If you own forested land, the Benzie Conservation District would like to offer you assistance in managing this precious resource to keep it healthy and productive. Our District Forester is available to hike your woods with you and discuss the general health of the forest, listen to what your goals are with regard to the land, vegetation, and wildlife, and then provide you with both management strategies and connections to professionals that can assist you in making the dreams you have for your land a reality.
District Forester, Ellie Johnson
Meet Ellie, our new forester! She hails from Erie, Pennsylvania, and earned her B.S., Environmental Biology, and B.S.E. in Secondary Biology Education from Clarion University. Her M.S. degree from Clemson University in South Carolina, is in Forest Resources.
Ellie has lived in eight different states before discovering Northern Michigan by working for the Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (CISMA) out of the Antrim Conservation District. She really liked the area and was pleased to have the opportunity to stay here with the Forestry position! Ellie's hobbies include hiking with her partner, Ben; playing games like Ultimate Frisbee; moving around and creating stuff via "arting"; and she's a hobby botanist. One of her bucket list items is to visit the giant sequoia trees in Northern California, she'd love to see them growing in their native habitat. Ellie is looking forward to is working with landowners, getting to know them and their land, and helping them to be good stewards of their forested property. Please feel free to contact Ellie at 231-256-9783 x 268; or ellie.johnson@macd.org. |
Foresters' List for
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Assisted Tree Expansion Project (ATREP)
Qualified Forest Program
On June 6, 2013, Governor Snyder signed into law Public Act 42 of 2013. PA 42 changed the manner in which the 2006 Qualified Forest Program (QFP) is administered and moved the program jurisdiction from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD). The purpose of the Qualified Forest Program is to encourage private forestland property owners to harvest timber in a sustainable fashion based on a forest management plan.
There are two benefits from QFP enrollment available to forest landowners. The first is an exemption from 16 mills of the school operating tax, and the second is an exemption from an uncapping, or “pop-up” of taxable value when the property is transferred.
To meet QFP qualifications the property must be productive forest which is defined as that being able to produce forest products of at least 20 cubic feet per acre per year, which is about ¼ of a cord of wood per year. Parcels of more than 20 acres but less than 40 acres must be at least 80% stocked in productive forest. Properties of 40 acres or more must be at least 50% stocked in productive forest. A forest management plan must be written for the enrolled acres by a forester qualified under QFP.
Conservation District Foresters provide free on-site assistance to help forest landowners in Northern Michigan Counties decide whether QFP is a good option for them and to connect landowners with the Qualified Foresters that write management plans. To learn more, call Kama Ross at 231-256-9783; kama.ross@macd.org. She serves landowners in Leelanau, Grand Traverse and Benzie Counties and can help you connect with the other District Foresters serving 51 counties in northern Michigan.
Below are links to the MDARD website where you can find more specific information about this newly revised tax incentive program.
Private Forestlands Initiative – www.michigan.gov/PFI
– This directs you to a page that outlines all three of MDARD’s forestry programs.
Qualified Forest Program – www.michigan.gov/QFP
– This page contains all of the forms and informational material pertinent to QFP landowners.
_ Have questions? Here's some answers! Click here...
Michigan Forestry Assistance Program – www.michigan.gov/MIFAP
– This page contains a map of current FAP forester locations.
Qualified _Forest_Program_Brochure 2
On June 6, 2013, Governor Snyder signed into law Public Act 42 of 2013. PA 42 changed the manner in which the 2006 Qualified Forest Program (QFP) is administered and moved the program jurisdiction from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD). The purpose of the Qualified Forest Program is to encourage private forestland property owners to harvest timber in a sustainable fashion based on a forest management plan.
There are two benefits from QFP enrollment available to forest landowners. The first is an exemption from 16 mills of the school operating tax, and the second is an exemption from an uncapping, or “pop-up” of taxable value when the property is transferred.
To meet QFP qualifications the property must be productive forest which is defined as that being able to produce forest products of at least 20 cubic feet per acre per year, which is about ¼ of a cord of wood per year. Parcels of more than 20 acres but less than 40 acres must be at least 80% stocked in productive forest. Properties of 40 acres or more must be at least 50% stocked in productive forest. A forest management plan must be written for the enrolled acres by a forester qualified under QFP.
Conservation District Foresters provide free on-site assistance to help forest landowners in Northern Michigan Counties decide whether QFP is a good option for them and to connect landowners with the Qualified Foresters that write management plans. To learn more, call Kama Ross at 231-256-9783; kama.ross@macd.org. She serves landowners in Leelanau, Grand Traverse and Benzie Counties and can help you connect with the other District Foresters serving 51 counties in northern Michigan.
Below are links to the MDARD website where you can find more specific information about this newly revised tax incentive program.
Private Forestlands Initiative – www.michigan.gov/PFI
– This directs you to a page that outlines all three of MDARD’s forestry programs.
Qualified Forest Program – www.michigan.gov/QFP
– This page contains all of the forms and informational material pertinent to QFP landowners.
_ Have questions? Here's some answers! Click here...
Michigan Forestry Assistance Program – www.michigan.gov/MIFAP
– This page contains a map of current FAP forester locations.
Qualified _Forest_Program_Brochure 2