News from myminnesotawoods.org

If you’d like to pay higher taxes and don’t like the idea of a free consultation with a local forestry professional, a written plan for your woodland may not be for you. Otherwise, this post will help you understand these and other benefits. It will also describe your different options to get a plan.

Benefits of a written plan

Minnesota’s new lower property tax class requires a written plan. In order to qualify for Minnesota’s new lower woodland tax rate, you must have a current written forest management plan. Likewise for Minnesota’s Sustainable Forests Incentive Act, which provides annual per-acre payments.

Because both programs provide significant financial benefits, many woodland owners are expected to request a new Forest Stewardship plan in the coming months. The sooner you get on the list, the better.

Possible income tax benefit. As Mike Reichenbach writes in our ongoing Income Taxes and Family Forests series, a current written plan can be one important factor in your eligibility to write off woodland expenses on your federal income tax.

Free consultation with a local professional forester. Although written plans are not legally binding, they’re a great source of practical advice to help achieve your vision. A good plan will focus on your family’s specific vision and goals for your property. These goals may include wildlife habitat improvement, recreational uses, woodland improvement, income from timber harvesting, or other activities.

Some plans are written by Department of Natural Resources foresters, others by private consulting foresters. In either case, you get free advice from a professional based on your vision and desire for the future of the property.

Different ways to get a written plan

In order to qualify for most property tax, cost share, and incentive payment programs, plans generally must be written by a natural resource professional. There are at least two ways to obtain a plan:

1. Call your local DNR - Forestry Area Office and sign up for a free plan. If you have 20 or more wooded acres in Minnesota, you’re eligible for a free Forest Stewardship Plan (read more about Forest Stewardship Plans here.) DNR foresters prepare some plans themselves, but also administer contracts with approved local private-sector professionals to write plans. Either way, you’ll be contacted when your name gets to the top of the list.

2. Contact a local private-sector forester directly. Many private-sector foresters have active Forest Stewardship contracts and may be able to provide plans for free under that program. If not, paying for a plan is a small investment (typically a few hundred dollars, depending on property size) that will pay for itself very quickly through the programs described above.

Demand for written plans is expected to be very high over the next year or two. Working directly with a paid private-sector professional may be a way to get your plan completed quickly.

To find a professional, visit the Minnesota Association of Consulting Foresters or check our forestry professionals page.

To review: Written woodland management plans make you eligible for a number of financial benefits. These benefits include low property tax rates, incentive payments, and cost-sharing for woodland improvement practices.

You can get a written plan for free or for a small investment either from your local DNR-Forestry office or from a local forestry professional. Demand for plans is expected to be very high over the next year or two, so the sooner you get on the list, the sooner you’ll be eligible for the many benefits already described.

Two months ago, we asked MyMinnesotaWoods.org readers to help us write this story. Thank you to all who responded! Based on our readers’ suggestions, here’s our list:

1. Know what you - and your family - love most about your land. What’s your vision for the future of your land? Do you want more wildlife, more big trees, a quiet refuge, ski trails, a source of income, or something else? All of the above?

Developing a vision for the future of your land is an important step. This vision needs to be based in reality, both in terms of local ecology and also your family’s long-term interest in owning and caring for the land.

What to do: It may seem overly formal, but writing down your vision and talking to your family is a crucial step in achieving it.

2. Know how your woodland is naturally changing. Forests are constantly changing. Trees grow, trees die, wind and ice take trees down, insects come and go, climate changes…. All of these changes can affect not only the future of your woodland, but the value of your land and timber.

Sustainable forest management works with the natural forces in your woods. The more you know about these forces of change, the more you can guide that change to meet your objectives.

What to do: Careful observation of your land can be a great place to start. Watch carefully for which trees are dying, which trees are taking their place, what insects are present, which stands are overcrowded, and so on. Not sure how to interpret the changes? Talk to a professional forester.

3. Get a free Forest Stewardship Plan for your property. Forest Stewardship Plans are prepared by local professional foresters. Your plan will include a detailed inventory of your wooded property, including species, ages, stand histories, and more. You’ll also get information about the ecology of your landscape.

Your plan will include specific recommendations for each wooded stand based on your unique objectives. Every plan is specific to the property and the landowner. Whether your focus is wildlife, recreation, big trees, timber, or something else, the plan will recommend ways to get more of it, faster.

Your plan is not binding, but will be helpful as you plan for the future of your land. A current Forest Stewardship Plan is also a requirement for many cost-share and incentive payment programs

What to do: To sign up, contact your local Minnesota DNR Forestry Area Office. The best part? It’s FREE.

4. Know where to find financial and professional help. Local professionals can tell you about cost-share opportunities (to help pay for wildlife habitat improvement, tree planting, woodland improvement, and more). They can help you interpret changes in your land, tell you how wood products markets are changing, and more.

A local professional forester can plug you in to programs like the Sustainable Forests Incentive Act, which provides incentive payments to promote sound forest stewardship and keeping land forested. They can also help you understand recent changes to Minnesota’s woodland tax provisions.

Finally, if you choose to sell timber, a professional forester can help ensure that you receive top dollar, and also that you’re happy with your woods after the harvest.

What to do: Read about some organizations that may be available to help you, or read about different sources of professional help.

5. Get to know other local landowners. Minnesota has at least 20 local private woodland committees, councils, forest landowner co-operatives, and local chapters of the Minnesota Forestry Association (MFA).

You should also know about the Woodland Advisor program. The program offers between 50 and 75 classroom and field workshops every year for family forest owners. The program is managed by Extension, the Minnesota DNR, MFA, and numerous other private and public partners.

Workshops are offered in partnership with local organizations. These events can be an excellent opportunities to meet local landowners and professionals and get answers to your questions.

What to do: For a list of local woodland organizations, visit MFA’s website and click “chapters” on the left.

Add your thoughts: What resources have you found most helpful? What have we missed? Leave a comment to help others learn from your experience.

The proposed 2009 Federal budget would include major cuts in private forest stewardship and protection programs. These programs are of great interest to family forest owners. They fund the development of forest stewardship plans by professional foresters, cost sharing, and education.

The magnitude of the cuts varies by program, but will have a broad impact. According to the Portland (Maine) Press Herald, funding for state and private forest programs would drop more than $100 million, about 58 percent.

Cuts in the Forest Legacy program are even greater, estimated at about 85% according to National Woodlands magazine.

About these programs:

The Forest Stewardship Program provides technical assistance, through State forestry agency partners, to nonindustrial private forest (NIPF) owners to encourage and enable active long-term forest management (source). In Minnesota, well over a million acres of private woodlands have a written Forest Stewardship plan.

Forest Legacy protects “working forests:” those that protect water quality, provide habitat, forest products, opportunities for recreation and other public benefits (source).

Both of these programs are administered as partnerships between state and federal agencies. The National Association of State Foresters, whose members administer most of these programs, has denounced the proposed cuts.

Many MyMinnesotaWoods.org readers have benefited from these programs. If you have a Forest Stewardship plan, you’re one of them. Likewise if you’ve ever attended a Woodland Advisor class.

You can learn more about the proposed budget cuts in news articles from the New Hampshire UnionLeader, the Portland (Maine) News Herald, the Environment News Service, and National Woodlands Magazine (see page 7).

How has the Forest Stewardship program affected you and your land? Share your story in the comments.