4 Va. Admin. Code § 10-20-20

Current through Register Vol. 41, No. 8, December 2, 2024

Section 4VAC10-20-20 - Technical standards for classification of real estate devoted to forest use

A. The area must be a minimum of 20 acres and must meet the following standards to qualify for forestry use.

B. Productive forest land.

The real estate sought to be qualified shall be devoted to forest use which has existent on it, and well distributed, commercially valuable trees of any size sufficient to compose at least 40% normal stocking of forest trees, as shown in Table 1. Land devoted to forest use that has been recently harvested of merchantable timber, is being regenerated into a new forest and not currently developed for nonforest use shall be eligible. To be qualified the land must be growing a commercial forest crop that is physically accessible for harvesting when mature.

C. Nonproductive forest land.

The land sought to be qualified is land devoted to forest use but which is not capable of growing a crop of industrial wood because of inaccessibility or adverse site conditions such as steep outcrops of rock, shallow soil on steep mountain sides, excessive steepness, heavily eroded areas, coastal beach sand, tidal marsh and other conditions which prohibit the growth and harvesting of a crop of trees suitable for commercial use.

D. Definitions.

1. Tree. A tree is a single woody stem of a species presently or prospectively suitable for commercial industrial wood products.

2. Stocking. Stocking is the number of trees three inches and larger in diameter breast high (d.b.h.- a point on the tree trunk outside bark 4 1/2 feet from ground level) required to equal a total basal area (b.a. is the area in square feet of a cross section of a tree at d.b.h.) of 75 square feet per acre, or where such trees are not present, there shall be present tree seedlings, or tree seedlings and trees in any combination sufficient to meet the 40% stocking set forth in Table 1.

Table 1 Minimum Number of Trees Required Per Acre to Determine 30 Square Feet of Tree Basal Area of 40% Stocking for Classification as Forest Land.
D.B.H. Range	D.B.H. in 2" Classes	Basal Area Per Tree	Per Acre	Per 1/5 Acre	Per 1/10 Acre
up to 2.9"	Seedlings	400	80	40
3.0-4.9"	4	0.0873	400	80	40
5.0-6.9"	6	0.1964	153	31	15
7.0-8.9"	8	0.3491	86	17	9
9.0-10.9"	10	0.5454	55	11	6
11.0-12.9"	12	0.7854	38	8	4
13.0-14.9"	14	0.0690	28	6	3
15.0-+	16+	1.3963	21	4	2

NOTE:

(a) Area 1/5; acre; circle, diameter 105'4"; square 93'4" per side

(b) Area 1/10 acre; circle, diameter 74'6"; square 66'

(c) Number of seedlings present may qualify on a percentage basis; Example, 100 seedlings would be equivalent of 7.5 square feet of basal area (25% X 30 = 7.5).

(d) Seedlings per acre are based on total pine and hardwood stems. Where intensive pine management is practiced a minimum of 250 well distributed loblolly or white pine seedlings will qualify.

4 Va. Admin. Code § 10-20-20

Derived from VR312-01-02 § 1, eff. January 1, 1989.

Statutory Authority

§§ 58.1-3230 and 58.1-3240 of the Code of Virginia.