Forest Management Tax Incentives

Forest Tax Laws encourage sustainable forest management on private lands by providing tax incentives to landowners. These programs require the land owner to have an official forest management plan which would outline landowner objectives, timber management, wildlife management, water quality and the environment as a whole to promote a healthy and productive forest.

Details about forestry-related tax incentives may vary slightly from state to state. You can find more information about programs by state in the links below. MyLandPlan.org is also a good resource.

• Indiana — USDA Forest Service
• Maine — USDA Forest Service
• Michigan — USDA Forest Service
• Minnesota — DNR Woodland Stewardship Plans
• New Hampshire — Landowner Resources
• New York — Dept of Environmental Conservation
• Ohio — USDA Forest Service
• Pennsylvania — USDA Forest Service
• Vermont — USDA Forest Service
• Wisconsin — DNR Forest Tax Laws, MyWisconsinWoods.org
• MORE LINKS — MyLandPlan.org

The below video is a chapter from the “Your Wisconsin Woods” video series. This chapter, “Return on Investment”, features Wisconsin maple syrup producer, Scott Walter, and the financial benefits he has realized as a result of having a Forest Management Plan. County foresters offer property visits free of cost or obligation, and are an excellent place to start if you are interested in developing a Forest Management Plan for your own property.

MyWisconsinWoods.org is an excellent resource and offers free, educational, forestry-related programming/services.