Enacts the Old Growth Forest Protection Act to provide protection for state-owned forestland in their natural state prohibiting extractive logging and clearcutting in any forest on state-owned land.

Plain-English Summary: Old Growth Forest Protection Act (RI)

This bill, called the Old Growth Forest Protection Act, would create new rules protecting forests located on land owned by the state of Rhode Island. Specifically, it would ban two practices on all state-owned forestland: extractive logging (removing large amounts of timber for commercial or industrial purposes) and clearcutting (cutting down all or most of the trees in an area at once). The goal is to preserve these forests in their natural condition.

The bill would primarily affect state agencies and any private companies or contractors that currently have or might seek permission to conduct logging operations on state-owned land. It would restrict what those parties are allowed to do on that land going forward. Everyday Rhode Islanders who enjoy state forests for hiking, recreation, or wildlife viewing could see those areas remain more densely wooded and undisturbed as a result.

It's worth noting that the bill applies specifically to state-owned land, so it would not place any new restrictions on privately owned forests or timber operations on private property. The bill has been introduced and sent to the Senate Environment and Agriculture Committee, where lawmakers will review it before deciding whether to advance it further in the legislative process.