A revamped state program which gets more private lands into timber production, ensures more forest planning and offers tax incentives to landowners has seen great gains over its first few months.
The Qualified Forest Program encourages private property owners to manage their forestlands in an economically and environmentally sustainable way according to site-specific forest management plans. In exchange for enrolling their property in the program, landowners receive exemptions from local school operating taxes and the uncapping of the taxable value of property if the land changes ownership.
In June, nine bills were enacted into law which moved the program first started in 2006 from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and changed the way the program is administered.
The new program lowers application fees, requires specific elements for forest management plans, doubles the amount of land private property owners can enroll, requires planned timber harvests to occur within three years and does not require public access to private land.
At a recent hearing before the state’s Natural Resources, Environment and Great Lakes Committee, MDARD’s Rich Harlow said enrollment had increased significantly within the first few months of the program, which became effective June 6.
From The Mining Journal: https://www.miningjournal.net/page/content.detail/id/597492/JUMP-START.html?nav=5006