9-0705 - Regional forest practice boards.
§ 9-0705. Regional forest practice boards. A regional forest practice board shall be established in each of the forest regions provided for in section 9-0703. A regional forest practice board shall consist of not less than three members from each county within the forest region which has appointed its members but no regional forest practice board shall consist of less than five members. The members from each county shall be appointed by the chairman of the board of supervisors of each county with the approval of the board of supervisors, except in a county having a county president, a county executive or other chief executive officer, and in any such county, such president, county executive or other chief executive officer shall appoint the members representing such county with the approval of the board of supervisors of such county. In a county having an elected legislative body the presiding officer shall appoint the members representing such county with the approval of the legislative body. If there is no presiding officer then the members representing such county shall be appointed by the legislative body as a whole. One of the members may be a member of the board of supervisors or of the elected legislative body. At least two-thirds of the members shall be individual owners or representatives of corporate owners of forest or farm woodland in the county, except the members of the regional forest practice boards representing Suffolk, Nassau, Queens, Kings, Bronx, New York, and Richmond counties. At least two-thirds of the members of the regional forest practice boards representing the above listed counties shall be individual owners or representatives of corporate owners of forest or farm woodland in the state. The chairman of the fish and wild life regional board of a region encompassing a forest region and the chairman of each soil conservation district within a forest region, or their representatives shall be ex-officio members without vote. The term of office of any supervisor or member of the county legislative body appointed to a regional forest practice board shall be two years unless he shall cease to be a member of the board of supervisors or county legislative body within such two years in which event his membership on the regional forest practice board shall expire on the date he shall cease to be a member of the board of supervisors or county legislative body. The term of office of the other members of a regional forest practice board shall be three years. All terms shall commence on the date of the approval of the respective appointments by the board of supervisors or county legislative body. Any vacancy in the membership of a regional forest practice board shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment for the balance of the unexpired term during which such vacancy occurs. Any regional forest practice board shall be deemed to be in existence and qualified to function when any county in any such region shall have provided its representation. Each regional forest practice board shall elect from its members, a chairman, a representative and alternate representative to the state forest practice board, and may elect a secretary and a treasurer. The term of each officer shall be for three years. The regional forester or equivalent department officer however may serve as secretary of the board if the board so requests. A board of supervisors or county legislative body of any county, may, by resolution, appropriate from county funds and pay to each member of a regional forest practice board from such county all expenses necessarily incurred by him in the execution of his duties as a member of a regional forest practice board. Members of a regional forest practice board shall be paid necessary travel expenses incurred in attending meetings of the board. Such expenses shall be paid from moneys appropriated to the department for travel and shall be paid on voucherscertified by the chairman of the regional forest practice board upon audit of the comptroller in the manner provided by law.