Get to Know Your Forest and Save: Managed Forest Plan Approvers have knowledge to share

By Peter Kuitenbrouwer

There are many reasons why property owners and managers take part in Forests Canada’s Tree Planting Program. Trees help reduce soil erosion, improve water quality, stabilize streambanks and protect farmland from wind and snow. Expanding forest cover also creates vital habitat and travel corridors for birds and wildlife as well as lasting recreational and environmental benefits enjoyed today and for generations to come. Every tree planted is an investment in a healthier, more resilient future.

Contributing to healthy forests also comes with property tax reductions in Ontario when landowners follow an approved Managed Forest Plan and take part in the Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program (MFTIP) for their property.

My job as a Managed Forest Plan Approver is endlessly variable. In winter, one landowner took me on his snowmobile, north of Madoc, Ontario, to visit their property. It was a big place: 131 hectares; mechanized transportation came in handy. Another time I traversed a forest in Prince Edward County in -25C weather on my cross-country skis. In summer, I have ridden in side-by-sides, crossed bridges, forded creeks in my waders, and battled mosquitos, black flies, and rain while conducting forest inventory.

Any landowner in Ontario with over four hectares of forest is eligible to enroll in the province’s Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program (MFTIP). This voluntary program is administered by Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources and can help reduce municipal property tax by 75 per cent on the forested portions of a property.

To enroll, landowners need to contact a plan approver such as myself. The MFTIP website lists hundreds of us and the online listing can easily be searched by county to find someone nearby. While a landowner can write their own plan, a plan approver must visit the property as well as register it with the province.

Landowners vary. Some are happy to have me visit their woods by myself to make maps that show compartments, such as which areas have conifers, where mature hardwoods are growing, and so on. Knowing one’s woods is the first step to successful and sustainable forest management.

I prefer when forest owners join me in the evaluation process and hand the landowner a clipboard and a pencil. I use a tool called a prism, which helps me calculate which tree species are most common, tree sizes and forest density. The landowner writes the information on a tally sheet. We discuss tree health, how to identify tree species, and regeneration of saplings growing on the forest floor.

Plan approvers can guide landowners. We might say, “Here you could plant trees to help your forest and increase your tax savings; there you might want to fight invasive species, such as Garlic Mustard and Dog-Strangling Vine.”

Forests hold clues to their past. For example, an old split rail or stone fence tells you that at one time, cattle roamed the place. I love to learn what I can about a forest’s history to help inform management.

Whether you're enhancing wildlife habitat, improving forest health, or planning for the future, Forests Canada can help. Explore our tree planting and stewardship resources, and learn how programs like Ontario's Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program can support your conservation goals. Begin your journey toward a thriving, resilient forest today.