Green Horizons

The State Forestry Law was enacted in 1946 as a way to increase the quality of Missouri’s private forests by encouraging management assistance and protection from wildfire. The centerpiece of the State Forestry Law is the Forest Crop Land (FCL) program. Timber tracts larger than 20 acres, valued at no more than $400 per acre, are eligible for classification as FCL for 25 years. To help landowners partially defer property tax payments, qualifying lands are assessed at a valuation of $3 per acre. To make up for the loss of tax revenue, the Conservation Department makes an annual payment in lieu of taxes to the counties where Forest Crop Land is located. Landowners are obligated to pay a 6 percent yield tax back to MDC at harvest. But, times change and land values and timber prices have increased to the point where the existing statute is extremely outdated.

Late in 2006, the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Forestry Division began the process to revise the Missouri State Forestry Law with a series of internal meetings to define issues and possible solutions. The next step in the process was to gather input from external stakeholders. On June 18, representatives from environmental groups, the forest products industry, various state and federal agencies, the Missouri General Assembly, consulting foresters and private forest landowners met with MDC Forestry staff to identify issues that need to be addressed and potential solutions. This session was extremely well attended and was very productive. The framers of the new statute collected everyone’s input and were given the charge to develop several possible statutes covering a range of ideas.

After consideration of all input and feedback, a final legislative proposal will be presented to the Conservation Commission for their approval with a goal of introduction in the 2008 legislative session.

Comments may be addressed to:
Steve Westin
Forestry Division
Missouri Department of Conservation
P.O. Box 180
Jefferson City, MO 65102
Steve.Westin@mdc.mo.gov

Stay tuned for updates in future issues of Green Horizons.