Notice is hereby given that the Arkansas Department of Agriculture is amending 17 CAR Pt. 20, Rules of the Arkansas State Board of Registration for Foresters. Act 291 of 2025 amended Arkansas Code § 17-31-105(a) to allow the Arkansas Forestry Commission (Commission) to impose a civil penalty of up to $5,000 for violations related to the unregistered practice of forestry. The act also added Arkansas Code § 17-31-204(d), permitting the Commission to promulgate rules to establish a penalty matrix. Amendments to 17 CAR Pt. 20 are necessary to add the maximum civil penalty amount and a penalty matrix. Amendments to 17 CAR Pt. 20 were also made to list the Arkansas Forestry Commission as the entity responsible for enforcement of the Registration of Foresters Act, Arkansas Code § 17-31-101 et seq., and associated rules, change the title of the rule accordingly, and create the Registered Forester Committee as required by Arkansas Code § 15-31-102(g). Finally, the fee schedule for registered forester certifications, examinations, and renewals was removed to simplify the Arkansas Forestry Commission’s annual fee review required by Arkansas Code §§ 17-31-303(b), -307(f).
A complete copy of the proposed rule amendments is available at https://agriculture.arkansas.gov/resources/public-information/rules/
Interested parties may submit comments to the proposed rule amendments until September 2, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Public comments will be accepted by email to [email protected] or by mail to Arkansas Department of Agriculture, Attn: Matthew M. Ford, 1 Natural Resources Drive, Little Rock, AR 72205. Please identify which Rule that you seek to provide comments. Oral and written comments received during the public comment period will be made part of the record.