My Minnesota Woods » Minnesota

Property tax relief for Minnesota forest landowners

Mel Baughman — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:47:41 +0000

Download Property Tax Relief for Forest Landowners (PDF, updated 12/01/09) 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, updated 12/01/09) by Mel Baughman and Mike Reichenbach.

Two videos: Natural disturbance-based silviculture and restoring late-successional structure

Philip Potyondy — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:11:12 +0000

Back in June 2009, someone named Tom posted a great question about applying the Dauerwald concept in Minnesota. In a nutshell, the Dauerwald approach involves intensive management designed to maintain a high diversity of tree species and ages. This approach can be attractive to those interested in active management but less comfortable with more extensive harvests such as clearcuts or shelterwood treatments.

This month we feature a two-part video response to Tom’s question and the ensuing discussion from Tony D’Amato, silviculturist at the University of Minnesota’s Department of Forest Resources. Tony’s first video addresses the concept of natural disturbance-based silviculture. His second video addresses a somewhat related concept, of active management to restore late-successional structure. Tony discusses how ecological forestry can complement other approaches like production forestry and multiple use sustained yield forestry on the landscape.

Ecological forestry: Natural disturbance-based silviculture

Links:

Ecological forestry: Restoring late-successional forest structure

Links:

Restoring Late-successional Forest Structure, by Tony D’Amato and Paul Catanzaro (PDF)
More info and links on restoring late-successional and old growth characteristics from MassWoods.net.

Your turn

How does (or doesn’t) ecological forestry fit into your woodland plans? Why or why not? Leave a comment below or add to the initial discussion begun by Tom.

Northern Minnesota phenology report: November 2009

John Latimer — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:30:36 +0000

By John Latimer, KAXE Radio, Grand Rapids

The last of the meadowhawk dragonflies will put in an appearance in early November. These small, bright red, insects are among the last to fly about in the fall. A warm day or two in the early part of the month will send them out in a last and probably fruitless search for other flying insects.

Flickr photo “Ruby Meadowhawk” by Jim Frazier. Original.

If you have been observing them throughout the fall you may have noticed them flying in tandem with the female periodically touching her abdomen to the grass. She is depositing eggs. Her strategy is to place her eggs on stalks of grass that will be inundated in the spring. Once awash the eggs will begin to develop and the larval stages will terrorize the shallow ponds and lake edges until late summer when they will emerge and terrorize the flying insects.

Those eggs mistakenly laid in the grass that may be your lawn will likely never develop. No one is perfect and least of all the meadowhawk dragonflies, but what they lack in foresight about those areas likely to flood they make up for in sheer numbers of eggs laid. Some of them will end up underwater and the species will survive.

Flickr photo “Dragonfly” by Chris Coomber. Original.

In the case of the meadowhawk dragonflies they survive the winter as eggs or larvae, but what about the Compton’s tortoiseshell or Mourning cloak butterflies? How do they survive the cold? They over-winter as adults and without an approach to overcome the cold they would freeze and die. For many insects the strategy is freeze avoidance.

There are three elements to freeze avoidance. First, the insect produces an anti-freeze which circulates in the blood. These special proteins bind with any ice crystals that may form keeping them small and preventing them from doing damage.

Second, they produce sugars and sugar based alcohols which act to lower the freezing point of any water in the body. These typically take the form of glycerols that by mid-winter may constitute 20 to 25% of the insect’s total body weight.

Flickr photo “Chionea species” by C Wood. Original.

The final part of a freeze avoidance strategy involves finding a dry location. Staying away from water and the resulting ice is imperative. Ice can act as a nucleator for the development of further ice crystals. The butterflies must find secure dry locations, other insects might construct waterproof cocoons or some other personal protection, but the butterflies lack this ability. This perhaps explains why I find so many of them in my garage.

John Latimer is well known throughout northern Minnesota for his phenology work. He appears weekly on KAXE radio in Grand Rapids, and audio and twitter archives are available here. His work is a frequent feature on MyMinnesotaWoods. This article also appeared in the Duluth Senior Reporter. It is printed with the author’s permission.

Conference: Growing the Bioeconomy

MyMNwoods — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:33:58 +0000

Some MyMinnesotaWoods readers may be interested in this early December, 2009 event:

Growing the Bioeconomy: Solutions for Sustainability

Dec. 1-2, University of Minnesota Continuing Education and Conference Center, St. Paul campus

Hosted by University of Minnesota Extension and the University of Minnesota Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment. Cost is $50 per day, $85 for both days.
Program schedule and registration.

This two-day conference will bring together national and local players from Minnesota’s bioeconomy to explore renewable energy opportunities. Agricultural producers, landowners, community and business leaders, and citizens interested in economic development and biorenewables are encouraged to attend and identify ways they can participate in solutions to the global climate change and energy supply issues facing Minnesota.

