Title 2, Title 2 and Forestry

Any sums received by the state as the proceeds resulting from the condemnation by the federal government, or any agency or agent of the federal government, of any lands, under the jurisdiction of the department of environmental management shall be deposited in the general fund.

For the purpose of this chapter: (1) “Authorized representative” means anyone recognized and/or appointed and/or commissioned by the director of the department of environmental management to exercise and pursue the laws, rules and regulations intended by this chapter. (2) “Author…

For the purpose of investigating the causes of fire, the fire chiefs shall have the power to subpoena witnesses.

The general assembly shall annually appropriate any sums that it may deem necessary in carrying out the provisions of this chapter and chapter 12 of this title and the state controller is authorized and directed to draw his or her orders upon the general treasurer for the payment…

The local chief shall be elected, appointed, or designated by the procedure established and within the framework spelled out in the fire company or fire district, city or town charter, by-laws, constitution, or any other existing format for appointment of a fire chief. The fire c…

Each fire chief, senior officer, and employee of any fire chief or senior officer shall receive an hourly rate equivalent to the existing state minimum hourly wage as prescribed by the minimum wage law, chapter 12 of title 28. Payment will be for his or her actual services render…

During a period of drought, the local fire chief or senior officer in the fire company may require and request their fire personnel to patrol their districts, provided approval for the patrolling is first obtained from the director of the department of environmental management an…

Within two (2) weeks after any forest fire, the local fire chief of the local fire district in which the fire occurs shall mail a report of the fire to the director of the department of environmental management using the printed form furnished for that purpose. In case any local …

Of the money required for all payments for the property used, and services rendered in extinguishing forest fires, fifty percent (50%) shall be paid by the state to the local fire company or fire district. The payment for work done in preventing and extinguishing forest fires sha…

The clerical work, posters, signs, printed matter and other supplies furnished by the director of the department of environmental management under this chapter and chapter 12 of this title, may be paid for out of the appropriation made as prescribed in § 2-11-11; provided, that a…

Every fire chief or senior officer shall, when on duty, wear in plain sight a badge inscribed with the state seal and the words fire chief or senior officer.

The fire chiefs shall enforce all laws relating to forest fires, and shall not be required to give surety for costs upon any complaint made by him or her. The fire chiefs shall have the power to arrest without a warrant any person detected in the act of setting or maintaining fir…

For the purposes of this chapter: (1) “Authorized representative” means anyone recognized and/or appointed and/or commissioned by the director of the department of natural resources to exercise and pursue the laws, rules and regulations intended by this chapter. (2) “Authorized s…

(a) Any person being upon the land of another, or upon any highway adjacent to this land, who carelessly sets or maintains, or causes to be set or maintained, fire upon the land of another, shall, upon conviction, be punished by a fine of not less than twenty-five dollars ($25.00…

If a fire occurs in woodland, the fire chief, and the senior officer of the district in which the fire occurs, shall immediately take any measures that may be necessary, including backfiring and plowing, to control or extinguish the fire, and shall investigate the causes of fire …

Notices containing a statement of §§ 2-12-6, 2-12-8, 2-12-10 — 2-12-12, and § 2-12-19, furnished by the director of the department of environmental management, shall be posted in suitable places by the fire chief.

(a) Whenever in his or her opinion an unusual forest fire hazard exists, the director of environmental management shall notify the governor, who has the authority to forbid by proclamation, any person or persons entering forests, woodlands or open lands in any parts of the state …

Whenever during an open season for the hunting of any kind of game, or for fishing for any kind of fish, it appears to the governor that by reason of extreme drought the presence of hunters and persons fishing is likely to cause forest fires, he or she may, by proclamation, suspe…

Whenever, in his or her opinion, an unusual forest fire hazard exists, the governor shall in writing, notify the director of environmental management, and shall likewise notify the director when in his or her opinion the hazard has ceased to exist. Between the dates of the receip…

Between the dates the state shall, upon vouchers approved by the director of environmental management and out of the appropriation provided for by § 2-11-11, pay fully, at the rate of the existing minimum wage per hour as set by the minimum wage law, all persons not resident of t…

No action of trespass shall lie against any person crossing or working upon the land of another to extinguish fire or to the director of environmental management or his or her representatives from crossing or working upon lands of another to investigate fire.

