DEC seeking comment on changes to Forest Tax Law | News

The state Department of Environmental Conservation is proposing changes to the so-called Forest Tax Law to lessen administrative burdens on participating landowners while maintaining and improving sustainable timber management on enrolled lands.

DEC is contemplating an overhaul of the regulations for Real Property Tax Law Section 480a, 50-year-old regulations enacted to encourage long-term management of woodlands to produce forest crops.

DEC plans two virtual public comment hearings on the proposed changes on Jan. 21, and the agency is accepting public comments through Jan. 27.

“Heathy, well-managed forests are essential for supporting our economy, protecting water and air quality, providing wildlife habitat, and improving forest carbon storage and sequestration,” interim DEC Commissioner Sean Mahar said in a statement Wednesday.

He noted that privately owned forests make up approximately 74% of the total forest land area in New York and that the Forest Tax Law Program provides incentives for managing timber resources for the long term under the direction of professional foresters.

Mahar said the “changes proposed today will ensure this program continues to provide the support needed for growing our forests of the future.”

New York enacted the Forest Tax Law in 1974 to increase the likelihood of a more stable forest economy. Through the new and revised regulations, DEC said it seeks to build on and improve the program to ensure the continued sustainability of forest ownership over time. In 2022, draft regulations were released and public comments were collected. The newly released draft regulations have incorporated those comments.

The proposed changes include:

• Extending the period an approved forest management plan would cover from 15 years to 20 years and requiring fewer plan updates.

• Providing more flexibility to enrolled landowners to complete forestry treatments by changing the work schedule from year-by-year deadlines to a 10-year work window.

• Strengthening forest sustainability requirements on enrolled lands, such as requiring efforts to establish adequate forest regeneration and explicitly banning high grading (removing most of the commercially valuable trees at the expense of future growth and future financial return, often leaving a forest in poor condition).

• Establishing a training requirement for consulting foresters working with Forest Tax Law clients to help set clear expectations and standardize Forest Tax Law administration across the state.

The proposed changes would go into effect on March 1.

The virtual public comment hearings will be held on Jan. 21 at 2 p.m. and at 6 p.m., respectively.

Public comments will be accepted until Jan. 27 by writing to: NYSDEC Private Lands and Forest Utilization Section, Bureau of Forest Resource Management, 625 Broadway, Albany, N.Y. 12233-7254, or by email to [email protected].