. Reference: Sections 4512, 4551.5, 4561, 4561.2, 4582(d), 4582(h), 4582 and 4582.5, 4587 Public Re - sources Code. INFORMATIVE DIGEST/POLICY STATEMENT OVERVIEW (PURSUANT TO GOV 11346.5(A) (3) (A)–(D)) Pursuant to the Z’berg–Nejedly Forest Practice Act of 1973, Public Resources Code § 4511, et seq. (Act) the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection (Board) is authorized to construct a system of forest practice reg- ulations applicable to timber management on state and private timberlands.

PRC § 4551 requires the Board to “…adopt district forest practice rules… to ensure the continuous grow- ing and harvesting of commercial forest tree species and to protect the soil, air, fish, wildlife, and water re- sources…” and PRC § 4553 requires the Board to con- tinuously review the rules in consultation with other interests and make appropriate revisions.

Furthermore, PRC § 4551.5 requires that the regu - lations adopted by the Board “…apply to the conduct of timber operations and shall include, but shall not be limited to, measures for fire prevention and control, for soil erosion control, for site preparation that in - volves disturbance of soil or burning of vegetation fol-

CALIFORNIA REGULATORY NOTICE REGISTER 2026, VOLUME NUMBER 28–Z 882 lowing timber harvesting activities, for water quality and watershed control, for flood control, for stocking, for protection against timber operations that unneces - sarily destroy young timber growth or timber produc - tivity of the soil, for prevention and control of damage by forest insects, pests, and disease…”. Under PRC § 4528(d) “site classification” means the classification of productive potential of Timberland into one of five classes by Board regulation, consis - tent with normally accepted forestry practices.

Site I denotes sites of highest productivity, Site II and Site III denote sites of intermediate productivity potential, and Site IV and V denote sites of lowest productivity potential. Specific classification is covered in 14 CCR § 1060, where site classification is determined by site index ranges, values based on the average height of dominant trees on a site that are 100 years old (or, for ponderosa pine, Jeffery pine, mixed conifer, and true fir forest types, for the average height of dominant trees at 100 and 300 years).

PRC § 4513 states “It is the intent of the Legisla - ture to create and maintain an effective and compre - hensive system of regulation and use of all Timber - lands so as to ensure both of the following: (

a) Where feasible, the productivity of Timberlands is restored, enhanced, and maintained; and (

b) The goal of max - imum sustained production of high–quality timber products is achieved while giving consideration to val- ues relating to sequestration of carbon dioxide, recre - ation, watershed, wildlife, range and forage, fisheries, regional economic vitality, employment, and aesthetic enjoyment.” In the 2023 Call for Regulatory Review, Robert Little, Registered Professional Forester (RPF) #2651, submitted a comment on the high stocking require - ments for young commercial species of pine (sug - ar pine, ponderosa pine, Jeffrey pine, etc.) after a pre–commercial thin.

He noted that many of the most productive sites — Site I lands — were subject to high tree mortality partially as a result of high stocking re - quirements and partly due to the higher temperatures and droughts that are the result of climate change. Re- search supports this statement; Zhang et al.’s 2019 study examined the effects of thinning of young ponderosa pine plantations to various densities in a multi–site, multi–decade study.

The conclusion states “The de - tailed tracking records for these long–term ponder - osa pine research plots demonstrated that lowering stand density enhanced remaining tree growth, re - duced mortality, and increased stand resiliency to dis- turbance and climate change, reflected by the lower variability within the lower–density plots than in the higher–density plots.” These less–dense stands are also more resistant to fire; “For example, a recent wild- fire in the spring of 2018 that burnt through one of the lower–density plots at Elliot Ranch did not kill a single tree.

This personal observation suggests that this particular lower–density plot may provide a more secure condition for carbon storage than the high–density plots.” Agee and Skinner’s seminal 2005 paper concurs, stating “Ponderosa pine grown un - der the Mediterranean climate is surely such a sys - tem where larger–diameter trees grown in lower den - sities are typically better able to survive a fire than smaller trees.” Battaglia and Shepperd, 2007, indicate that lower densities may resemble historic forests, “Pre–settlement ponderosa pine forests were irregu - larly spaced, uneven–aged stands with trees growing together in small even–aged groups and grassy mead - ows between the groups.

Although some groups could be overstocked, estimations for tree density and bas - al area in pre–settlement ponderosa pine forests are low — approximately 99 to 148 trees/ha (40 to 60 trees/acre) with basal areas of 11.5 m2/ha (50 ft2/acre) — indicating the great size of the mature ponderosa pine trees.” The 1992 Fountain Fire, 1992 Cleveland Fire, and 2013 Rim Fire represent over three hundred thousand acres that contain high–site pine–dominated stands growing on private lands.

These stands were replanted post–fire and have grown rapidly and reestablished in- creased basal areas — the first intermediate treatment to thin tree density will occur in the next five to ten years. Mr. Little notes that maximum sustained pro - duction of timber is tied to maintaining a stand density index that maximizes timber growth while minimiz - ing losses to mortality, and that under current climate and pest conditions, the minimum required stand den- sity for young pine trees will need to be reduced to achieve maximum sustained production. The risks identified by Mr.

Little are reflected by the Forest Fire Prevention Exemption Monitoring Report (CAL FIRE 2022): in younger, even–aged stands, meet- ing optimal conditions for fuel reduction was limited by tree density. “Younger stands (“plantations”) may benefit from increased tree spacing to reduce horizon- tal continuity as the stand matures.” The report also notes “small, young, forest stands likely will always have less closure/cover when spaced at a level close to a more mature and ‘fire resilient’ stand, while current- ly acceptable (under the Forest Practice Rules (FPRs)) closure/cover values in these stands would result in denser, possibly fire–prone stands.” In the 2025 Call for Regulatory Review, the Men - docino Redwood Company and Humboldt Redwood Company raised an issue concerning variable retention standards.

Variable retention is a special prescription for timber harvest under 14 CCR 913.4(

d) that allows for long–term retention of ecologically or culturally important landscape features: wildlife habitat such as mature oaks, snags, and logs; historic or cultural sites; or sites that pose potential ecological or safety haz -

CALIFORNIA REGULATORY NOTICE REGISTER 2026, VOLUME NUMBER 28–Z 883 ards including geologically unstable areas. When this prescription is used, a defined proportion of the land - scape must be within the retained landscape features, dependent on the size of the harvest area. These re - tained landscape features must be present on 20–acre extents of the harvest area. The issue raised in the Call for Regulatory Review was that the CAL FIRE Forest Practice Review Team (the Department) required that these retention standards be met on a ‘floating’ (i.e. every possible) 20–acre area.