All fines recovered by virtue of this chapter and chapter 11 of this title shall be equally divided between the complainant and the forest fire district in which the offense was committed, and all prosecutions shall be commenced within three (3) years after the commission of the …

It is the duty of the director of the department of environmental management or his or her duly authorized representative to enforce the provisions of this chapter and chapter 11 of this title and to prosecute any person, firm or corporation who, in his or her opinion, is guilty …

The director of environmental management may purchase any special forest fire equipment and supplies that in his or her judgment may be necessary to promptly and quickly extinguish forest fires occurring in the more heavily wooded areas of the state, and the equipment and supplie…

Every person, firm, corporation or public agency who maintains a dump on owned, rented or leased property is liable in a civil action for the payment to the state or fire company for the expenses incurred by the fire chief or senior officer, or any other authorized forest fire of…

(a) In lieu of any civil action that may be brought for the payment to the state or fire company for expenses incurred by a fire chief or senior officer, or authorized forest fire official in attending and suppressing a forest fire, the director of the department of environmental…

(a)(1) For the purpose of protecting the forests from fire, the director of environmental management may expend, within the amount appropriated, a sum sufficient to establish, equip and maintain lookout stations, may purchase or lease necessary land and purchase material, contrac…

The director of environmental management may, from time to time, call together the city or town and district fire chiefs and senior officers of the several cities and towns at places as he or she may designate, for conference and for instruction in methods of forest fire suppress…

The director of the department of environmental management may make any rules and regulations, not inconsistent with law, that in his or her judgment may be helpful in carrying out the provisions of this chapter and of preventing and suppressing forest fires.

Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, no person shall burn any flammable material on or adjacent to forest land without a written permit from the director of the department of environmental management or, his or her authorized representative, on forms prepared and under r…

The provisions of § 2-12-6 do not apply to fires set or maintained in accordance with regulations approved by the director of the department of environmental management or his or her duly authorized representative, or to any act that may be done under authority given to any incor…

The director of environmental management or any employee of the department authorized by him or her has the powers and is subject to the duties and obligations specified in chapter 7 of title 12 in dealing with any violations of the provisions of chapters 9, 10, 11, 12 and 15 of …

(a) A person shall not: (1) Dispose of a lighted match, cigarette, cigar, ashes or other flaming or glowing substance or any other substance or thing that is likely to ignite a forest, brush, grass or woods fire, or throw or drop from a moving vehicle any of those objects or subs…

The governor having entered on behalf of this state into a compact, substantially in the following form, with one or more of the states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont and with such other states of the United States or provinces of the D…

The controller of the state of Rhode Island is authorized and empowered from time to time to examine the accounts and books of the commission, including its receipts, disbursements and any other items referring to its financial standing that the controller deems proper and to rep…

When the compact is ratified by any of the states of the United States that may legally join in the compact in accordance with the constitution and laws of that state or by any of the provinces of the dominion of Canada, in accordance with the laws of Canada, then the compact bec…

The original notice of ratification received from the governor or other authorized official of any state or province joining in the compact shall be filed with the official copy of the compact in the office of the secretary of state of this state, and the notice, if any, as may b…

The governor shall designate and appoint three (3) members, called commissioners, of the northeastern forest fire protection commission. One of those commissioners shall always be the director of environmental management or an officer holding an equivalent position who is respons…

Each member of the commission shall receive his or her expenses actually and necessarily incurred by him or her in the performance of his or her duties and ten dollars ($10.00) per day as compensation, except that any member of the commission employed by the state of Rhode Island…

There is granted to the commission and the commissioners all powers provided for in the compact and all the powers necessary or incidental to the carrying out of the compact. All officers of the state of Rhode Island are authorized and directed to do all things necessary or incid…

The commission shall formulate and put into effect a forest fire plan and integrate the forest fire plan with the regional plan recommended by the compact commission. The plan shall include a reasonable effort to establish and maintain any adequate forest fire fighting services t…

Any powers granted to the commission shall be regarded as in aid of and supplemental to and in no case a limitation upon any of the powers vested in the commission by other laws of the state of Rhode Island or by the laws of the states signatory to the compact or by the congress …

The commission shall keep accurate accounts of all receipts and disbursements and shall report to the governor and the legislature of the state of Rhode Island on or before the 10th day of January in each year, setting forth in detail the transactions conducted by it during the t…

Wherever in this chapter the term “tree warden” is used, it means the tree warden appointed by any town or city as provided in §§ 2-14-2 and 2-14-3.

Each town or city may appropriate annually sums of money to be expended by the tree warden of a town or city in the planting, trimming, spraying, care, and preservation of shrubs or ornamental or shade trees within the limits of any public highway or grounds under his or her cont…

The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to the city of Providence, and this chapter shall in no way affect the provisions of chapter 1479 of the public laws, 1907, entitled “An act providing for the care and preservation of shade trees, and for other purposes, in the city …