Responsibilities of Landowners

Here's a list of a private forest landowner's responsibilities in managing their forest and participating in a timber sale.

Require that good erosion control practices be carried out near streams to preserve water quality.

• Develop realistic management goals.
• Establish your property boundaries.
• Maintain "meaningful decision-making power" in managing your woodlands to demonstrate "material participation" for income tax purposes.
• Warrant that your timber is free and clear form liens and encumbrances. For mortgaged property, obtain a written release to harvest and sell timber.
• List your "wants" for management and timber harvest on your property.
• File a county cutting notice with your County Clerk (in the county where the forest is located) before you sell timber. The County Clerk will share information about your intent to cut with the County Treasurer and DNR officials. If you have unpaid property taxes on the land, the county can deny permission to harvest trees. DNR uses the notices to watch for possible timber theft activity (when foresters observe trees being cut on land where the owner has not indicated an intent to remove timber) and for planning fire control work.
• Recall that management on lands enrolled in Wisconsin's tax law programs must follow the written plan.
• Realize that the highest bid may not be your best bid. Many things affect the final price, and your goals and "wants" may result in a lowered price for the timber you sell.
• Realize that "high-grading" (selling only the most valuable trees) is destructive to your woodlands.
• Have written contracts with the forester and the logger that specify all terms, "wants" and considerations.
• Have your legal counsel review all contracts.
• Obtain certificates of insurance from loggers before cutting starts.
• Receive payment for timber before it leaves your property.
• Provide reasonable access to the area.
• Understand that timing of the harvest will vary with markets, weather and logger's schedule. Your contact may provide for an extension.
• Realize that harvesting damage may occur. The sale contact should contain restitution provisions.
• Be prepared for the harvesting "aftermath". The cut-over may look terrible at first, but the impact is temporary and normally not detrimental to the environment or future crops.