For Certified Plan Writers

Frequently Asked Questions - MFL Entry and Deadlines

1) Q: How does a certified plan writer (CPW) obtain a May 15 petition order number?

A: The CPW should send an order number request form to Julie Polasky in the Forest Tax Section (FTS) to obtain an order number. E-mail is preferable. The order number should be obtained before submitting the management plan packet to the DNR forester to review. An order number needs to be obtained for all order types, including additions (for notification purposes).

The CPW will need to submit the following information to obtain an order number:

• Year of entry
• Type of order
• County
• Municipality
• Primary landowner name (this should be exact)
• Primary landowner mailing address
• Town/range/section
• Legal descriptions
• Approximate acreage
• Indicate if this landowner owns other MFL land (we need to combine landowner records in our database)

Other helpful information would include:

• Deed or land contract
• Length of order
• Open/closed acres
• Parcel ID numbers

2) Q: What are the management plan packet deadlines and how strict are they?

A: The management plan packet includes all management plan forms, the petition, and petition attachments (except the $20 fee). All deadlines for management plan packets must be met.

Extensions will not be granted.

May 15 Deadline

• If the petition is being submitted for the May 15 deadline, the draft management plan packet is due to the DNR forester for review by March 1. For example, the draft management plan packet is due to the DNR forester for review by March 1, 2010 to qualify for the May 15, 2010 deadline (2011 entry).
• The completed management plan packet and fee must be submitted to FTS by May 15.

July 1 Deadline

• If the petition is being submitted for the July 1 deadline, the management plan can be submitted with the petition. The management plan will be reviewed after the petition is processed by FTS. For example, the management plan is sent in with the petition by July 1, 2010 for 2012 entry. The Forest Tax Section will assign an order number and send the management plan packet to the DNR forester for review.

OR

• If the plan is not submitted with the petition, the management plan packet is due to the DNR forester for review by the following June 1 and the completed management plan packet is due to the DNR forester by the following August 15. "Completed" means that it must be approved and signed by the DNR forester and signed by the landowner(s). The petition is submitted for the July 1, 2010 deadline for 2012 entry. The management plan packet is due to the DNR forester for review by June 1, 2011. The completed (signed by the DNR forester and by the landowner) management plan packet is then due to the DNR forester by August 15, 2011 to continue the petition for the 2012 entry year.

3) Q: Can a July 1 deadline petition be changed to a May 15 deadline petition so the land can be entered a year earlier?

A: Yes, but the March 1 draft plan deadline must still be met. The landowner must submit a request in writing to FTS, attention Julie Polasky. The letter should include:

• Location of land: county, town, approximate acreage.
• Request to withdraw the petition for the entry year it was originally submitted for.
• Request to apply for the May 15 deadline for the earlier entry year.
• Name of CPW preparing the management plan.

For example: In August of 2008, we submitted a petition for the July 1, 2009 deadline for 40 acres in Dane County, Town of Roxbury. Please withdraw this petition for 2011 entry. We wish to apply for the May 15, 2009 deadline for 2010 entry. Please forward the petition to the certified plan writer we have hired, C.P. Ryder. (Remember, the draft plan would be due to the DNR forester by March 1, 2009.)

This option will mainly involve petitions received between July and January (which missed the July 1 deadline).

4) Q: Who sends the May 15 deadline petition to the Forest Tax Section?

A: The landowner is responsible for sending the completed management plan packet and petition fee to FTS by May 15 (postmark).

5) Q: Who sends approved plans written by a CPW to the landowner to sign?

A: CPWs are responsible for obtaining landowner signatures on all plans they prepare, except DNR-contracted plans. Landowner signatures should be obtained after the plan is approved and signed by the DNR forester.

6) Q: Does the area forestry leader need to review CPW-prepared plans?

A: The review of CPW-prepared plans is presently determined by the area/region.

7) Q: How do I keep all of these deadlines straight?

A: The MFL petition deadline flow charts outline the basic process for each petition deadline. They are located on the Forest Tax internet.

8) Q: Will the DNR foresters receive a copy of the completed management packet the landowner submits for the May 15 deadline?

