LANSING – The Michigan Senate approved a six-bill package led by Sen. Darwin Booher (R-Evart) that aims to improve private land management, among other environmental goals.

“This package of bills seeks to improve private land management by making important changes to the qualified forest program and allows for a local delivery system to assist landowners,” Booher told colleagues at a previous session.

All of the bills (SB 1057 , SB 1058 , SB 1059 , SB 1060 , SB 1061 , SB 1062 ) passed unanimously and will now be sent over to the House.

SB 1057 would allow conservation districts to educate landowners on the management of their land and improve forest management, habitat and forest recreation. It also prohibits a conservation district from developing a management plan for nonindustrial private forestland, unless the landowner was unable to identify a private forester willing to develop a plan.

SB 1058 requires an environmental assurance advisory council to develop an assessment tool designed to help landowners assess their property by managing their lands, while SB 1059 makes changes to the qualified forest program by changing the administration of the program to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Booher said.

“SB 1060 changes the way that recapture is calculated to base it on taxable value multiplied by the operating millage levied by the local school district where the property is located,” he said. “SB 1061 requires the (Department of Natural Resources) and the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to provide reports to the Legislature on forestry activities.”

Finally, SB 1062 amends the qualified agriculture definition so that more than 50 percent of the partial acreage is devoted to a combination of agriculture use and use as qualified forest property that would be eligible to receive the 18-mill exemption, Booher said.

“If enacted into law, these proactive reforms are about developing a partnership between landowners and conservation districts to achieve a common goal – the effective, beneficial and healthy management of our private forestlands,” Booher said in a statement. “The relationship will prove mutually beneficial as we work to help residents learn about advantages of owning property.”

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