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I am writing as one of thousands of land owners affected by the Maine Tree Growth Tax Law, which in essence offers partial relief from property taxes in exchange for a commitment to manage privately owned forests.
Once again, the law is under scrutiny. The Legislature has called for a survey to collect information from assessors regarding their experiences administering the Maine Tree Growth Tax Law.
Assessors may know that owners must pay for and follow plans prepared by professional foresters and eventually undertake a harvest (usually by a local logger). Assessors might also understand that sustainable management of even small stands of forest requires a tremendous amount of work as well as expensive equipment. Some assessors might even be among the people who use your land for recreation. And some might realize that few forest owners ever see a profit, even without considering property taxes.
But it is also possible that at least some assessors have little or no familiarity with the responsibilities of owners or the challenges that come with ownership. Likewise, some assessors might not know that privately owned forests are used by community members.
Forest owners: To ensure that this survey is something more than a witch hunt, talk to your assessor about your land, what you do there, how it benefits your neighbors, and how your woods support the small businesses that make up Maine’s forest products industry. Don’t let this survey become the first step in the elimination of Maine’s Tree Growth Tax Law!
Bill Streever
Pembroke
