The forest reserve program is handled through your county assesor office I believe. You must have a minimum of 5 acres and agree not to pasture, log, or disturb the forest. You must also have at least 200 trees per acre. Here our county conservation board director must come out a survey the land for tree numbers and types and calculate the number of acres. Once he gives his approval then those acres are tax exempt the next tax year. There are no cash payments like CRP but you don't pay property tax on just those acres.
Hello,
There are no restrictions on logging (no clear cutting, of course) so long as it fits a reasonable forest management plan.
Just get an aerial photo of the property from the county recorder's office. Take it to the assesor and they will be able to determine acreage via scale of the photo. You then tell them how much of the timber ground you want to enroll, agree to their rules, and that is that. Takes about 5 minutes, as pharmer said. Some counties may take things a bit further and want to come out and take a look-see first.
You may not find much info on the Forest Reserve program. Since it basically keeps money out of the county tax system, it isn't widely advertised. Just like most of the governement programs. You have to somehow dredge up the information yourself.
Good Hunting...Raven
There are no restrictions on logging (no clear cutting, of course) so long as it fits a reasonable forest management plan.
Just get an aerial photo of the property from the county recorder's office. Take it to the assesor and they will be able to determine acreage via scale of the photo. You then tell them how much of the timber ground you want to enroll, agree to their rules, and that is that. Takes about 5 minutes, as pharmer said. Some counties may take things a bit further and want to come out and take a look-see first.
You may not find much info on the Forest Reserve program. Since it basically keeps money out of the county tax system, it isn't widely advertised. Just like most of the governement programs. You have to somehow dredge up the information yourself.
Good Hunting...Raven
O
Ollie
Guest
You can often manage lands that are in the Forest Reserve Program. The key is mainaining a density of 200 trees per acre. Much of my acreage in the FRP was logged many year ago and now shagbark hickories and honey locust are the predominant tree species. I have consulted with the IDNR and they are planning to cut down the locust and hickories, permitting sunlight to reach the floor so that the more beneficial hardwood trees, like oak, will grow. My enrollment in the FRP is not affected as I will be maintaining the required tree density. There are many excellent programs available to help landowners maintain and improve wildlife habitat. Most programs will pay most or all of the costs.