The use of infinite ver - sus finite sampling sizes resulted in required retention areas occupying a larger proportion of the landscape. The problems that this proposed rulemaking aims to address concerns silviculture standards. First, requir - ing landowners to meet variable retention standards on every possible 20–acre maximum area results in an infinite sampling bias, requiring landowners to leave greater aggregate area retention than is required in the rules.

However, the intention of variable retention is to retain structural elements throughout the harvest area; relying only on fixed measurement locations might re- sult in uneven distribution of harvested areas. The other issue concerns intermediate treatments in high–site pine.

While seedlings may initially be plant- ed at a high density to ensure survival of a plantation or stand through the highest–mortality period of a tree’s life, the stocking standards after the first thin - ning were calculated during an era with different lev - els of fire and pest hazard and may result in high mor- tality and increased fire hazard. The maintenance of a forest with maximum sustained production requires a longer — and more adaptable — outlook than was anticipated when the standards for intermediate treat - ments were first drafted.

The purpose of the proposed action is to update sil - vicultural standards: to provide fixed measurement plots for calculating retention requirements in variable retention prescriptions while also ensuring a maxi - mum distance to a retained tree; and to decrease the required stocking levels for intermediate treatments in young pine stands on high–productivity lands to meet the challenges of a hotter, drier climate with novel tree pests.

The effect of the proposed action will be a rule change that provides appropriate deference to the RPF who is most familiar with the harvest area, in - cluding that area’s distribution of important struc - tural elements and biological legacies, geomorpholo - gy, and responsible for planning of harvesting oper - ations and post–harvest site preparation. There will be no change in the required retention standards, only a change in the required distribution of the retained areas.

The rule change establishes a maximum spa - tially explicit distribution distance for aggregate re - tention areas, consistent with intent that retained pre–harvest stand structural elements be integrated within the post–harvest stand to achieve various eco - logical, social, and geomorphologic objectives. The proposed action will also allow for lower post–thinning tree density in young high–site pine stands to the standards for young mid–site pine stands. The benefit of the proposed action is expected to lead to greater consistency in rule

interpretation and implementation, reduce the number of the Depart - ment’s Timber Harvest Plan returns and first review questions, to provide clear enforceable standards, and clarify the RPF’s responsibility in designating aggre - gate retention areas. It will also allow for more resil - ient young pine stands in high–site parts of the state, allowing for the continued maximum sustained pro - duction of timber and protection of related values in - cluding watershed, wildlife, range and forage, fisher - ies, regional economic vitality, employment, and aes - thetic enjoyment.

There is no comparable Federal regulation or statute. Board staff conducted an evaluation on wheth - er the proposed action is inconsistent or incompati - ble with existing State regulations pursuant to GOV § 11346.5(a) (3) (D). State regulations related to the proposed action were, in fact, relied upon in the de - velopment of the proposed action to ensure the con - sistency and compatibility of the proposed action with existing State regulations.

Otherwise, Board staff evaluated the balance of ex - isting State regulations related to measures concern - ing the requirements for timber operations within State regulations that met the same purpose as the pro- posed action. Based on this evaluation and effort, the Board has determined that the proposed regulations are neither inconsistent nor incompatible with existing State regulations. The proposed regulation is entirely consistent and compatible with existing Board rules. Statute to which the proposed action was compared:

Chapter 8,

Part 2, Division 4, Public Resources Code. Regulations to which the proposed action was com- pared:

Article 4, Subchapters 1, 4, 5, 6, & 7

Chapter 4, Division 1.5, Title 14, California Code of Regulations. MANDATED BY FEDERAL LAW OR REGULATIONS The proposed action is not mandated by Federal law or regulations. The proposed action neither conflicts with, nor du - plicates, Federal regulations. There are no comparable Federal regulations con - cerning timber production on private timberland. No existing Federal regulations meeting the same pur - pose as the proposed action were identified.

CALIFORNIA REGULATORY NOTICE REGISTER 2026, VOLUME NUMBER 28–Z 884 OTHER STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS (PURSUANT TO GOV § 11346.5(A) (4)) There are no other matters as are prescribed by stat- ute applicable to the specific State agency or to any specific regulation or class of regulations. LOCAL MANDATE (PURSUANT TO GOV § 11346.5(A) (5)). The proposed action does not impose a mandate on local agencies or school districts. FISCAL IMPACT (PURSUANT TO GOV § 11346.5(A) (6)) There is no cost to any local agency or school dis - trict that is required to be reimbursed under

Part 7 (commencing with

Section 17500) of Division 4 of the Government Code. A local agency or school district has the authority to levy service charges, fees, or assessments sufficient to pay for the program or level of service mandated by the act, within the meaning of

Section 17556 of the Government Code. The proposed action will not result in the imposi - tion of other non–discretionary costs or savings to lo - cal agencies. The proposed action will not result in costs or sav - ings in Federal funding to the State. The proposed action will not result in costs to any State agency. The proposed action represents a con - tinuation of existing forest practice regulations related to the conduct of timber operations and will not result in any direct or indirect costs or savings to any state agency.

HOUSING COSTS (PURSUANT TO GOV § 11346.5(A) (12)) The proposed action will not significantly affect housing costs. SIGNIFICANT STATEWIDE ADVERSE ECONOMIC IMPACT DIRECTLY AFFECTING BUSINESS, INCLUDING ABILITY TO COMPETE (PURSUANT TO GOV §§ 11346.3(A), 11346.5(A)

(7) AND 11346.5(A) (8)) The proposed action will not have a significant statewide adverse economic impact directly affecting business, including the ability of California businesses to compete with businesses in other states (by making it costlier to produce goods or services in California). FACTS, EVIDENCE, DOCUMENTS, TESTIMONY, OR OTHER EVIDENCE RELIED UPON TO SUPPORT INITIAL DETERMINATION IN THE NOTICE THAT THE PROPOSED ACTION WILL NOT HAVE A SIGNIFICANT ADVERSE ECONOMIC IMPACT ON BUSINESS (PURSUANT TO GOV § 11346.2(B)

(5) AND GOV § 11346.5(A) (8)) Contemplation by the Board of the economic impact of the provisions of the proposed action through the lens of the decades of contemplating forest practice in California that the Board brings to bear on regulatory development. STATEMENTS OF THE RESULTS OF THE ECONOMIC IMPACT ASSESSMENT (EIA) The results of the economic impact assessment are provided below pursuant to GOV § 11346.5(a) (10) and prepared pursuant to GOV § 11346.3(b) (1) (A)– (D).

