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Virginia Administrative Code
Title 4. Conservation And Natural Resources
11/21/2024

4VAC10. Department of Forestry

VAC AGENCY NO. 10

DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY

AGENCY SUMMARY

The State Forester supervises and directs all forest interests and all matters pertaining to forestry within the Commonwealth. Code of Virginia, Title 10.1, Chapter 11, Article 2.

The Department of Forestry is authorized to promulgate regulations related to duties or powers given to the department or the State Forester in Chapter 11 of Title 10.1 of the Code of Virginia. The department is responsible for and authorized in the indicated article of Chapter 11 of Title 10.1 of the Code of Virginia to: manage, develop and utilize any lands purchased, leased or otherwise acquired as state forests (Article 2); develop and administer forest management plans on state-owned lands (Article 3); develop and execute forest protection through forest fire prevention, forest fire detection, and forest fire suppression to cities and counties (Article 4); ensure the delivery of technical forestry services to landowners (Article 5); appoint and commission individuals as forest wardens to enforce the forest laws (Article 6); develop a certified prescribed burning manager program (Article 6.1); issue special use permits for horse-back riding, biking, fishing, hunting or trapping in state forests (Article 7); advise the Governor of serious fire hazard conditions in the Commonwealth and recommend prohibition of all open burning and the closing of hunting and fishing seasons where extraordinary fire hazards exist (Article 8); administer and enforce seed tree provisions to ensure that certain species may regenerate (Article 9); administer the cost-sharing system that promotes the reforestation of timberlands (Article 10); investigate insect infestations and disease infections affecting stands of forest trees and devise control measures for interested persons (Article 11); monitor, counsel and, if necessary, issue special orders related to any silvicultural activity which is causing or is likely to cause water pollution (Article 12); and maintain and make available to the public a list of all persons who satisfy the criteria for exemption from the requirements for Forester title (Article 13).

The department is authorized to prescribe standards for purposes of tax assessment for the classification of real property on the basis of forest use. Code of Virginia, Title 58.1, Chapter 32, Article 4.

The department is authorized to receive taxes collected from forest products' industries and credited by the Comptroller as special revenues, to the Reforestation of Timberlands State Fund of the department on forest products of pine pursuant to § 58.1-1604, and authorized to use the funds for the sole purpose of reforesting privately owned timberlands in the Commonwealth as provided by Article 10, § 10.1-1170 et seq.

The department operates under the supervision of the Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry. Regulations and forms are available at the department's office at 900 Natural Resources Drive, Suite 800, Charlottesville, VA 22903. Internet address: www.dof.virginia.gov

Rev. 07/2024

Website addresses provided in the Virginia Administrative Code to documents incorporated by reference are for the reader's convenience only, may not necessarily be active or current, and should not be relied upon. To ensure the information incorporated by reference is accurate, the reader is encouraged to use the source document described in the regulation.

As a service to the public, the Virginia Administrative Code is provided online by the Virginia General Assembly. We are unable to answer legal questions or respond to requests for legal advice, including application of law to specific fact. To understand and protect your legal rights, you should consult an attorney.