How do I qualify lands for the timber program, and when?
  • The minimum acreage is 5 contiguous acres, fully stocked with trees, excluding any land allocated to improvements. You need to apply whenever land status or ownership changes. Don't take anything for granted, especially when dealing with timberland classifications.
  • Fully stocked means the land is stocked with the optimum number of trees that can successfully grow in an area based on size of stem or diameter. The larger the tree diameter, the fewer trees per acre the ground will adequately support. We use the following rule of thumb:
    • Seedlings to saplings (0 to 3 inches in diameter), 400 to 300 trees per acre or a tree every 10 to 12 feet apart
    • Post and poles to small saw logs (4 to 10 inches in diameter), 300 to 200 trees per acre or a tree every 12 to15 feet apart
    • Saw logs (11 or more inches in diameter), 150 to 125 trees per acre or a tree every 16 to 40 plus feet apart. Most lands will have a mixture of all these sizes within 5 years after a substantial harvest, so use an average spacing of 10 to 15 feet between trees.
  • Improvements are anything attributed to the land that changes the functional use of the land. Examples are clearing for a home site, public right of way, utilities easement, clearing for other uses (agriculture, recreational etc.), any buildings, etc. (The smaller the acres, the more critical these are in qualifying land.)
  • In meeting the aforementioned, you need to submit an application for each individual parcel that is being applied for. Applicants will be required to prepare a detailed, viable and workable, written management plan. It needs to address present and future needs recommended for the timber stand within the ownership. One plan can cover multiple parcels as long as they are contiguous and each parcel is individually identified within the context of the plan. Plans must be updated as harvesting occurs.


For more information, contact us at 208-446-1526.

Show All Answers

1. How do I qualify lands for the timber program, and when?
2. What does contiguous parcels or acres mean?
3. What is entailed in the application? And how often do we need to apply?
4. What is the difference between the Land Productivity and Bare Land and Yield timber options?
5. What is needed in a Management Plan and who can prepare it?
6. What if I just want to let my land grow "natural"?
7. What if I'm not able to do any work and cannot afford to hire assistance to prepare a management plan?
8. Can I build a house on my timberland without losing the timber classification?
9. If I do not have much knowledge about timber management, how can I learn about it?