The proposed action: ● Will not create jobs within California (GOV § 11346.3(b) (1) (A)); ● Will not eliminate jobs within California (GOV § 11346.3(b) (1) (A)); ● Will not create new businesses (GOV § 11346.3(b) (1) (B)); ● Will not eliminate existing businesses within California (GOV § 11346.3(b) (1) (B)); ● Will not affect the expansion or contraction of businesses currently doing business within Cal - ifornia (GOV § 11346.3(b) (1) (C)); ● Will yield nonmonetary benefits (GOV § 11346.3(b) (1) (D)).

The proposed action would result in increased clarity and efficacy in the For- est Practice Rules, and as a result, promote more efficient implementation and enforcement of the regulations. The proposed action will benefit the environment by creating more resilient pine stands in fire prone areas, minimizing high–severity wildfire impacts, yielding non–monetary bene - fits in accordance with GOV § 11346.3(b) (1) (D). There is no impact on the health and welfare of California residents or on worker safety.

COST IMPACTS ON REPRESENTATIVE PERSON OR BUSINESS (PURSUANT TO GOV § 11346.5(A) (9)) The agency is not aware of any cost impacts that a representative private person or business would nec -

CALIFORNIA REGULATORY NOTICE REGISTER 2026, VOLUME NUMBER 28–Z 885 essarily incur in reasonable compliance with the pro - posed action. No adverse impacts are to be expected. BUSINESS REPORT (PURSUANT TO GOV §§ 11346.5(A)

(11) AND 11346.3(D)) The proposed action does not impose a business re - porting requirement. SMALL BUSINESS (DEFINED IN GOV 11342.610) The proposed regulation may affect small business, though small businesses, within the meaning of GOV § 11342.610, are not expected to be significantly affect- ed by the proposed action. Small business, pursuant to 1 CCR § 4(a):

(1) Is legally required to comply with the regulation;

(2) Is not legally required to enforce the regulation;

(3) Does not derive a benefit from the enforcement of the regulation;

(4) May incur a detriment from the enforcement of the regulation if they do not comply with the regulation.

ALTERNATIVES INFORMATION In accordance with GOV § 11346.5(a) (13), the Board must determine that no reasonable alternative it considers, or that has otherwise been identified and brought to the attention of the Board, would be more effective in carrying out the purpose for which the ac- tion is proposed, or would be as effective and less bur- densome to affected private persons than the proposed action, or would be more cost–effective to affected pri- vate persons and equally effective in implementing the statutory policy or other provision of law.

CONTACT PERSON Requests for copies of the proposed text of the regu- lations, the Initial Statement of Reasons, modified text of the regulations and any questions regarding the sub- stance of the proposed action may be directed to: Board of Forestry and Fire Protection Attention: Jane Van Susteren Regulations Coordinator P.O. Box 944246 Sacramento, CA 94244–2460 Telephone: (916) 653–8007 The designated backup person in the event Ms. Van Susteren is not available is Andrew Lawhorn, of the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection. Mr. Lawhorn may be contacted at the above address or phone.

AVAILABILITY STATEMENTS (PURSUANT TO GOV § 11346.5(A) (16), (18)) All of the following are available from the contact person: 1. Express terms of the proposed action using UNDERLINE to indicate an addition to the California Code of Regulations and STRIKE- THROUGH to indicate a deletion. 2.

Initial Statement of Reasons, which includes a statement of the specific purpose of each adop - tion, amendment, or repeal, the problem the Board is addressing, and the rationale for the determination by the Board that each adoption, amendment, or repeal is reasonably necessary to carry out the purpose and address the problem for which it is proposed. 3. The information upon which the proposed action is based (pursuant to GOV § 11346.5(b)). 4. Changed or modified text.

After holding the hearing and considering all timely and relevant comments received, the Board may adopt the proposed regulations substantially as described in this notice. If the Board makes modifications which are sufficiently related to the originally pro- posed text, it will make the modified text — with the changes clearly indicated — available to the public for at least 15 days before the Board adopts the regulations as revised.

Notice of the comment period on changed regulations, and the full text as modified, will be sent to any person who testi- fied at the hearings, submitted comments during the public comment period, including written and oral comments received at the public hearing, or requested notification of the availability of such changes from the Board of Forestry and Fire Pro- tection. The Board will accept written comments on the modified regulations for 15 days after the date on which they are made available.

FINAL STATEMENT OF REASONS When the Final Statement of Reasons (FSOR) has been prepared, the FSOR will be available from the contact person on request. INTERNET ACCESS All of the material referenced in the Availabili - ty Statements is also available on the Board web site at: https://bof.fire.ca.gov/regulations-and-policies/ proposed-rule-packages.

CALIFORNIA REGULATORY NOTICE REGISTER 2026, VOLUME NUMBER 28–Z 886 TITLE 14. B OARD OF FORESTRY AND FIRE PROTECTION POINTS OF LIGHT 1: MINOR RULE UPDATES FOR CLARITY AND CONSISTENCY 2025 NATURE OF PROCEEDING Notice is hereby given that the California State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection (Board) is pro - posing to take the action described in the Informative Digest. PUBLIC HEARING The Board will hold a public hearing on August 26, 2026, at a meeting commencing at 10:00 a.m., in the Natural Resources Building, Room 2–201, 715 P Street, Sacramento, CA.

At the hearing, any person may present statements or arguments, orally or in writing, relevant to the proposed action. The Board re- quests, but does not require, that persons who make oral comments at the hearing also submit a written

summary of their statements. Additionally, pursuant to Government Code (GOV) § 1 1125.1(b), writings that are public records pursuant to GOV § 1 1125.1(

a) and that are distributed to members of the state body prior to or during a meeting, pertaining to any item to be considered during the meeting, shall be made avail- able for public inspection at the meeting if prepared by the state body or a member of the state body, or after the meeting if prepared by some other person. Attendees may also participate via the online meet - ing platform or telephone conferencing. To partic - ipate via the online meeting platform please email PublicComments@bof.ca.gov by 4:30 p.m. on August 25, 2026 to request a link to the meeting.