A: No, FTS will not be copying and sending out copies of the management plan packets. The DNR forester should make a copy of the management plan packet for the file once he/she approves the plan.

9) Q: What happens if a CPW submits an MFL packet by the March 1 draft plan deadline (May 15 petition deadline), and it is discovered that the land is owned by 2 different parties?

A: There are 3 options for this occurrence:
1. The CPW must submit a second MFL packet by March 1. -OR-
2. The landowners must decide which parcel (ownership) to enter. -OR-
3. The landowners can deed all of the property to the same ownership. The legal document must be recorded by the May 15 deadline.

A: The DNR forester must review a CPW-prepared MFL packet within 45 days of its receipt. This is applicable to both deadlines.

11) Q: For the July 1 deadline, petitions can be submitted with plans. What types of plans can be submitted with the petition and how are they processed?

A: 3 types of plans can be submitted with a petition for the July 1 deadline. The following includes the types of plans that can be submitted and the process for each.

1. A DNR-prepared plan written within the last 5 years.
   • FTS assigns a new order number and the packet is sent to the DNR forester for approval.
   • If the plan is approved, minor updates are made (e.g. order number) by the DNR forester and the packet is processed through normal channels.
   • If the plan is not approved (e.g. requires new recon), the DNR forester informs the landowner of this in a letter. The packet is returned to FTS and placed on the referral list.
2. A current ICPW-prepared plan.
   • FTS assigns a new order number and the packet is sent to the DNR forester for approval.
   • If the plan is approved, the packet is processed through normal procedure.
   • If the plan is not approved, the plan and checklist are returned to the ICPW for corrections. The plan must be completed (approved and signed) by July 1 of the following year.
3. An ICPW-prepared plan written within the last 5 years. (In this scenario, there is no current ICPW hired by the landowner. The plan was prepared by an ICPW in the past.)
   • The plan must be on MFL forms and must have been written by an ICPW who was certified at the time. A former MFL order number does not have to have been issued. Former approval of these plans is not required.
   • FTS assigns a new order number and the packet is sent to the DNR forester for approval.
   • If the plan is approved, minor updates are made (e.g. order number) by the DNR forester and the packet is processed through normal channels.
   • If the plan is not approved (e.g. requires new recon), the DNR forester informs the landowner of this in a letter. The packet is returned to FTS and placed on the referral list.

If a plan written within the last 5 years is submitted and was written on old forms, the information can be updated using the old format. The information does not need to be transferred to the latest plan forms.

12) Q: How are multiple municipality petitions handled?

A: For 2011 entries, landowners apply to enroll land by ownership, not municipality. Beginning with 2012 entries, landowners will again apply by municipality and multiple municipality petitions will only be allowed if the land would not otherwise qualify for entry on its own. The petition fee will be $20 for each county on the MFL petition.

Here are some additional details:

1. Due to the limitations of our current Forest Tax Laws computer application, order numbers can only be assigned per municipality. Petitions with multiple municipalities will have separate order numbers but only one petition and one management plan. Separate land listings should be filed for each order number. Separate land exams and maps should be filed for each order number and section. (The online WisFIRS application is being designed to assign one order number per petition. In the interim, we must work with the multiple order numbers our current computer system assigns.)
2. The closed acre policy remains the same. An ownership can only have 160 acres closed in a municipality.
3. If an ICPW prepares a plan for multiple counties, the packet will be sent for review to the DNR reviewer with the majority of acreage on the petition. This lead forester will be responsible for coordinating the review of the packet and will be the contact for the ICPW.
4. If an MFL petition covering multiple counties is scheduled for DNR preparation, it will be sent to the DNR forester with the majority of the acreage on the petition. This lead forester will be responsible for coordinating the workload for all lands on the petition. The DNR forester in each county should gather the information for the county, write that portion of the management plan, and submit it to the lead forester for data entry and combination of the plan information into one packet for the landowner. Each DNR forester will be responsible for entering lands into his or her individual PlanTrac database. (If the acreage is the same in each county, the choice of lead forester will be at the foresters’ discretion.)

