Relating to the Texas Farm and Ranch Lands Conservation Program.

Contracts

• Easement Deeds: The "Purpose" clause in conservation easement deeds must be redrafted to explicitly reference "timber use" and "forestry operations" where applicable, mirroring the new language in Section 84.002(1).
• Term Selection: Applicants must make a strategic contractual decision between a perpetual term or a 30-year term. While both are legal, the Council is now statutorily required to weigh the term length in its scoring process; perpetual terms will likely score higher, but 30-year terms are now codified as a distinct option.

Hiring/Training

• Silviculture Expertise: Land trusts and applicants must engage forestry consultants. The required "Resource Management Plan" (RMP) for timberlands will require technical expertise to draft credible silviculture standards that meet Council approval.
• Grant Writers: Staff must be retrained to argue "threat of fragmentation" rather than just agricultural value.

Reporting & Record-Keeping

• Resource Management Plan (RMP): A new, mandatory document. You cannot submit an application without an RMP agreed to by both the landowner and the easement holder, and subsequently approved by the Council.
• Proof of Threat: You must curate an evidentiary file documenting development pressure (e.g., adjacent subdivision plats, zoning changes) to substantiate the "susceptibility to fragmentation" scoring factor.

Fees & Costs

• Consulting Costs: Expect increased operational costs related to hiring forestry experts for RMP drafting.
• No New State Fees: The bill does not impose new filing fees.