(a)
On or before July 1, 2020, the Forest Management Task Force or its successor entity shall, in consultation with the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, the Joint Institute for Wood Products Innovation in the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, private industry, investors, and other stakeholders it deems appropriate, develop recommendations for siting additional wood product manufacturing facilities in the state. These recommendations shall include, but are not limited to, all of the following:
(1)
A financially viable proposal for the development and construction of at least one new mass timber production facility that can manufacture mass timber panels
that can be cross or dowel laminated or use similar mass timber technology.
(2)
The identification and proposal of the necessary incentives needed to attract private investment to construct such a mass timber production facility in California.
(3)
The identification of other former manufacturing or wood processing sites that may be suitable for future investment.
(b)
In developing the recommendations pursuant to subdivision (a), it is the intent of the Legislature that the location and activities of the mass timber production facilities, to the extent feasible, meet all of the following:
(1)
Be adjacent to a high or very high fire hazard severity zone, as
identified by the department, and be capable of processing materials generated as a result of fuel treatments or other forest management practices.
(2)
Generate mass timber workforce training and job creation opportunities.
(3)
Be located in, or be proximate to, areas that are near the locations of large landscape fires of greater than 50,000 acres that have occurred since 2005 and in areas identified as federal opportunity zones or in areas that have an average household income of at least 5 percent below the state’s median household income.