13)  Q:  What revision of the MFL petition is accepted?
A:  Only the 11/07 revision of the petition will be accepted. CPWs can request printed copies from Julie Polasky, with a limit of 20 petitions per order.

14)  Q:  Can a landowner request changes to an MFL packet after it is approved and sent to FTS, but before the effective date of the order?
A:  Yes, landowners can make amendments to their MFL packets prior to the effective date of the MFL order.

Only the following changes will be allowed after the MFL packet has been approved:

• Move of a building site or exclusion.
• Removal of acreage.
• Change from open to closed tax status.
• Change of order length.
• Addition of acreage in the same or different legal description if the land would not be eligible to be entered at a later date because it is less than 3 acres in size. Deeds and tax statements for that legal description would have to have been originally submitted with the petition. Additions of land larger than 3 acres in size or completely different parcels of land that are eligible to be entered on their own merits will be denied. Local municipalities need to check for unpaid property taxes and approve these acreage additions. Check with FTS to ensure the addition is allowed.

All of the following conditions must be met prior to the effective date of the MFL order (see exceptions below). If these conditions are not met, the lands will be entered as originally shown on the approved MFL packet.

For the following 3 changes, all that is required is a written request to amend the MFL packet signed by all landowners. (The CPW and/or DNR forester do not need to revise the packet or submit items for approval.)

• Change in open or closed acreage AFTER the order of designation is issued in November. (For changes in open or closed acreage before the order of designation is issued, the complete process listed above must be followed.)
• Change in order length from 50 to 25 years.
• Entire rescinding order (i.e. withdrawal of entire order before the effective date).

15)  Q:  Can a landowner request the addition of land to an MFL petition after the March 1 plan deadline, but before the petition deadline of May 15?
A:  The plan writer should check with FTS to determine if additional land can be added to an MFL petition after the March 1 plan deadline. The addition of acreage in the same or different legal description is allowed if the land would not be eligible to be entered at a later date because it is less than 3 acres in size. Additions of land larger than 3 acres in size or completely different parcels of land that are eligible to be entered on their own merits will be denied. Again, check with FTS to ensure the addition is allowed.

16)  Q:  Who sends a copy of an approved plan, prepared by a CPW, to the landowner for his/her records?
A: It is the CPW’s responsibility to provide the landowner with a copy of the approved MFL packet, including the MFL management plan. FTS sends a copy of the MFL order of designation and the MFL map to the landowner in November. FTS/DNR does not send a copy of the MFL plan to the landowner, except in cases when the MFL packet is prepared by or contracted with the DNR.

17)  Q:  If a landowner withdraws a DNR-prepared plan before it is completed or invoiced, is the landowner charged a plan preparation fee?
A:  If a landowner withdraws an MFL petition and has not yet received a copy of the MFL plan and invoice, a plan preparation fee will not be assessed. If the landowner would like to use the plan for MFL entry within the following 5 years, a plan preparation fee will be assessed at that time.

A plan preparation fee will be assessed if the landowner has received a management plan and invoice from the Department, regardless of whether the landowner chooses to continue with or withdraw the MFL petition. Normally, an invoice is sent to the landowner when the plan is sent to the landowner for signatures.

18)  Q:  Are CPWs required to submit electronic copies of MFL plans?
A:  No, the department cannot require that a CPW submit an electronic version of an MFL plan. We do, however, encourage the use of electronic documents. In the review of an MFL packet, sending documents through e-mail (by both the CPW and DNR forester) can help expedite the review and revision process and save on postage. When the MFL packet is approved, it is helpful if the CPW sends the DNR forester an electronic copy for ease of amendment in the future, if a new landowner purchases the land or if property circumstances change.

19)  Q:  Can landowners with expiring MFL land submit their petitions early, i.e. for future deadlines?
A:  No, landowners cannot apply to enroll land into the MFL program early. Petitions are only accepted for active (current) deadlines and entry years. Petitions submitted for future deadlines will not be accepted and will be returned. CPWs can begin work on expiring MFL land at any time, but petitions and management plans will only be accepted and reviewed for the active (most current) deadlines.