On December 1, you’ll be part of a virtual conference hosted by 12 Midwest universities. You’ll get a big picture overview of the issues through broadcast viewing and a live panel discussion. Speakers include: U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, U.S. Secretary of Energy Dr. Steven Chu, Renowned biochar and climate change expert Dr. James E. Lovelock.

December 2 is all about Minnesota. We’ll focus on local success stories, getting your questions answered, and giving you information you can put to use right away.

Learn more about the conference, including agenda and registration, here.

Emerald ash borer and your Minnesota woodlands

Eli Sagor — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:02:30 +0000

A few months ago, we heard from a frustrated reader. Noting the abundant info about emerald ash borer (EAB) in urban environments, he could find almost nothing on managing ash in woodland stands. Philip Potyondy created this video to begin to answer that question.

The video has four sections:

First Extension’s Jeff Hahn reviews basic EAB biology, dispersal, and impacts on host trees.
Second, Keith Jacobson of the MN DNR’s Utilization & Marketing unit briefly reviews markets for ash wood in Minnesota.
Third, we head to the woods for brief comments from Paul Dickson, president of the Minnesota Association of Consulting Foresters.
We close with a summary of research and management recommendations for woodland ash stands from Extension’s Angela Gupta.

Special thanks to Jeff Hahn, Keith Jacobson, Paul Dickson, and Angela Gupta for their contributions to this video. You can learn much more about EAB in Minnesota at the UMN Extension EAB page.

What are you doing to prepare your woods for EAB? Leave a comment to let us know.

The Minnesota moose population

Eli Sagor — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 11:37:57 +0000

There’s been a lot of news lately about declining moose populations in Minnesota. According to NRRI, the northwest Minnesota population has declined from over 4,000 to fewer than 100 over the past 20 years. There’s some concern now about a decline in northeastern Minnesota as well.

The following announcement is from the KAXE radio website:

REPORT YOUR MOOSE SIGHTINGS
We talked with Mark Johnson, Executive Director of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association, about what he learned as a member of theMinnesota Moose Advisory Committee. The Minnesota moose population is facing a lot of biological and natural threats, and has seen sharp declines in the Northwestern part of the state.

While the decline has not been as dramatic in Northeastern Minnesota, biologists and others interested in moose populations are still concerned. Mark indicated that we have a lot to learn about what is affecting the population, and one of the ways that you can help is to report your moose sightings on a special website.Please report your moose sighting(s) here, or read why it’s important to report what you see.

Read more about what’s happening to moose in Northeastern Minnesota on NRRI’s Moose in Minnesota website.

MLEP offers online Landview mapping training

Eli Sagor — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:10:22 +0000

The Minnesota Logger Education Program announced a new online mapping training this month. The new training is based on the Minnesota DNR’s Landview application. A basic version of Landview is already online, but this training introduces a newer, far more powerful version that can be downloaded to any PC running Windows.

The training has two components: Introduction and Advanced. The training is best suited to those comfortable with computing and working through a relatively high-speed internet connection. It may be of greatest interest to loggers, natural resource professionals, and advanced woodland owners. Beginners may be more comfortable with the more basic mapping options, as well as links and tutorials, on our Maps & Airphotos page.

Why is MLEP’s new training worth the time? The version of Landview covered in the training offers excellent quality airphoto imagery as well as numerous data layers not available through other sources. It also has other important features, notably the ability to transfer GPS data to or from your GPS receiver. This version is far more powerful than most online mapping applications.

Best of all, there’s no charge and the presentation is excellent. Check out MLEP’s new Landview training now.

Woody biomass: Sept. 2009 bio-baler demonstrations

Eli Sagor — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:34:51 +0000

I received the following announcement from Dean Current, University of Minnesota Department of Forest Resources, today. It may be of interest to loggers, natural resource professionals, and some woodland owners considering woody biomass harvest options. -ed.

Update: these demonstrations have passed. A nice KEYC TV news story with video of the harvester is here. We’re working on a video from the demos and will post that link shortly.

FLD image

Attached is a schedule of September 2009 Minnesota demonstrations of a bio-baler that has been developed for small diameter woody vegetation (Short rotation crops – willow, poplar, brushlands and young aspen thinnings. The bio-baler will be in Minnesota from Sept. 17th to Sept. 24th starting in Waseca at the Southern Research and Outreach Center harvesting short rotation willows and finishing up near Hibbing doing a thinning in young aspen. This could be an option for recovering biomass from some of the DNR’s wildlife habitat projects,short rotation woody crop plantings and other brushlands on a one-time or continuing basis. It might even be used for controlling hazel underbrush.

As woody and herbaceous biomass becomes more and more viable for renewable energy, equipment companies have started engineering machines capable of harvesting the biomass quickly and efficiently. One such company is FLD Biomass Technologies of Canada who specialize in the design and manufacturing of machinery for agricultural and forestry production. A number of organizations are proud to be funding a demonstration tour of FLD Biomass Technologies’ FLD Biobaler WB55 in various locations around the state of Minnesota from September 17 to September 25, 2009. Click here for detailed schedule and contact info for the Minnesota demonstrations.

