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THE FAMILY FOREST

Jim and Jean Ballenthin & Jasmin. THE FAMILY FOREST. Family Forest Action Team. ROLE OF THE FAMILY FOREST IMPORTANT COMPLEX AT RISK Rising Property Taxes Increasing Property Values Development Pressure Medical Costs Uninvolved Children. Actions Determine Values.

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THE FAMILY FOREST

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  1. Jim and Jean Ballenthin & Jasmin THE FAMILY FOREST

  2. Family Forest Action Team ROLE OF THE FAMILY FOREST • IMPORTANT • COMPLEX • AT RISK • Rising Property Taxes • Increasing Property Values • Development Pressure • Medical Costs • Uninvolved Children

  3. Actions Determine Values • Action – Preserve Family Forests • Action – Protect Family Forests • Action – Enhance Family Forests

  4. Decisive, Powerful Action – Now! FAMILY FORESTS ARE VALUED

  5. Family Forest Action Team • Build Capacity of Professionals to Provide Technical Assistance • Enhance Incentives that are Meaningful • Identify and Implement Strategies that will Retain Family Forests

  6. Family Forest Action Team Panel Members • Kathryn (Katie) Fernholz – Executive Director of Dovetail Partners, a non-profit organization based in Minneapolis that fosters sustainability and responsible behaviors. Katie has extensive background in development and forest management issues. She serves as Chair of the Minnesota Society of American Foresters and is a member of the Advisory Board for the Blandin Foundation¹s Vital Forests/Vital Communities Initiative. • Bruce ZumBahlen – President of the Minnesota Forestry Association (MFA), Minnesota’s oldest conservation organization founded in 1876 to promote wise stewardship of Minnesota’s forests. Bruce also serves on the Minnesota Logger Education Program Board of Directors and the Minnesota State Tree Farm Committee. • Calder Hibbard – Policy Analyst with the Minnesota Forest Resources Council. He has conducted forest policy analysis in Minnesota for the past nine years. Calder has a Masters degree in Forestry and a PhD in Natural Resources Science and Management.

  7. Family Forest Action Team • The Family Forest Action Team identified three Strategies. • Build forest stewardship capacity. • Enhance the availability of incentives for family forests. • Identify and implement strategies to retain family forests.

  8. Family Forest Action Team • Strategy #1: Build capacity of professionals to deliver technical assistance to the non-industrial private forest landowners. • Background / rationale • “Boots on the ground” assistance needed • All organizations included • Suite of topics

  9. Build Forest Stewardship Capacity • Action steps • Evaluate existing costs and benefits. • Implement tools for tracking and reporting accomplishments. • Develop programs or tools to support and track family forestland certification and certified wood harvested from private lands.

  10. Build Forest Stewardship Capacity • Proposed actions will • Address the MFRP objective of identifying key information and technical assistance opportunities to improve management of family forestlands. • Result in additional management planning and plan implementation.

  11. Build Forest Stewardship Capacity • Alignment with Governor’s Task Force Report • Support private land assistance and information programs. • Increase forest management and productivity investments on private lands. • Increase family forest’s contribution to Minnesota’s timber supply.

  12. Family Forest Action Team • Strategy #2: Enhance the availability of incentives that encourage management of family forestlands. • Background / rationale • Dwindling cost share dollars • New opportunities, like carbon trading

  13. Enhance Incentives for Family Forests • Action steps • Property tax and SFIA law changes. • Increase cost-share funds for forest management practices. • Study and recommend a means to trade carbon credits.

  14. Enhance Incentives for Family Forests • Proposed actions will • Tax and SFIA changes would encourage management and contribute to sustainable harvest levels. • Increased cost-share funding would accelerate forest management rates on family forests. • A carbon credit program would drive additional forest management on family forests.

  15. Enhance Incentives for Family Forests • Alignment with Governor’s Task Force Report • Strengthen landowner assistance and incentives to support forest industry’s efforts to improve utilization. • Increase fiber contribution from well-managed family forestlands. • Improve SFIA and Minnesota’s forestland property tax policy.

  16. Family Forest Action Team • Strategy #3: Identify and implement strategies that result in the retention of family forestlands and continue the supply of timber products. • Background / rationale • New owners • Impacts • Challenges

  17. Strategies to Retain Family Forests • Proposed actions will • Assess the trends, drivers, and effects of forest parcelization and development. • Assess the broad, integrated set of policy approaches. • Outline a set of policy recommendations.

  18. Strategies to Retain Family Forests • Action steps • Creation of ad hoc task force. • Seek support to secure resources to complete assessment and recommendations. • Conduct research and development recommendations for decision-makers.

  19. Strategies to Retain Family Forests • Alignment with Governor’s Task Force Report • 2006 report • 2007 report • Other broad support

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