What to know before harvesting timber this fall

Landowners planning to harvest timber on their property this fall are reminded that Wisconsin law requires filing a County Notice of Intent to Cut before any cutting begins, according to the Lincoln County Clerk’s Office and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
Under state law, no one may harvest raw forest products — including logs, pulpwood, bolts, Christmas trees, balsam boughs, birch poles, and similar items — until 14 days after notifying the County Clerk of the plan to harvest. The law also bars harvesting from any land with delinquent property taxes.
The notice is free and must be filed every calendar year with the Clerk in the county where the land sits. A landowner, forester, or logger can file it, though officials recommend spelling out ahead of time — ideally in a timber sale contract — who is responsible for filing.
Once a notice is filed, the County Clerk checks with the Treasurer for unpaid taxes, then notifies the landowner, the logger, the Town Chair, and the local DNR forester, who in turn checks the property’s tax law status. The notice must describe the land by quarter-quarter, section, and government or fractional lot, information available on the property tax bill.
Landowners who skip the filing can face a $200.50 forfeiture. If taxes on the property are also delinquent, the forfeiture rises to $767.50.

Not every harvest requires a notice. Cutting fuelwood for home use, clearing land for agriculture, gathering boughs for personal use, and taking up to five Christmas trees for personal use are all exempt.
Property enrolled in the state’s Managed Forest Law or Forest Crop Law programs faces an additional requirement: a separate Cutting Notice and Report of Wood Products, known as Form 2450-032, must be filed at least 30 days before harvest and must follow the property’s management plan. Skipping that filing, or filing a false report, can bring a forfeiture of up to $1,000 and removal from the Managed Forest Law program.
Landowners with general questions on filing a county cutting notice can contact the Lincoln County Clerk’s Office at 715.539.1019 or visit co.lincoln.wi.us/county-clerk/page/cutting-notice. The office is located at the Lincoln County Service Center, 801 N. Sales St., Suite 201, in Merrill.
For questions on forest management, timber harvests, or a free property walk, contact DNR Forester Zach Hylinski at 715.921.5611 or Zachary.Hylinski@wisconsin.gov. For questions specific to Managed Forest Law, contact DNR Tax Law Specialist Ryan Grefe at 715.297.9194 or Ryan.Grefe@wisconsin.gov. Both are based at the DNR’s Merrill Ranger Station, 101 Eagle Dr., in Merrill.