Section 525 ILCS 15/6b - Illinois Forestry Development Council(a) The Illinois Forestry Development Council is created by this amendatory Act of the 96th General Assembly. (b) The Council shall consist of 29 members appointed as follows: (1) four members of the General Assembly, one appointed by the President of the Senate, one appointed by the Senate Minority Leader, one appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and one appointed by the House Minority Leader; (2) one member appointed by the Governor to represent the Governor; (3) the Directors of the Departments of Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the Executive Director of the Illinois Finance Authority, and the Director of the Office of Rural Affairs, or their designees; (4) the chair of the Department of Forestry or a forestry academician, appointed by the Dean of Agricultural Sciences at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale; (5) the head of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences or a forestry academician, appointed by the Dean of Agricultural Consumer and Environmental Sciences of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; (6) two members, appointed by the Governor, who shall be private timber growers; (7) one member, appointed by the president of a statewide association involved in promoting wood products, who shall be involved in primary forest industry; (8) one member, appointed by the president of a statewide association involved in promoting wood products, who shall be involved in secondary forest industry; (9) one member who is actively involved in environmental issues, appointed by the Governor; (10) the president of a statewide association involved in promoting soil and water conservation; (11) two persons who are actively engaged in farming, appointed by the Governor; (12) one member, appointed by the Governor, whose primary area of expertise is urban forestry; (13) one member appointed by the president of a statewide organization of arborists; (14) the Supervisor of the Shawnee National Forest and the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service's State Conservationist, ex officio, or their designees; (15) the president of a statewide association involved in promoting Illinois forestry; (16) the president of a statewide association involved in promoting Illinois walnut trees; (17) the chair of a statewide association involved in promoting Illinois tree farms; (18) the president of a statewide association of American foresters; and (19) the president of a statewide association promoting Illinois wildlife. (c) Members of the Council shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed for actual expenses incurred in the performance of their duties which are not otherwise reimbursed. (d) The Council shall select from its membership a chairperson and such other officers as it considers necessary. Appointees to the Council shall serve for an initial term of 2 years and may be reappointed for one additional term. (e) Other individuals, agencies and organizations may be invited to participate as deemed advisable by the Council. (f) The Council shall study and evaluate the forest resources and forest industry of Illinois. The Council shall: (1) determine the magnitude, nature and extent of the State's forest resources; (2) determine current uses and project future demand for forest products, services and benefits in Illinois; (3) determine and evaluate the ownership characteristics of the State's forests, the motives for forest ownership and the success of incentives necessary to stimulate development of forest resources; (4) determine the economic development and management opportunities that could result from improvements in local and regional forest product marketing and from the establishment of new or additional wood-related businesses in Illinois; (5) confer with and offer assistance to the Illinois Finance Authority relating to its implementation of forest industry assistance programs authorized by the Illinois Finance Authority Act; (6) determine the opportunities for increasing employment and economic growth through development of forest resources; (7) determine the effect of current governmental policies and regulations on the management of woodlands and the location of wood products markets; (8) determine the staffing and funding needs for forest and other conservation programs to support and enhance forest resources development; (9) determine the needs of forest education programs in this State; (10) confer with and offer assistance to the Department of Natural Resources relating to the implementation of urban forest assistance grants pursuant to the Urban and Community Forestry Assistance Act; and (11) determine soil and water conservation benefits and wildlife habitat enhancement opportunities that can be promoted through approved forest management plans. (g) The Council shall report (i) its findings and recommendations for future State action and (ii) its evaluation of Urban/Community Forestry Assistance Grants to the General Assembly no later than July 1 of each year. Added by P.A. 096-0545,§ 5, eff. 8/17/2009, and by P.A. 096-0217,§ 5, eff. 8/10/2009.