(1) LIMITATIONS. Cutting shall be limited to trees marked or designated for cutting by a forester employed by the department or by an individual determined by the department to be qualified to do such marking or designating and who is under the oversight of a forester employed by the department. The department may sell products removed in cultural or salvage cuttings and standing timber designated in timber sale contracts, but all sales shall be based on tree scale or on the scale, measure or count of the cut products. The department may require that a person purchasing products or standing timber under a timber sale contract provide surety for the proper performance of the contract either directly or through a bond furnished by a surety company authorized to do business in this state. (2) PROCEDURE. Any sale of cut products or stumpage with either an estimated volume of at least 500 cord equivalents or an estimated value of at least $10,000 requires approval of the secretary and shall be by public sale. Before the department may sell timber that meets the volume or value threshold under this subsection, it shall announce the sale through 2 publications of a classified advertisement announcing the sale in a newspaper having general circulation in the county in which the timber to be sold is located. (3) COOPERATING FORESTERS. (a) The department shall, by rule, establish a program that allows private cooperating foresters to assist the state in the harvesting and sale of timber from state forest lands to meet the annual allowable timber harvest established under s. 28.025. The rule shall include provisions authorizing the department to contract with cooperating foresters for the purpose of harvesting and selling timber from state forest lands and authorizing cooperating foresters to receive a portion of the proceeds from each timber sale. The department shall establish in the rule a method for determining what portion of the proceeds received from each timber sale shall be paid to the private cooperating foresters for their services in assisting the division in the harvesting and sale of timber from state forest lands. The division shall ask the council on forestry to recommend a method for determining what portion of the proceeds received from each timber sale shall be paid to private cooperating foresters under the rule. (am) The department shall, by rule, establish a program that allows cooperating foresters and private contractors to assist the state in regenerating harvested areas of state lands to meet the annual allowable timber harvest established under s. 28.025. The rule shall include provisions authorizing the department to contract with cooperating foresters and private contractors to conduct activities that promote artificial and natural forest regeneration including site preparation, invasive species control, and tree planting. The rule shall authorize cooperating foresters and private contractors with whom the department contracts under this paragraph to receive a portion of the proceeds from the sale of timber harvested from state lands on which the cooperating forester or private contractor provided assistance under the contract. (b) 1. Each private cooperating forester with whom the de- partment contracts under par. (a) to harvest and sell timber from state forest lands shall be entitled to receive a portion of the proceeds from the sale of such timber in the amount determined by the department under par. (a). 2. Each cooperating forester or private contractor with whom the department contracts under par. (am) shall be entitled to receive the amount determined by the department as specified in the rule promulgated by the department under par. (am). (c) Of the amount received by the department from each timber sale for which the department used the services of a cooperating forester or a private contractor under this subsection, the department shall credit to the appropriation account under s. 20.370 (2) (cy) an amount equal to the portion of the sale proceeds that the department is required to pay to the cooperating forester or private contractor.
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