A link to the meeting will also be posted under the “Webinar Infor- mation” heading on the front page of the Board web - site, no later than 8:00 a.m. the morning of the hearing. WRITTEN COMMENT PERIOD Any person, or authorized representative, may sub - mit written comments relevant to the proposed regu- latory action to the Board The written comments must be received by the Board via mail, facsimile, or hand delivery no later than 5:00 p.m. August 26, 2026.

Written comments may be delivered via email at the following address: 1 Points of Light is a historical Board term for minor clean–up rulemakings, such as the one being proposed here, which updates references, clarifies the use of terms, and makes updates for new names. PublicComments@BOF.ca.gov Written comments may be submitted via U.S. Mail to the following address: Board of Forestry and Fire Protection Attention: Jane Van Susteren Regulations Coordinator P.O.

Box 944246 Sacramento, CA 94244–2460 Written comments can also be hand delivered to the contact person listed in this notice at the following address: Board of Forestry and Fire Protection 715 P Street Sacramento, CA 95814 AUTHORITY AND REFERENCE (PURSUANT TO GOV § 1 1346.5(A)

(2) AND 1 CCR § 14) Authority cited: Sections 4551, 4551.5, 4551.7, 4552, 4553, 4561, 4561.5, 4562, 4562.5, 4562.7, 4581, 4584.1, 4591.1, 4593.3, 4604, 4611, and 4628 Public Resourc- es Code. Reference: Sections 4511, 4512, 4512.5, 4513, 4521.3, 4523, 4524, 4525, 4525.3, 4525.5, 4525.7, 4526, 4526.5, 4527, 4527.5, 4528, 4551, 4551.5, 4561, 4562, 4562.5, 4562.7, 4582, 4582(f), 4583, 4583.2, 4584, 4591.1, 4593, 4593.3, 4597, 4597.1, 4597.2, 4628, 21000(g), 21001(f), 21002, 21060.5, 21080.5, 21083.2, 21083.2(b) (3) and 21084.1, Public Resources Code; CEQA Guidelines Appendix K (printed following

Section 15387 of Title 14 Cal. Code of Regulations), Laupheimer v. State (1988) 200 Cal.App.3d 440; 246 Cal. Rptr. 82; and Joy Road Area Forest and Watershed Association v. California Department of Forestry & Fire Protec - tion, Sonoma County Superior Court Number SCV 229850.

INFORMATIVE DIGEST/POLICY STATEMENT OVERVIEW (PURSUANT TO 11346.5(A) (3) (A)–(D)) Pursuant to the Z’berg–Nejedly Forest Practice Act of 1973, Public Resourced Code (PRC) § 4 511, et seq. (Act) the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection (Board) is authorized to construct a system of forest practice regulations applicable to timber management on state and private timberlands.

PRC § 4 551 requires the Board to “…adopt district forest practice rules… to ensure the continuous grow- ing and harvesting of commercial forest tree species and to protect the soil, air, fish, wildlife, and water re- sources…” and PRC § 4 553 requires the Board to con-

CALIFORNIA REGULATORY NOTICE REGISTER 2026, VOLUME NUMBER 28–Z 887 tinuously review the rules in consultation with other interests and make appropriate revisions. PRC § 4582(

f) requires the disclosure of special pro- visions to protect unique areas within the area of Tim- ber Operations. The proposed amendments to archae - ological training requirements in 14 CCR § 929.4 en- sure that personnel are adequately equipped to identi - fy and protect these unique cultural resources.

PRC § 4593 and § 4597 necessitates standardized mapping and administrative requirements across var - ious permit types, consistent with the Board’s author - ity to regulate Nonindustrial Timber Management Plans (PRC § 4593 et seq.) and Working Forest Man- agement Plans (PRC § 4597 et seq.) PRC § 21080.5 puts forward the Board’s rulemaking process as a certified regulatory program pursuant to PRC § 21080.5, and the proposed amendments have been developed to ensure continued compliance with the substantive requirements of the California Envi - ronmental Quality Act (CEQA).

This rule package addresses several inconsistencies in the rules that do not meet the standards for a

Section 100 rulemaking, but are limited enough in scope that they have minimal impact on other parts of the Rules. The amendment to 14 CCR § 895.1 regarding wild- life terminology is necessary to resolve a significant conflict between Board regulations and the Califor - nia Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). Cur - rently, the use the term “Species of Special Concern” in the Forest Practice Rules (Rules) is an undefined term that is equivalent to “Sensitive Species pursuant to 14 CCR § 895.1.

Additionally, the term “Species of Special Concern” overlaps with a category managed by CDFW, which creates confusion for the regulated public and Department staff during the preparation and review of timber harvesting documents. The term “Species of Special Concern” is replaced with “Sensi- tive Species pursuant to 14 CCR § 895.1”, but the pro- tections of the Board’s Sensitive Species are extended to those species of bird listed under state or federal En- dangered Species Acts as well through the use of the existing term “Listed Species”.

This change provides a clear and consistent regulatory framework that avoids inter–agency terminology conflicts while maintain - ing robust protections for at–risk wildlife. In 2023, the American Ornithological Society divided the previ - ous taxon of “Northern Goshawk” into Eurasian and North American species. The new taxon, the “Ameri - can Goshawk”, encompasses all birds within Califor - nia previously included under the name “American Goshawk”.

In alignment with PRC § 4582(f), which requires special provisions for the protection of unique ar - eas, the establishment of an archaeological refresher course is necessary to provide an efficient administra- tive pathway for certification renewal. Existing rules require a five–year certification cycle but do not pro - vide a mechanism for potential drift between dates when the course is offered, potentially resulting in the expiration of ability to perform archaeological surveys and creating a necessity to repeat the full introductory training.

Finally, the standardization of mapping require - ments for main ridge tops suitable for fire suppression across Timber Harvest Plans (THP), Non–industrial Timber Harvest Plans (NTMP), and Working Forest Management Plans (WFMP) permit types is neces - sary for unified fire safety planning. Pursuant to the Board’s authority to regulate these long–term man - agement plans under PRC § 4593 and § 4597, consis- tent mapping is required to ensure that CAL FIRE has access to the critical spatial data needed for suppres - sion efforts regardless of the specific permit type gov- erning the land.

