Wisconsin's Ratification Of The Forest Crop Law

In 1927 Wisconsin’s state legislature enacted what became known as the Forest Crop Law. This new law allowed for a ten percent severance tax on timber harvested from forest land and initiated a new perspective regarding the relatively new concepts of sustainable forestry and forestland tax reform in Wisconsin. Throughout the sixty years that followed the ratification of the Forest Crop Law, the Wisconsin legislature continually improved and explored the idea of a viable state forestry program and offering lowered taxes for harvesting timber through sustainable forestry techniques (Wilson 49). In 1986 the idea of a tax incentive for harvesting timber was formally legislated in the Wisconsin Managed Forest Law, which has now become Wisconsin’s

Whether or not a landowner’s private land can be enrolled in the MFL can be determined by MFL requirements which include restrictions on specific characteristics of the land, characteristics of construction or buildings on the land, and previous and intended use of the land. Some specific land requirements include: land being enrolled must be 10 or more continuous acres and each 10 acre parcel of land must be considered 80% productive forestland; the land may not have buildings “developed for human residence” built on them; and lands must be restricted from industry or land use including agriculture, grazing, cell towers, mines, and recreational development (Wisconsin’s

Currently, the forest products industry in Wisconsin is a $28 billion industry that represents 8% of the state’s total industrial output. In addition, the forest products industry also provides 1 in 8 manufacturing jobs in Wisconsin, and for every 10 jobs in the forest products industry, 16 additional jobs are created within the state’s economy. The forest products industry in Wisconsin also provides 93,000 jobs and pays average annual salaries that are nearly $11,000 greater than the average state salary. Also, due partly to the MFL and other conservation efforts, Wisconsin has consistently been able to increase total forest cover and wood volume while keeping nearly 91.5% of state harvested timber within Wisconsin to be used by Wisconsin Manufacturers. Wisconsin has also been able to retain its title as the number one paper making state in the nation for over 50 years (Wisconsin