On January 8, 2009 Montana
Tree Farm and Montana Forest Owners
Association held its bi-annual Legislative Listening session. The goal of
this
session is twofold, firstly, to educate landowners on upcoming policy
issues,
secondly to provide a forum for state legislators to interact and become
familiar
with forest landowners across the state. The outcome of the listening
session was the development of position statements on issues of
concern that will be addressed in both State and National legislative
processes.
1. Forest management
activities that reduce high fuel loading and provide access
for equipment and personnel improve wildland fire suppression
effectiveness,
thereby improving public safety and health and reducing suppression
costs.
Private forest landowners who actively manage their forested lands (as
proven
with a written management plan and active management activities) to
reduce fuels
that contribute to extreme fire behavior should be provided with
recognition of their
proactive contribution towards reducing wildland fire costs. We
recommend a 50%
forest property tax reduction for qualifying ownerships. Landowners must
apply by
showing proof of forest management plan(s) and active management
activity to
qualify.
2. A detailed review conducted by members of the Montana Forest Owners
Association, Montana Tree Farm system and several independent academic
reviewers of the Headwaters Consulting Group wildfire suppression cost
study,
that was contracted by the Montana Legislative Sub-Committee on Wildfire
Suppression Costs, has shown the study to be fraught with so many
incorrect
assumptions and mistakes of basic statistical analysis that it is
essentially of no
real value in ascertaining the elements that affect the cost of fires.
3. In order to improve fire hazard reduction practices (thinning and
fuels
reduction), opportunities for safely burning residue of fuel hazard
mitigation
projects in rural and remote areas should be extended to include the
time period
between December 1 and March 30.
4. With reference to the new Montana forestland tax assessment landowner
notification of for each zone and class of the proposed forest land
reappraisal must
include valuation calculations so that landowners can independently
verify the
productivity classes assessed for their forests.
5. With respect to newly proposed legislative action; Forest landowners
support
voluntary and incentive based programs to influence forest stewardship
versus
penalty or fee based regulation.
6. Montana private forest landowners support a competitive wood products
industry since this offers the best mechanism through which we can
actively
manage our lands for fire hazard reduction and other practices that
enhance and
maintain Montana forest quality and public benefit. To help support the
Montana
wood products infrastructure we suggest that all taxpayer sponsored
construction
projects offer preference to Montana manufactured wood products. We
support
active management of our federal and state lands to the same standards
for fire .