Maine § 8884. - Annual wood processing reports

§ 8884.. Annual wood processing reports

1.  Wood processor reports.  Owners or operators of all roundwood processing operations shall submit an annual report to the director of the bureau during the month of January for the roundwood used or processed by the operation during the preceding year. The report shall specify the amount of roundwood processed by species and county where cut from the stump.

1-A.  Reclaimed waste wood and cedar waste report. 

2.  Imports and exports.  Persons, firms, corporations or companies selling forest products out of the State or buying forest products to bring into the State shall submit an annual report to the director of the bureau during the month of January for the forest products sold out of the State or brought into the State. The report must also identify the origin of imported forest products by state or country, the county in the State in which exported forest products were harvested and the destination of exported forest products by state or country.

3.  Confidentiality.  Information collected by the bureau under this section is public except for:

A. Volumes of forest products;   [PL 2013, c. 513, §2 (NEW).]

B. Species of forest products;   [PL 2013, c. 513, §2 (NEW).]

C. Types of forest products;   [PL 2013, c. 513, §2 (NEW).]

D. County of origin of forest products; and   [PL 2013, c. 513, §2 (NEW).]

E. Personally identifying information of forest product suppliers to roundwood processing operations and importers and exporters of forest products.   [PL 2013, c. 513, §2 (NEW).]

Summary reports that use aggregate data that do not reveal the activities of an individual person or firm are public records.  

3-A.  Disclosure of confidential information.  Notwithstanding subsection 3, confidential information may be disclosed pursuant to this subsection.

A. The director of the bureau may disclose information designated as confidential under subsection 3 to the United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station when that entity, in the opinion of the director, requires that information and the bureau and that entity have executed a confidentiality agreement that protects against further disclosure of that information except in summary reports that use aggregate data that do not reveal the activities of an individual person or firm.   [PL 2023, c. 495, §1 (NEW).]

B. The director of the bureau may not disclose information furnished by a state or federal agency when that information has been designated as confidential by the furnishing agency unless the furnishing agency authorizes the disclosure.   [PL 2023, c. 495, §1 (NEW).]

A recipient of information pursuant to paragraph A or B may not disclose or use the information except as authorized by the director of the bureau, and the information remains confidential and the property of the bureau.  

4.  Penalties.   A person who:

A. Fails to submit a report pursuant to this section commits a civil violation for which a fine of not more than $1,000 for each failure may be adjudged; or   [PL 2023, c. 495, §2 (NEW).]

B. Receives confidential information pursuant to subsection 3-A and uses that information for a purpose other than that authorized by the director of the bureau commits a civil violation for which a fine of not more than $1,000 may be adjudged.   [PL 2023, c. 495, §2 (NEW).]

5.  Report.  If the bureau provides a report related to wood processor reports received by the bureau in accordance with subsection 1 to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over forestry management matters, the bureau shall also submit a copy of the report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over energy matters.