Section 1537.1  Definitions

"Advance Regeneration" – tree seedlings and saplings established and growing in the forest understory.

"Afforestation" – the establishment of forest trees by planting or seeding an area not previously forested.

"Basal Area" or "BA" – a measurement of the cross-sectional area of a tree, taken at breast height (4½ ft.); a term commonly used as a measure of forest density and expressed in square ft./acre.

"Base Cost" – the estimated total cost of work for a practice based on the market.

"Cancel" – the act of an IDNR Forester cancelling a timber grower's Plan and enrollment in the Program due to:

sale of property;

failure to follow or implement required practices;

failure to adhere to 17 Ill. Adm. Code 1536; or

due to a timber grower performing or advocating any act or effort that damages, hinders or destroys forest land or forest resources in the FDA Program.

Cancellation removes a timber grower from the Program, thus preluding any benefits of the FDA Program, including preferential property tax assessment levels guaranteed by the program.

"Compatible Forestry Use" – lands not having productive forest, but that are permanent natural features or land uses that facilitate, compliment or enhance natural wildlife habitat, natural resource conservation or environmental or site quality, such as a rock outcropping, open wetland, natural grassland, firebreak, food plot or pond.

"Contiguous" – continuing without interruption by a nonforestry land use.

"DBH" or "Diameter at Breast Height" – the diameter of a tree's trunk measured at 4½ feet above ground level on the uphill side.

"Desirable Species" – native or adapted forest trees, shrubs and herbs having desirable attributes as forest products and habitat.

"FDA" means the Illinois Forestry Development Act [525 ILCS 15].

"Flat Rate Payment" – a lump sum cost-share payment to a timber grower to cover a portion of the cost of a successfully completed practice, according to 17 Ill. Adm. Code 1536 and the Program Agreement.

"Forest" – a biological community whose dominant vegetation is trees.

"Forestry Best Management Practices" or "BMPs" – practical and economically achievable practices for preventing or reducing nonpoint source pollution.

"Forest Management Plan" or "Plan" – a written forest management planning document required of an entity entering the Program described in 17 Ill. Adm. Code 1536 and prepared, by a timber grower, professional forester or natural resource manager, to guide and direct the use and management of a forest property under the FDA, this Part (Section 1537.60 and Exhibit A, Section VIII) and 17 Ill. Adm. Code 1536.  The Plan must be certified by the IDNR Forester.

"IDNR Forester" – an employee of the Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forest Resources, who is designated by position title as Forest Management Program Manager, Regional Forestry Administrator, Forestry Natural Resource Specialist or Natural Resource Advanced Specialist.

"Practice" – specific activities prescribed to be completed in an effort to improve or enhance the health, composition, quality, regeneration and growth of forests.

"Program" means the Forestry Development Cost-share Program authorized by the FDA and implemented at 17 Ill. Adm. Code 1536.

"Reforestation" – the re-establishment of forest cover by natural or artificial means on areas recently or historically supporting forest cover.

"Regeneration" – the renewal of a tree crop by natural seeding, sprouting, planting, harvesting or other methods; also includes young trees that will develop into the future forest.

"Silviculture" – the art, science and practice of establishing, tending and regenerating forest stands for the production of goods and services; the theory and practice of controlling forest establishment, composition and growth.

"Special Sites" – sites offering unique historical, archaeological, cultural, geological, biological or ecological characteristics.

"Stand" – a group of trees that, because of their similar age, condition, composition, management history and soil characteristics, are logically managed together as a single unit.

"Stocking" – a function of the number of trees, basal area and quadratic mean diameter per acre in a specific forest area compared to the optimal level to best achieve management objectives.  Stocking may be expressed as a percentage or in relative terms such as understocked, fully stocked or overstocked.

"Timber" – trees, standing or felled, and parts of trees, that are capable of attaining a size and form that allows the trees to be sawn into usable lumber products, excluding Christmas tree plantations and woody crops raised primarily or exclusively for use as firewood or biomass.

"Timber Grower" – the owner, tenant or operator of land in this State who has an interest in, or is entitled to receive any part of the proceeds from, the sale of timber grown in this State and includes persons exercising authority to sell timber.

"Timber Stand Improvement" or "TSI" – a combination of intermediate cultural treatments designed to improve the growth, condition and composition of the forest.

"Treatment" – the act or effort of performing and successfully completing a practice or a combination of practices included in the Plan.

"Tree Shelter" – a constructed or commercially purchased shelter that is at least 4' in height designed to protect a tree from wildlife damage and/or enhance growth.  Tree shelters must conform to 17 Ill. Adm. Code 1536.65(c)(1).

"Wetlands" – those areas inundated or saturated by surface water or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted to life in saturated soil conditions.

(Source:  Amended at 41 Ill. Reg. 15790, effective December 18, 2017)