Section 12-6-201. Legislative findings

   The General Assembly finds that:

   (1) The natural occurrence of pine straw constitutes a significant economic resource for owners of timbered property;

   (2) Such owners have been victimized by continuous and repeated trespasses onto their lands by persons engaged in harvesting pine straw and have been deprived of the economic benefit of such resources; and

   (3) The repeated trespasses onto private property by certain persons engaged in the harvesting and baling of pine straw constitute an organized and methodical deprivation of the rights of others, necessitating the enactment of this article.

Code 1981, § 12-6-201, enacted by Ga. L. 1989, p. 386, § 1.