§802.10. Transfer; Forestry Commission

A. The Forestry Commission, transferred to the Department of Agriculture and Forestry as provided in R.S. 36:629(N), shall be transferred in accordance with R.S. 36:802, except as specifically provided in this Section.

B. The Forestry Commission shall appoint the state forester as provided in Article IX, Section 8(C) of the Constitution of Louisiana and with the consent of the Senate. He shall serve as the assistant commissioner for the office of forestry and as secretary to the Forestry Commission.

C. All employees of the office of forestry of the Department of Natural Resources are transferred to the office of forestry of the Department of Agriculture and Forestry.

D. An appropriate percentage of the administrative employee positions, and the employees holding those positions, of the Forestry Commission which were transferred to the Department of Natural Resources are transferred to the Department of Agriculture and Forestry. The secretary of natural resources and the commissioner of agriculture and forestry shall jointly determine the appropriate number of administrative positions and personnel to be transferred. This determination and the resulting transfer shall be effected no later than the last day of September of 1986.

E. All funds appropriated to the Forestry Commission and the office of forestry of the Department of Natural Resources shall be transferred to those entities in the Department of Agriculture and Forestry.

F. Any appropriation for Fiscal Year 1986-1987 to the Forestry Commission or the office of forestry within the Department of Natural Resources shall be deemed to be appropriated to those entities within the Department of Agriculture and Forestry.

G. All property and facilities owned and operated by, or leased by or for the Forestry Commission or the office of forestry of the Department of Natural Resources are transferred to those entities within the Department of Agriculture and Forestry.

H. The fleet of airplanes operated by the Forestry Commission and the office of forestry of the Department of Natural Resources is specifically transferred to the Department of Agriculture and Forestry. All airplanes operated by the Department of Agriculture and Forestry shall be under the exclusive jurisdiction of that department. Subject to the provisions of R.S. 2:1, et seq., the department may provide guidelines and procedures for the use and operation of its aircraft.

I. The office of forestry of the Department of Agriculture and Forestry shall be the successor of the office of forestry of the Department of Natural Resources. For purposes of the transfer of functions of the office of forestry from the Department of Natural Resources to the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, the Department of Agriculture and Forestry shall be the successor to the Department of Natural Resources. All unfinished business of the former office and of the former department related thereto shall be completed by, all references in laws and documents to the former office and to the former department related thereto shall be deemed to refer to, and all obligations of the former office and of the former department related thereto shall be the obligations of the successor office and department. All legal proceedings of the former office and of the former department related thereto shall be continued in the name of such former office and department and further proceedings shall be in the name of the successor office and department without the necessity for amendment of any document.

Acts 1986, No. 581, §2, eff. July 2, 1986.