Download Property Tax Relief for Forest Landowners (PDF) by Mel Baughman and Mike Reichenbach.
Property taxes pay for important local government services. They also are a significant annual cost for you, the forest landowner. You may not fully recover costs, such as property taxes, associated with forest management, due to the 30 to 100 year time between harvests.
In addition, your land provides wildlife habitat, watershed protection, aesthetics, and biodiversity that benefit all Minnesotans. Because of the public benefits your forest land provides, the Minnesota Legislature created the Sustainable Forest Incentive Act (SFIA) and 2c Managed Forest Land Classification (Class 2c). In addition, the Green Acres/Rural Preserves program can be used to reduce ownership costs on sustainably managed forest land. This publication will help you decide which program, if any, best fits your situation.
A recently updated publication by Melvin Baughman and Mike Reichenbach includes detailed overviews of the following information about your Minnesota woodland property taxes:
- Tax classifications and class rates
- How Minnesota’s Green Acres program works, including recent changes
- 2b Rural Vacant Land
- Rural Preserve Program: Qualifications, enrollment, and ending enrollment
- Sustainable Forests Incentive Act (SFIA): Qualifications, enrollment, incentive payment, acquiring enrolled land, and ending enrollment
- 2c Managed Forest Land Classification: Qualifications and enrollment
- Comparison between SFIA and Class 2c
- How to get forest management assistance
- More information
Download Property Tax Relief for Forest Landowners (PDF) by Mel Baughman and Mike Reichenbach.
