Government Affairs

Madison, Wis., – Dec. 20, 2016 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced a new investment of $32 million to improve the health and resiliency of forest ecosystems where public forests and grasslands connect to privately-owned lands. Through the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and the U.S.

by Dr. Linda Wang, National Timber Tax Specialist, U.S. Forest Service This report provides up-to-date federal income tax information affecting timber transactions. It assists woodland owners, logging professionals, foresters and their tax accountants in filing the 2016 tax returns. The information presented here is for educational purpose only and is not intended for legal or accounting advice.

Madison, Wis. – Nov. 10, 2016 – Starting in November, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will accept and process applications for enrollment in the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), the nation’s largest conservation program. Applications will be made available in local service centers.

The deadline to take action on the IRS’s proposed tax hike on family forests is November 2 at midnight. Continue reading for more on the issue from the Forest Landowners Association.

The WI DNR has issued final guidance on changes made to the Managed Forest Law and Forest Crop Law programs based on Act 358 passed by the legislature and signed by the Governor this past spring.

On May 16, 2016 the WI DNR released some additional guidance in implementing Act 358.  WWOA encourages members to work closely with your DNR Cooperating Forester and local DNR Forester in resolving your questions about Managed Forest Law changes.  See some of the Questions & Answers below from WI DNR.

The WWOA office has received several questions regarding the status of buildings and Managed Forest Law (MFL) land under Act 358.  Per WI DNR guidance, see below to determine which situation applies to you. My land is CURRENTLY (2016 or earlier) enrolled in the MFL program and has EXISTING Building/Improvement on it: You will need to continue to follow the 1999 building provisions.  Buildings “developed for human residence” are prohibited upon MFL lands.

WI Act 358 makes changes to Wisconsin’s Managed Forest Law (MFL) and Forest Crop Law (FCL).  Below is a summary of some important changes, as quoted from the WI DNR interim guidance, that start immediately. Severance/Yield taxes: Act 358 removes DNR authority to assess (invoice) and collect 10% severance tax on FCL land and 5% yield tax on MFL land for timber and forest products harvested.

If you are working on an application to enroll in the MFL effective January 1, 2017, you need to review the provisions listed below, per DNR interim guidance.  Please note that the MFL application deadline is June 1 for an effective date of January 1, 2017. Minimum Acreage: Act 358 increases the required minimum acreage to 20 acres per MFL parcel for all 2017 and future entries.

WWOA President Paul Kienitz attended the Governor’s bill signing ceremony for the Managed Forest Law bill (SB 434) this afternoon in Rhinelander. It appears that the Governor only line item vetoed one small item in the bill that will not impact private woodland owners.  Although the bill does not have an act number yet, you can review the draft act.