Government Affairs

Are you worried about HRD (formally Annosum Root Rot) in your pine plantations?  Heterobasidion root disease causes a decay of the roots and lower stem, attacks the cambium and kills infected trees. Infected trees show thin foliage, reduced height, diameter and shoot growth and eventual mortality. Three to eight years after nearby trees are cut down, mortality of individual trees becomes noticeable.

From WI DNR Bat Program Thank you to everyone who pitched in during our Great Wisconsin Bat Count in late May; now it’s time to count again! Bat pups are testing their flying skills and our second summer count is set for July 19-21. On any one of these nights, go out at sunset to a bat house or other site where bats are roosting and count how many bats fly out.

The WI DNR is accepting public comments on proposed changes to the WI Forest Landowner Grant Program until June 25, 2019. Information on the proposed changes can be found at WI DNR Proposed Program Guidance page, then under Proposed program guidance open for public comment, Forestry Grants, select the link to the draft document. WWOA’s comments have been submitted to WI DNR.

The Wisconsin DNR publication,  Ecological Landscapes of Wisconsin, written for land and water conservation planners and managers, administrators, researchers, educators, students, landowners, and others interested in Wisconsin’s natural resources has been updated and released.   The Ecological Landscapes of Wisconsin is a compilation of ecological, social, and economic information about Wisconsin’s 16 distinct ecological landscapes that can help identify, locate, and sustain Wisconsin’s ecological resources.

The U.S. Forest Service has released the 2018 Tax Tips for Forest Landowners.  The Federal income tax provisions that apply to timber have changed for the 2018 tax year from the December 2017 new tax legislation. To help family timber owners, foresters and their tax preparers in filing their 2018 tax returns, this bulletin provides income tax guidance that is current as of September 30, 2018. Share these with your accountant!

The Division of Forestry, Tax Law Section is soliciting public comment on proposed update to the Forest Tax Law Handbook (Handbook 2450.5), Chapter 20, Harvesting on MFL. The draft is available on the Proposed DNR Program Guidance webpage  and comments will be accepted through December 5, 2018. Click on the link for more information.

One-Year Extension Available to Holders of Many Expiring Contracts through Continuous Signup WASHINGTON, June 1, 2018 – As part of a 33-year effort to protect sensitive lands and improve water quality and wildlife habitat on private lands, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will resume accepting applications for the voluntary Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Eligible farmers, ranchers, and private landowners can sign up at their local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office between June 4 and Aug. 17, 2018.

Madison, Wis. ‒ April 23, 2018 ‒ Effectively immediately, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) financial assistance program participants will no longer need a Dun and Bradstreet Universal Number System (DUNS) number, or to register in the System for Award Management (SAM). The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 (2018 Omnibus Bill), signed by President Donald Trump on March 23, eliminated these requirements. According to U.S.

The Wisconsin Council on Forestry Biennial Report for 2015-2016 can now be viewed. The Council is a board composed of individuals that represent all areas of forestry in Wisconsin. They advise the Governor, the Legislature, Department of Natural Resources, and other state agencies on aspects of forestry in the state.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has released the new tax rates for use in 2018 through 2022 for land in the Managed Forest Law (MFL). These new tax rates are effective January 1, 2018. The updated MFL tax rates saw an all around decrease. Open land entered before 2005 saw a decrease of 5¢ to $0.74 per acre. Closed land entered before 2005 dropped 12¢ to $1.75 per acre.