Similarly, clarifying that conversion exemptions are synonymous with “Plans” for opera - tional purposes and is necessary to ensure that all land management activities meet a uniform standard of re - source protection to allow for consistent enforcement by the Department. The Rules currently only require the mapping of these ridgelines if they would require the felling of snags during fire suppression efforts.

The problems are that the Rules currently use the term “Species of Special Concern,” as a term equiva - lent to “Sensitive Species pursuant to 14 CCR § 895.1” which conflicts with a specific legal definition used by CDFW for a different category of at–risk species. This creates regulatory uncertainty for the regulated public. The definition of “Danger Tree” currently references a 1977 field guide that has been superseded by the 2021 California Power Line Fire Prevention Field Guide.

There is currently no explicit provision for variation in the ability to take a refresher course during the year where five–year certifications expire. Requirements for mapping main ridge tops suitable for fire suppres - sion for THP, NTMP, and WFMP are technically only required if fire suppression on that ridge will require the felling of snags. The purpose of this rulemaking is to align Board

definitions with current state and federal standards while updating outdated technical citations to reflect modern field guidelines. It seeks to provide clear ad - ministrative pathways for professional certification re- newal and ensure clear mapping requirements across all types of harvesting permits. Additionally, the action aims to resolve specific terminological inconsistencies with the CDFW to provide a unified and predictable regulatory framework for the regulated public. The effect of the proposed action will standardize wildlife protection terminology and reflect an updated species name.

It modernizes safety protocols by up - dating the “Danger Tree” definition to current tech - nical standards and defining which ridges should be

CALIFORNIA REGULATORY NOTICE REGISTER 2026, VOLUME NUMBER 28–Z 888 mapped for fire suppression efforts. Furthermore, it provides clarity on expiration timelines for archaeo - logical training. The benefit of the amended language will increase the clarity and consistency of the Rules, promote more efficient implementation, and ensure that the regulated public can continue to use effective tools for managing at–risk wildlife species. Board staff conducted an evaluation on wheth - er the proposed action is inconsistent or incompati - ble with existing State regulations pursuant to GOV § 11346.5(a) (3) (D).

State regulations related to the proposed action were, in fact, relied upon in the de - velopment of the proposed action to ensure the con - sistency and compatibility of the proposed action with existing State regulations. Otherwise, Board staff evaluated the balance of ex - isting State regulations related to measures concern - ing the requirements for timber operations within State regulations that met the same purpose as the pro- posed action. Based on this evaluation and effort, the Board has determined that the proposed regulations are neither inconsistent nor incompatible with existing State regulations.

The proposed regulation is entirely consistent and compatible with existing Board rules. Statute to which the proposed action was compared:

Chapter 8,

Part 2, Division 4, Public Resources Code. Regulations to which the proposed action was com- pared:

Article 4, Subchapters 1, 4, 5, 6, & 7

Chapter 4, Division 1.5, Title 14, California Code of Regulations. MANDATED BY FEDERAL LAW OR REGULATIONS The proposed action is not mandated by federal law or regulations. The proposed action neither conflicts with, nor du - plicates Federal regulations. There are no comparable Federal regulations con - cerning timber production on private timberland. No existing Federal regulations meeting the same pur - pose as the proposed action were identified.

OTHER STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS (PURSUANT TO GOV § 11346.5(A) (4)) There are no other matters as are prescribed by stat- ute applicable to the specific State agency or to any specific regulation or class of regulations. LOCAL MANDATE (PURSUANT TO GOV § 11346.5(A) (5)). The proposed action does not impose a mandate on local agencies or school districts. FISCAL IMPACT (PURSUANT TO GOV § 11346.5(A) (6)) There is no cost to any local agency or school dis - trict that is required to be reimbursed under

Part 7 (commencing with

Section 17500) of Division 4 of the Government Code. A local agency or school district has the authority to levy service charges, fees, or assessments sufficient to pay for the program or level of service mandated by the act, within the meaning of

Section 17556 of the Government Code. The proposed action will not result in the imposi - tion of other non–discretionary costs or savings to lo - cal agencies. The proposed action will not result in costs or sav - ings in Federal funding to the State. The proposed action will not result in costs to any State agency. The proposed action represents a con - tinuation of existing forest practice regulations related to the conduct of timber operations and will not result in any direct or indirect costs or savings to any state agency.

HOUSING COSTS (PURSUANT TO GOV § 11346.5(A) (12)) The proposed action will not significantly affect housing costs. SIGNIFICANT STATEWIDE ADVERSE ECONOMIC IMPACT DIRECTLY AFFECTING BUSINESS, INCLUDING ABILITY TO COMPETE (PURSUANT TO GOV §§ 11346.3(A), 11346.5(A)

(7) AND 11346.5(A) (8)) The proposed action will not have a significant statewide adverse economic impact directly affecting business, including the ability of California businesses to compete with businesses in other states (by making it costlier to produce goods or services in California). FACTS, EVIDENCE, DOCUMENTS, TESTIMONY, OR OTHER EVIDENCE RELIED UPON TO SUPPORT INITIAL DETERMINATION IN THE NOTICE THAT THE PROPOSED ACTION WILL NOT HAVE A SIGNIFICANT ADVERSE ECONOMIC IMPACT ON BUSINESS (PURSUANT TO GOV § 11346.2(B)

(5) AND GOV § 11346.5(A) (8)) Contemplation by the Board of the economic impact of the provisions of the proposed action through the

CALIFORNIA REGULATORY NOTICE REGISTER 2026, VOLUME NUMBER 28–Z 889 lens of the decades of contemplating forest practice in California that the Board brings to bear on regulatory development. STATEMENTS OF THE RESULTS OF THE ECONOMIC IMPACT ASSESSMENT (EIA) The results of the economic impact assessment are provided below pursuant to GOV § 11346.5(a) (10) and prepared pursuant to GOV § 11346.3(b) (1) (A)– (D).

The proposed action: ● Will not create jobs within California (GOV § 11346.3(b) (1) (A)); ● Will not eliminate jobs within California (GOV § 11346.3(b) (1) (A)); ● Will not create new businesses (GOV § 11346.3(b) (1) (B)); ● Will not eliminate existing businesses within California (GOV § 11346.3(b) (1) (B)); ● Will not affect the expansion or contraction of businesses currently doing business within Cal - ifornia (GOV § 11346.3(b) (1) (C)); ● Will yield nonmonetary benefits (GOV § 11346.3(b) (1) (D)).

