Silviculture emergency recovery program.

(1) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term:

(a) “Bona fide farm operation” means a farm operation engaged in a good faith commercial agricultural use of land on land classified as agricultural pursuant to s. 193.461 that produces agricultural products within the definition of agriculture under s. 570.02.

(b) “Declared emergency” means an emergency for which a state of emergency is declared pursuant to s. 252.36 or s. 570.07(21).

(c) “Department” means the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

(d) “Program” means the silviculture emergency recovery program.

(2) USE OF GRANT FUNDS; GRANT TERMS.—

(a) The silviculture emergency recovery program is established within the department to administer a grant program to assist timber landowners whose timber land was damaged as a result of a declared emergency. Grants provided to eligible timber landowners must be used for:

1. Timber stand restoration, including downed tree removal on land which will retain the existing trees on site which are lightly or completely undamaged;

2. Site preparation and tree replanting; or

3. Road and trail clearing on private timber lands to provide emergency access and facilitate salvage operations.

(b) Only timber land located on lands classified as agricultural lands under s. 193.461 is eligible for the program.

(c) The department shall coordinate with state agencies and other entities to ensure to the greatest extent possible that timber landowners have access to the maximum financial assistance available following a specified declared emergency. The coordination must endeavor to ensure that there is no duplication of financial assistance between these funds and other funding sources, such as any federal or other state programs, including public assistance requests to the Federal Emergency Management Agency or financial assistance from the United States Department of Agriculture, which would render the approved applicant ineligible for other financial assistance.

(d) The department is authorized to adopt rules to implement this section, including emergency rules. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, emergency rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are effective for 6 months after adoption and may be renewed during the pendency of procedures to adopt permanent rules addressing the subject of the emergency rules.