Red Tape Chokes California Lumber Industry
With permit fees ten times more expensive than those in neighboring states, California is driving away timber companies and jobs
California's private forest lands are some of the most productive in the world. But state regulation of timber harvesting practices have become so overbearing and complex that the industry is losing lumber manufacturers by the droves, production has been drastically reduced and nearly 10,000 jobs have been lost.
California's forest land permit fees are 10 times more expensive than the permits of land owners in neighboring states.
California is not only producing a fraction of the wood products consumed by the state. But the timber industry was forced into a compromise by the state and is actually asking for a 1 percent assessment to pay for a review of the process and to provide funds to help reduce the cost of forest restoration and fire protection.