The FLD Biobaler WB55 is an all-in-one tractor-pulled machine capable of cutting, compacting, and baling biomass up to four inches in diameter and 25 feet in height. This maneuverable machine has a rotating blade or hammer cutting system that has a low power requirement and produces naturally drying bales that can be transported using standard equipment. The Biobaler is suitable for many woody crops including: willow, poplar, aspen, alder, under story vegetation, invasive woody vegetation.

Dates and locations: (CLICK HERE FOR FULL DETAILS)
September 17: Waseca – U of M SROC
September 18: Madelia – Rural Advantage
September 19: Faribault – The Nature Conservancy and MN DNR
September 20: Afton – Belwin Conservancy
September 21: Ogilvie – Ann Lake WMA – MN DNR
September 22: Hinckley – St. Croix State Park. – MN DNR
September 23: Aurora – Koste and MN DNR
September 24: Hibbing – MN DNR

A video of the FDL biobaler in action:

Click here for detailed schedule and contact info for the Minnesota demonstrations.

Sponsors of the FLD Biobaler WB55 Demonstration Tour include: Belwin Conservancy, The Blandin Foundation, CINRAM – University of Minnesota, Iron Range Resources, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota Power, The Minnesota Prairie Chicken Society, The Minnesota Sharptailed Grouse Society, The Nature Conservancy, Rural Advantage, Southern MN Initiative Foundation, University of Laval – Canada, University of Minnesota Extension, University of Minnesota Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment, University of Minnesota Southern Research and Outreach Center – Waseca, The Wildlife Management Institute, and Woodcock Minnesota.

Light on the Land Small-scale Logging field day: Sept. 19, Brainerd

Eli Sagor — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 15:08:26 +0000

Small-scale Logging Field Day: September 19, 2009, Brainerd. Download complete event details (PDF)

Small-scale logging is a system and a range of equipment that increases logging flexibility and extends production seasons. Small-scale logging is designed for harvesting operations where maneuverability is a primary concern. It is not logging small trees and/or small volumes.

Why attend?
Whether you are a logger, forester, woodland owner, or other land manager, this field day will show you how to maximize profitability through the use of small-scale logging and harvesting equipment, using efficient and safe techniques.

From tree to finished product is the main theme of this event, with a focus on the private landowner.

Equipment displays:

Peterson swing blade sawmill
Mulch-R’Down brush clearing
ATV arches
Farmi Winch
Portable Winch(TM)
Log-rite Tools

Informational Displays and Forest Products:

Lumber drying
Lathe turnings
Custom log work
Growing mushrooms
Maple syrup
Silent Auction
Wood carving, crafts, furniture,
misc. lumber, etc.

For more details, including schedule and registration information, check out the event brochure (PDF) or contact Gary Bradford at (218) 927-4599 or Patrick Lanin at (218) 764-3315.

This event is hosted by Northwoods Forestry Cooperative and the Brainerd Chapter of the Minnesota Forestry Association.

Sign up for Conservation Stewardship Program by Sept. 30

Eli Sagor — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 18:05:32 +0000

ST. PAUL, Minn. (9/9/2009) —Registration for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) is taking place now until Sept. 30, 2009. The CSP is a voluntary program through the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service that encourages producers to address resource concerns in a comprehensive manner by undertaking additional conservation activities; and improving, maintaining and managing existing conservation activities.

CSP is available on Tribal and private agricultural lands and non-industrial private forest land in all 50 States. This program has a continuous sign up, however the first-round deadline is Sept. 30.

The Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) will provide financial and technical assistance to eligible producers to conserve and enhance soil, water, air and related natural resources on their land. Eligible lands include cropland, grassland, prairie land, improved pastureland, rangeland, non-industrial private forest lands, agricultural land under the jurisdiction of an Indian tribe, and other private agricultural land (including cropped woodland, marshes, and agricultural land used for the production of livestock) on which resource concerns related to agricultural production could be addressed.

CSP encourages land stewards to improve their conservation performance by installing and adopting additional activities, and improving, maintaining, and managing existing activities on agricultural land and non-industrial private forest land. CSP is available nationwide on a continuous application basis.

The entire operation must be enrolled and must include all eligible land that will be under the applicant’s control for the term of the proposed contract (CSP is a five-year contract program) that is operated substantially separate from other operations.

CSP offers participants two possible types of payments:

Annual payment for installing and adopting additional activities, and improving, maintaining and managing existing activities
Supplemental payment for the adoption of resource-conserving crop rotations

Estimated Range for Annual Payments
Cropland: $12 to $22 per acre
Non-industrial private forestland: $6 to $12 per acre
Pastureland: $7 to $14 per acre
Rangeland: $5 to $10 per acre

Estimated Range for Supplemental Payments
Resource-Conservation Crop Rotation: $12 to $16 per acre

Landowners should contact their County USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) office for more information and pick up a copy of the “Producer Self-Screening Checklist.” More information is also found at the NRCS website.