The proposed action would result in increased clarity and efficacy in the For- est Practice Rules, and as a result, promote more efficient implementation, yielding non–monetary environmental benefits in accordance with GOV § 11346.3(b) (1) (D). There is no impact on the health and welfare of California residents or on worker safety. COST IMPACTS ON REPRESENTATIVE PERSON OR BUSINESS (PURSUANT TO GOV § 11346.5(A) (9)) The agency is not aware of any cost impacts that a representative private person or business would nec - essarily incur in reasonable compliance with the pro - posed action.

No adverse impacts are to be expected. BUSINESS REPORT (PURSUANT TO GOV §§ 11346.5(A)

(11) AND 11346.3(D)) The proposed action does not impose a business re - porting requirement. SMALL BUSINESS (PURSUANT TO 1 CCR 4(

A) AND (B)) The proposed regulation may affect small business, though small businesses, within the meaning of GOV § 11342.610, are not expected to be significantly affect- ed by the proposed action. Small business, pursuant to 1 CCR § 4(a):

(1) Is legally required to comply with the regulation;

(2) Is not legally required to enforce the regulation;

(3) Does not derive a benefit from the enforcement of the regulation;

(4) May incur a detriment from the enforcement of the regulation if they do not comply with the regulation.

ALTERNATIVES INFORMATION In accordance with GOV § 11346.5(a) (13), the Board must determine that no reasonable alternative it considers, or that has otherwise been identified and brought to the attention of the Board, would be more effective in carrying out the purpose for which the ac- tion is proposed, or would be as effective and less bur- densome to affected private persons than the proposed action, or would be more cost–effective to affected pri- vate persons and equally effective in implementing the statutory policy or other provision of law.

CONTACT PERSON Requests for copies of the proposed text of the regu- lations, the Initial Statement of Reasons, modified text of the regulations and any questions regarding the sub- stance of the proposed action may be directed to: Board of Forestry and Fire Protection Attention: Jane Van Susteren Regulations Coordinator P.O. Box 944246 Sacramento, CA 94244–2460 Telephone: (916) 653–8007 The designated backup person in the event Ms. Van Susteren is not available is Mr. Andrew Lawhorn of the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection. Mr. Law - horn may be contacted at the above address or by phone.

AVAILABILITY STATEMENTS (PURSUANT TO GOV § 11346.5(A) (16)) All of the following are available from the contact person: 1. Express terms of the proposed action using UNDERLINE to indicate an addition to the California Code of Regulations and STRIKE- THROUGH to indicate a deletion. 2. Initial Statement of Reasons, which includes a statement of the specific purpose of each adop - tion, amendment, or repeal, the problem the Board is addressing, and the rationale for the determination by the Board that each adoption, amendment, or repeal is reasonably necessary to

CALIFORNIA REGULATORY NOTICE REGISTER 2026, VOLUME NUMBER 28–Z 890 carry out the purpose and address the problem for which it is proposed. 3. The information upon which the proposed action is based (pursuant to GOV § 11346.5(b)). 4. Changed or modified text. After holding the hearing and considering all timely and relevant comments received, the Board may adopt the proposed regulations substantially as described in this notice.

If the Board makes modifications which are sufficiently related to the originally pro- posed text, it will make the modified text — with the changes clearly indicated — available to the public for at least 15 days before the Board adopts the regulations as revised.

Notice of the comment period on changed regulations, and the full text as modified, will be sent to any person who testi- fied at the hearings, submitted comments during the public comment period, including written and oral comments received at the public hearing, or requested notification of the availability of such changes from the Board of Forestry and Fire Pro- tection. The Board will accept written comments on the modified regulations for 15 days after the date on which they are made available.

FINAL STATEMENT OF REASONS When the Final Statement of Reasons (FSOR) has been prepared, the FSOR will be available from the contact person on request. INTERNET ACCESS All of the material referenced in the Availabili - ty Statements is also available on the Board web site at: https://bof.fire.ca.gov/regulations-and-policies/ proposed-rule-packages. TITLE 14.

BOARD OF FORESTRY AND FIRE PROTECTION NOTICING PROCESSES AND RULES SPECIFIC TO THE SOUTHERN SUBDISTRICT AND SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, 2026 NATURE OF PROCEEDING Notice is hereby given that the California State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection (Board) is pro - posing to take the action described in the Informative Digest. PUBLIC HEARING The Board will hold a public hearing on August 26, 2026, at a meeting commencing at 9:30 a.m., in the Natural Resources Building, Room 2–201, 715 P Street, Sacramento, CA.

At the hearing, any person may present statements or arguments, orally or in writing, relevant to the proposed action. The Board re- quests, but does not require, that persons who make oral comments at the hearing also submit a written

summary of their statements. Additionally, pursuant to Government Code (GOV) § 11125.1(b), writings that are public records pursuant to GOV § 11125.1(

a) and that are distributed to members of the state body prior to or during a meeting, pertaining to any item to be considered during the meeting, shall be made avail- able for public inspection at the meeting if prepared by the state body or a member of the state body, or after the meeting if prepared by some other person. Attendees may also participate via the online meet - ing platform or telephone conferencing. To partic - ipate via the online meeting platform please email PublicComments@bof.ca.gov by 4:30 p.m. on August 25, 2026 to request a link to the meeting.

A link to the meeting will also be posted under the “Webinar Infor- mation” heading on the front page of the Board web - site, no later than 8:00 a.m. the morning of the hearing. WRITTEN COMMENT PERIOD Any person, or authorized representative, may sub - mit written comments relevant to the proposed regula- tory action to the Board. The written comments must be received by the Board via mail, facsimile, or hand delivery no later than 5:00 p.m. August 26, 2026. Written comments may be delivered via email at the following address: PublicComments@BOF.ca.gov Written comments may be submitted via U.S.

Mail to the following address: Board of Forestry and Fire Protection Attention: Jane Van Susteren Regulations Coordinator P.O. Box 944246 Sacramento, CA 94244–2460 Written comments can also be hand delivered to the contact person listed in this notice at the following address: Board of Forestry and Fire Protection 715 P Street Sacramento, CA 95814

CALIFORNIA REGULATORY NOTICE REGISTER 2026, VOLUME NUMBER 28–Z 891 AUTHORITY AND REFERENCE (PURSUANT TO GOV § 11346.5(A)

(2) AND 1 CCR § 14) Authority cited: Stats. 1989, Ch. 1290,

Section 13 and Sections 4516.5, 4551, 4551.5, 4552, 4553, 4561.1 and 4562.5, 4581, 4582.3, 4593.4 and 21092 Public Re- sources Code. Reference: Sections 4516.5, 4551, 4551.5, 4561, 4561.1, 4562.5 and 4562.7, 4581, 4582.3, 4593, 4593.4, 4597.2, 4597.3, 21080 and 210928 Public Resources Code.

