Timber scaling assessments to be split between buyer and seller

On Wednesday, the Senate Resources and Environment Committee approved a bill to provide a funding source for a tiny state agency responsible for making qualified assessments of timber volume. The bill would divide the cost of such assessments between timber owners and timber purchasers. Currently, only the purchaser pays the fee. The bill is supported by a number of timber industry organizations, with supportive testimony offered by the Intermountain Forestry Association and the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation.