republic-os/legislation/us/states/ca/20232024/ab-2276.md

---
type: "Bill"
title: "Forestry: timber harvesting plans: exemptions."
description: "The Z'berg-Nejedly Forest Practice Act of 1973 prohibits a person from conducting timber operations, as defined, unless a timber harvesting plan prepared by a registered professional forester has been submitted to, and approved by, the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The act authorizes the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection to exempt from some or all of those provisions of the act a person engaging in specified forest management activities, as prescribed, including: (1) , for a period of 5 years following the adoption of emergency regulations, the cutting or removal of trees on the person's property that eliminates the vertical continuity of vegetative fuels and the horizontal continuity of tree crowns for the purpose of reducing flammable materials and maintaining a fuel break, known as the Small Timberland Owner Exemption, (2) , until January 1, 2026, the harvesting of those trees that eliminates the vertical continuity of vegetative fuels and the horizontal continuity of tree crowns for specified purposes, known as the Forest Fire Prevention Exemption, (3) , until January 1, 2026, the cutting or removal of trees on the person's property in compliance with specified defensible space requirements, as provided, and (4) the cutting or removal of trees to restore and conserve California black or Oregon white oak woodlands and associated grasslands."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ca"
legislature: "California Legislature"
session: "20232024"
identifier: "AB 2276"
citation: "California AB 2276 (20232024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Forestry", "exemptions", "timber harvesting plans"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Wood"]
version_count: 9
action_count: 30
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2024-02-08"
last_action: "2024-09-22"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/7feaa144-e1de-4687-919b-78c89143fb96"
source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB2276"
source_hash: "aac1500961cd00c9f60bac6766c24756e5c078b94400edb8e75325d074e20c1b"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ca"]
---

# California AB 2276 (20232024) — Forestry: timber harvesting plans: exemptions.

The Z'berg-Nejedly Forest Practice Act of 1973 prohibits a person from conducting timber operations, as defined, unless a timber harvesting plan prepared by a registered professional forester has been submitted to, and approved by, the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The act authorizes the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection to exempt from some or all of those provisions of the act a person engaging in specified forest management activities, as prescribed, including: (1) , for a period of 5 years following the adoption of emergency regulations, the cutting or removal of trees on the person's property that eliminates the vertical continuity of vegetative fuels and the horizontal continuity of tree crowns for the purpose of reducing flammable materials and maintaining a fuel break, known as the Small Timberland Owner Exemption, (2) , until January 1, 2026, the harvesting of those trees that eliminates the vertical continuity of vegetative fuels and the horizontal continuity of tree crowns for specified purposes, known as the Forest Fire Prevention Exemption, (3) , until January 1, 2026, the cutting or removal of trees on the person's property in compliance with specified defensible space requirements, as provided, and (4) the cutting or removal of trees to restore and conserve California black or Oregon white oak woodlands and associated grasslands.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **02/08/24 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB2276&version=20230AB227699INT)
2. **02/26/24 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB2276&version=20230AB227698AMD)
3. **04/17/24 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB2276&version=20230AB227697AMD)
4. **06/03/24 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB2276&version=20230AB227696AMD)
5. **06/12/24 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB2276&version=20230AB227695AMD)
6. **08/19/24 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB2276&version=20230AB227694AMD)
7. **09/22/24 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB2276&version=20230AB227692CHP)
8. **AB2276** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB2276)
9. **08/29/24 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB2276&version=20230AB227693ENR)

## Votes

- Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar — **11–0** (pass) · lower
- 3rd Reading AB2276 Wood By Dodd — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass. To Consent Calendar. — **14–0** (pass) · lower
- Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Appropriations] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar — **11–0** (pass) · upper
- AB 2276 Wood Concurrence in Senate Amendments — **77–0** (pass) · lower
- AB 2276 Wood Consent Calendar Second Day — **65–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Wood — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2024-02-08** Read first time. To print. `reading-1`
- **2024-02-09** From printer. May be heard in committee March 10.
- **2024-02-26** Referred to Com. on NAT. RES. `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-26** From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on NAT. RES. Read second time and amended. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2`
- **2024-02-27** Re-referred to Com. on NAT. RES. `referral-committee`
- **2024-03-06** In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.
- **2024-04-17** From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on NAT. RES. Read second time and amended. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2`
- **2024-04-18** Re-referred to Com. on NAT. RES. `referral-committee`
- **2024-04-23** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (April 22). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee`
- **2024-05-01** From committee: Do pass. To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (May 1). `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-05-02** Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar. `reading-1, reading-2`
- **2024-05-09** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 65. Noes 0. Page 5159.) `passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2024-05-09** In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. `reading-1`
- **2024-05-22** Referred to Com. on N.R. & W. `referral-committee`
- **2024-06-03** From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on N.R. & W. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2024-06-11** From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (June 11). `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, committee-passage, referral-committee`
- **2024-06-12** Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2024-06-24** From committee: Be ordered to second reading file pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8 and ordered to Consent Calendar. `committee-passage, reading-2`
- **2024-06-25** Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar. `reading-1, reading-2`
- **2024-06-27** From Consent Calendar.
- **2024-06-27** Ordered to third reading.
- **2024-08-19** Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading. `amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2024-08-20** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-1, reading-2`
- **2024-08-26** Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 39. Noes 0.). `passage, reading-1, reading-3`
- **2024-08-26** In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending. May be considered on or after August 28 pursuant to Assembly Rule 77.
- **2024-08-27** Assembly Rule 77 suspended.
- **2024-08-27** Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 77. Noes 0.). `amendment-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-09-05** Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.
- **2024-09-22** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature`
- **2024-09-22** Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 388, Statutes of 2024. `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/7feaa144-e1de-4687-919b-78c89143fb96`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).