INFORMATIVE DIGEST/POLICY STATEMENT OVERVIEW (PURSUANT TO GOV 11346.5(A) (3) (A)–(D)) Pursuant to the Z’berg–Nejedly Forest Practice Act (Act) of 1973, Public Resources Code (PRC) § 4511, et seq. (Act) the State Board of Forestry and Fire Pro- tection (Board) is authorized to construct a system of forest practice regulations applicable to timber man - agement on state and private timberlands.

PRC § 4551 requires the Board to “…adopt district forest practice rules… to ensure the continuous grow- ing and harvesting of commercial forest tree species and to protect the soil, air, fish, wildlife, and water re- sources…” and PRC § 4553 requires the Board to con- tinuously review the rules in consultation with other interests and make appropriate revisions.

PRC § 4551.5 requires that the rules and regulations adopted by the Board apply to the conduct of Timber Operations, which is defined within PRC § 4527(a) (1) as “the cutting or removal, or both, of timber or other solid wood forest products, including Christmas trees, from Timberlands for commercial purposes, together with all the incidental work, including, but not limited to, construction and maintenance of roads, fuelbreaks, firebreaks, stream crossings, landings, skid trails, and beds for the falling of trees, fire hazard abatement, and site preparation that involves disturbance of soil or burning of vegetation following timber harvest - ing activities, but excluding preparatory work such as treemarking, surveying, or roadflagging.” The term “commercial purposes”, as used within PRC § 4527 is defined by reference to an illustrative, non–exhaustive list of activities within PRC § 4527(a) (2) that include “(

A) the cutting or removal of trees that are processed into logs, lumber, or other wood products and offered for sale, barter, exchange, or trade, or (

B) the cutting or removal of trees or other forest products during the conversion of timberlands to land uses other than the growing of timber that are subject to

Section 4621, in- cluding, but not limited to, residential or commercial developments, production of other agricultural crops, recreational developments, ski developments, water development projects, and transportation projects.” Additionally, the Act defines “Timberland” within PRC § 4526 as “land, other than land owned by the federal government and land designated by the board as experimental forest land, which is available for, and capable of, growing a crop of trees of a commercial species used to produce lumber and other forest prod - ucts, including Christmas trees.” The Act recognizes that the “forest resources and timberlands of the state are among the most valuable of the natural resourc - es of the state”, and that “it is the policy of this state to encourage prudent and responsible forest resource management…” (PRC § 4512).

Under PRC § 4516.5, “Individual counties may rec- ommend that the board adopt additional Rules and regulations for the content of timber harvesting plans and the conduct of timber operations to take account of local needs.” The Board shall adopt Rules and reg - ulations for the conduct of timber operations consis - tent with the recommendation if the Board finds the recommended Rules and regulations are both consis - tent with the intent and purposes of the Act and nec - essary to protect needs and conditions of the county recommending them.

These Rules and regulations ap- ply only to the conduct of timber operations within the recommending county and shall be enforced and implemented by the Department in the same manner as other Rules and regulations adopted by the Board. During the 2024 Call for Regulatory Review, CAL FIRE Forest Practice (the Department) requested discussion of the use of the undefined term “Plan area” and potential confusion that arose from the use of that term. Department review and Board discussion indi - cated that most substantiative impacts of this lack of clarity were specific to the noticing process.

The Board also received a letter from the Board of Supervisors for the County of Santa Cruz (County) during the 2024 call for regulatory review. The letter requested Board consideration of several issues and provided specific requests pursuant to PRC § 4516.5. The first request concerned updating the property owners as determined by a equalized assessment roll or title insurance company requirement to specify that only the equalized assessment roll would be accept - ed. The letter also included a request that publication of a Notice of Intent in a newspaper of general cir - culation under PRC § 21092(b) (3) (

A) be permitted to occur “prior to” submission of the notice, instead of “concurrently with” submission of the notice to clarify questions concerning the definition of “concurrently”. In addition, it asked that the Special Harvesting Meth- ods for Santa Cruz County (14 CCR §925.25(a) (3)) strike the limitations on harvesting 14–inch to 18–inch diameter trees and allow the use of existing special prescriptions for timber harvest plans. These

CALIFORNIA REGULATORY NOTICE REGISTER 2026, VOLUME NUMBER 28–Z 892 special prescriptions include options for creating fuel breaks or defensible space, and for restoring mead - ows, wet areas, aspen groves, and oak woodlands. The County noted that the request was intended to manage the high density of small–diameter trees in the region, limit wildfire hazard, and allow ecological restoration of ecosystems that are being overgrown due to a lack of proscribed fire or other ecosystem management.

The County also made suggestions for the rules for the Southern Subdistrict, a group of counties that includes Santa Cruz County. These suggestions in - clude changes to the Special Harvesting Methods for the Southern Subdistrict under 14 CCR § 913.8 to al- low the use of the same special prescriptions under 14 CCR § 913.4 for creating fuel breaks or defensi - ble space, and for restoring meadows, wet areas, aspen groves, and oak woodlands.

Special Treatment Areas are defined under 14 CCR § 895.1 as specific locations which contain one or more of the following significant resource features which may be at risk during Timber Operations: areas that are within two hundred feet of the watercourse transition line of federal or state designated Wild and Scenic Rivers; areas that are within two hundred feet of national, state, regional, county or municipal park boundaries; areas that are key habitat areas of federal or state designated threatened, rare or endangered spe- cies; Coastal Commission Special Treatment Areas; and areas that are within two hundred feet of state des- ignated Scenic Highways or within scenic corridors established pursuant to

Article 2.5 (commencing with

Section 260) of

Chapter 2 of Division 1 and

Section 154 of Chap. 1 of Div. 1 of the Streets and Highways Code. Under the requirements of 14 CCR § 913.4(

a) a Registered Professional Forester (RPF) acting as the Plan submitter and a representative of the Director of the Department may, after on–the–ground consulta - tion that includes all affected agencies and groups with relevant expertise, agree to a regeneration method or intermediate treatment compatible with the objectives for which the Special Treatment Area was established.

