| (1) | The Council may elect an executive committee. |
| (2) | The chairperson of the Council must be the chairperson of the executive committee. |
| (3) | The Council must establish— |
as permanent committees of the Council.
| (4) | The permanent committees must include persons representing the interest groups referred to in section 34(2) and— |
| (a) | in the case of the Committee for Sustainable Forest Management, a representative of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism appointed by its Director-General; |
| (b) | in the case of the Committee on Forest Access, one or more representatives of voluntary associations interested in recreational activities in forests appointed in terms of subsection (9). |
| (5) | The functions of the Committee for Sustainable Forest Management are to advise— |
| (a) | the Council, the Department and the Minister on all aspects of sustainable If forest management in the Republic; |
| (b) | the Department and the Minister on the determination of criteria, indicators and standards for sustainable forest management; |
| (c) | the Department on convening forums for interested persons to participate in the formulation of criteria, indicators and standards. |
| (6) | The functions of the Committee on Forest Access are to advise the Council, the Department and the Minister on— |
[Words preceding section 36(6)(a) substituted by section 11 of the National Forests Amendment Act, 2022 (Act No. 1 of 2022), Notice No. 1131, GG46650, dated 1 July 2022 - effective 4 December 2024 per Commencement Proclamation 233 of 2024]
| (b) | promoting the grant and exercise of access to forests; |
| (c) | promoting education on the sustainable management and use of forests; |
| (a) | A decision on advice to be provided to the Minister by a permanent committee must be reached on the basis of unanimity. |
| (b) | If unanimity is not reached, the Minister must consider all the views expressed in the committee as conveyed by the chairperson of the committee. |
| (8) | The Council may establish other committees. |
| (9) | The Council may, with the approval of the Minister, appoint to one of the permanent committees or to a committee contemplated in subsection (8), persons who are not members of the Council but who may assist the committee in the performance of its functions. |
| (10) | The Council must designate one member of each committee as the chairperson 3 and one member as the vice-chairperson. |