The problems are that the Southern Subdistrict and county–specific Rules do not incorporate more re - cent forest management methods, that other aspects of those Rules are not in alignment with current plan submission and review requirements, that newspaper notification requirements need clarity on publication dates and that there is insufficient clarity in the notic - ing processes about the definition for “Plan area”.

The purpose of the proposed action is to update the Southern Subdistrict rules, to respond to the requests of the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, and to provide clarity on the footprint where the Notice of Intent rules apply. The effect of the proposed action is to make addi - tional land use planning options for ecological resto - ration and fire resilience available within the South - ern Subdistrict, incorporate the requests of the Coun - ty into the Rules, and to provide clarity on where the Notice of Intent rules apply.

The benefits of the proposed action will include en- vironmental benefits due to wider availability of eco - logical restoration prescriptions, as well as the main - tenance of a comprehensive regulatory scheme which allows for the clear and consistent application and en- forcement of the Rules. Otherwise, Board staff evaluated the balance of ex - isting State regulations related to measures concern - ing public notice of timber operations within State regulations that met the same purpose as the proposed action.

Based on this evaluation and effort, the Board has determined that the proposed regulations are nei - ther inconsistent nor incompatible with existing State regulations. The proposed regulation is entirely con - sistent and compatible with existing Board rules. Statute to which the proposed action was compared:

Chapter 8,

Part 2, Division 4, Public Resources Code. Regulations to which the proposed action was com- pared:

Article 4, Subchapters 1, 4, 5, 6, & 7

Chapter 4, Division 1.5, Title 14, California Code of Regulations. MANDATED BY FEDERAL LAW OR REGULATIONS The proposed action is not mandated by Federal law or regulations. The proposed action neither conflicts with, nor du - plicates, Federal regulations. There are no comparable Federal regulations con - cerning timber production on private timberland. No existing Federal regulations meeting the same pur - pose as the proposed action were identified.

OTHER STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS (PURSUANT TO GOV § 11346.5(A) (4)) There are no other matters as are prescribed by stat- ute applicable to the specific State agency or to any specific regulation or class of regulations. LOCAL MANDATE (PURSUANT TO GOV § 11346.5(A) (5)) The proposed action does not impose a mandate on local agencies or school districts. FISCAL IMPACT (PURSUANT TO GOV § 11346.5(A) (6)) There is no cost to any local agency or school dis - trict that is required to be reimbursed under

Part 7

CALIFORNIA REGULATORY NOTICE REGISTER 2026, VOLUME NUMBER 28–Z 893 (commencing with

Section 17500) of Division 4 of the Government Code. A local agency or school district has the authority to levy service charges, fees, or assessments sufficient to pay for the program or level of service mandated by the act, within the meaning of

Section 17556 of the Government Code. The proposed action will not result in the imposi - tion of other non–discretionary costs or savings to lo - cal agencies. The proposed action will not result in costs or sav - ings in Federal funding to the State. The proposed action will not result in costs to any State agency. The proposed action represents a con - tinuation of existing forest practice regulations related to the conduct of timber operations and will not result in any direct or indirect costs or savings to any state agency.

HOUSING COSTS (PURSUANT TO GOV § 11346.5(A) (12)) The proposed action will not significantly affect housing costs. SIGNIFICANT STATEWIDE ADVERSE ECONOMIC IMPACT DIRECTLY AFFECTING BUSINESS, INCLUDING ABILITY TO COMPETE (PURSUANT TO GOV §§ 11346.3(A), 11346.5(A)

(7) AND 11346.5(A) (8)) The proposed action will not have a significant statewide adverse economic impact directly affecting business, including the ability of California businesses to compete with businesses in other states (by making it costlier to produce goods or services in California). FACTS, EVIDENCE, DOCUMENTS, TESTIMONY, OR OTHER EVIDENCE RELIED UPON TO SUPPORT INITIAL DETERMINATION IN THE NOTICE THAT THE PROPOSED ACTION WILL NOT HAVE A SIGNIFICANT ADVERSE ECONOMIC IMPACT ON BUSINESS (PURSUANT TO GOV § 11346.2(B)

(5) AND GOV § 11346.5(A) (8)) Contemplation by the Board of the economic impact of the provisions of the proposed action through the lens of the decades of contemplating forest practice in California that the Board brings to bear on regulatory development. STATEMENTS OF THE RESULTS OF THE ECONOMIC IMPACT ASSESSMENT (EIA) The results of the economic impact assessment are provided below pursuant to GOV § 11346.5(a) (10) and prepared pursuant to GOV § 11346.3(b) (1) (A)– (D).

The proposed action: ● Will not create jobs within California (GOV § 11346.3(b) (1) (A)); ● Will not eliminate jobs within California (GOV § 11346.3(b) (1) (A)); ● Will not create new businesses (GOV § 11346.3(b) (1) (B)); ● Will not eliminate existing businesses within California (GOV § 11346.3(b) (1) (B)); ● Will not affect the expansion or contraction of businesses currently doing business within Cal - ifornia (GOV § 11346.3(b) (1) (C)); ● Will yield nonmonetary benefits (GOV § 11346.3(b) (1) (D)).

The proposed action will benefit the environment due to wider availabil - ity of ecological restoration prescriptions, and the maintenance of a comprehensive regulatory scheme which allows for the clear and consistent application and enforcement of the Rules, yield - ing non–monetary benefits in accordance with GOV § 11346.3(b) (1) (D). There is no impact on the health and welfare of California residents or on worker safety.

COST IMPACTS ON REPRESENTATIVE PERSON OR BUSINESS (PURSUANT TO GOV § 11346.5(A) (9)) The agency is not aware of any cost impacts that a representative private person or business would nec - essarily incur in reasonable compliance with the pro - posed action. No adverse impacts are to be expected. BUSINESS REPORT (PURSUANT TO GOV §§ 11346.5(A)

(11) AND 11346.3(D)) The proposed action does not impose a business re - porting requirement. SMALL BUSINESS (DEFINED IN GOV 11342.610) The proposed regulation may affect small business, though small businesses, within the meaning of GOV § 11342.610, are not expected to be significantly affect- ed by the proposed action. Small business, pursuant to 1 CCR § 4(a):

(1) Is legally required to comply with the regulation;

CALIFORNIA REGULATORY NOTICE REGISTER 2026, VOLUME NUMBER 28–Z 894