Archive for March, 2009

WILDLIFE HABITAT

Tuesday, March 31st, 2009

Landowners have a unique opportunity to manipulate their property to enhance wildlife populations.  If you, as a landowner, are a wildlife enthusiast; here are a few ideas to help our furry and feathered (scaly and slimy too) friends.

 

If you have a beaver pond or marsh, erect some wood duck boxes.  You can build them and sometimes the Maine Dept of Fish & Wildlife will have some on hand for sale.  Make sure you raccoon-proof them by putting metal flashing around the pole or tree so that the coons cannot climb and raid the nest. 

 

Build a pond.  If it is large enough, you will see wading birds, ducks and maybe geese use it.  Frogs, salamanders, snakes and turtles are likely to call your pond home.  Muskrats, mink and otter will also visit.  You can also stock fish.  Check with MDIFW for permits.

 

Encourage beavers to build you a pond.  You can enjoy all the benefits discussed above with little or no costs.  Now for the $64K question, how do you get beaver on your property?  One way would be to contact MDIFW and allow them to release “nuisance” beaver on your property.  It would help if you had a stream running through your land. 

 

For timberland, create food plots.  These are openings in the forest that are planted to grasses or crops and used for food by a variety of wildlife notably deer and turkey.  Grouse, hare and other species will use these sites as well.  Ground nesting birds and small mammals will use these openings for nest sites.  They do need to be mowed, preferably in the fall, to maintain their integrity.

 

If you have fields, plant them or sections of them to grains, clover or high quality grasses such as timothy and alfalfa.  You can also plant crops that wildlife will use for food such as brassicas, beans or corn.

 

Larger owners can manage their timber for wildlife as well.  Identify and do not cut cavity or nest trees.  Cut 1-2 acre patches dispersed throughout the property on a rotating basis to maintain a mix of successional stages.  Designate an area that is a no cut zone to promote an area of mature trees.  These are but a few harvest techniques that add diversity to your timberland which will be used by a variety of wildlife species.  If you are willing to pay fees, contact a wildlife consultant or forester for a professional opinion. 

 

If you like wildlife, one good way to promote your passion for the critters is to be a landowner.  Check out our website for land tracts that would make for good wildlife habitat.  The Solon farmhouse on 62.6 acres and the 88 acres in Fairfield are good candidates.  Feel free to contact us for more info regarding this aspect of these properties.

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VALUE ADDED

Wednesday, March 25th, 2009

As you can recall from previous posts, raw land increases in value over time.  You as a landowner can also increase the value of your property.  One obvious improvement would be to build a home.

 

There are other less obvious improvements that you can make that will enhance the value of your land and may also provide enjoyment as well.

 

On larger holdings, construction of trails will enhance property values.  You can accomplish this yourself by brushing out old skid trails, filling in depressions, building bridges etc.  Hiring out an excavator or backhoe is another option.  These trails can be used for walking, ATVing, x-country skiing, snowmobiling etc.

 

Food plots on timberland parcels are a great way to increase the value of the property as well as provide wildlife habitat.  Openings can be ½ to several acres in size and are generally planted with quality grasses, clover, grain or vegetable crops.  Food plots do require periodic mowings or plantings to keep the forest from reclaiming them.

 

For fields, the planting of Christmas trees, orchard trees or nursery stock will increase property values tremendously.  This improvement will require considerable maintenance but the return can be very attractive.

 

The construction of a pond will also add value to a property.  Private ponds are generally constructed using bulldozers and backhoes.  Small ponds are esthetically pleasing and provide some wildlife habitat.  Larger ponds can be used for swimming and boating.  Trout or other fish species can be stocked for recreation or even an aquaculture operation.  Be sure to check out federal and state regulations for both pond construction and the stocking of fish.  

 

There are many other improvements that you can make that will add value to your property.  Even small projects enhance worth.        

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PANCAKES & SYRUP

Thursday, March 19th, 2009

It’s that time of year again.  Time to collect the sap, boil it down and make that sweet delicacy—maple syrup; the symbol of Spring in Maine and the rest of New England.  This is yet another benefit of a timberland owner.

 

Anyone lucky enough to own a “sugarbush” can partake in this seasonal ritual.  All one needs is a dozen or so mature sugar maple trees growing on his or her property.  Generally a 10” DBH (diameter at breast height) tree will support one bucket.  The larger the tree the more buckets you can add.  If you are new to this, be conservative; you do not want to kill the tree.

 

To get the sweet nectar, one needs to drill a hole into the tree an inch or so deep, pound in a spile (metal spigot) and hang the bucket.  Tubing can also be used to carry the sap to a collector. 

 

The sap should be collected daily; when it is running good, twice a day.  The sap needs to be boiled down to make syrup.  Boil it more to make maple butter, more so to make candy.  It takes about 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup.

 

Most people will do this for their own personal use; however, large timberland owners will make it a commercial operation.  One thing to remember; if you are growing your sugar maple trees for sawtimber, you do not want to tap them, which would reduce their value immensely.

 

If you are looking to buy land and this is an activity that interests you, keep an eye out for a number of large sugar maples.  Ask your broker. 

 

Happy Spring!

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TREE GROWTH TAX PROGRAM

Monday, March 9th, 2009

 

Looking back at some of our posts, you are well aware of the economic advantages of owning timberland in Maine.  You may be wondering that this is all well and good, but there must be a “catch”.  There is, you must pay real estate taxes on an annual basis to maintain ownership of your timberland property.

 

Real estate taxes for timberland vary from town to town and can run upwards to $10 per acre, sometimes more.  There is a statewide program for owners of at least 10 acres of timberland which can reduce your taxes by 50% or more.  It is called the Maine Tree Growth Tax Law.

 

A property must be at least 10 acres in size to qualify.  A timber management and harvest plan prepared by a licensed Maine Forester is also required.  Re-certification is required every ten years.  There is a one-time penalty for any land withdrawn from the program or there is a change in use.

 

Some things to consider:

 

1.  If you buy land that is already enrolled, you have one year from the date of transfer to keep it in the program (new management plan) or take it out (and incur the penalty).

 

2.  You can take a portion of an enrolled property out of the program and pay the penalty only on that portion withdrawn.  One would do this if they plan to build on the land; withdraw 1 or 2 two acres for a building site and keep the remainder in the program.

 

3.  You CAN harvest trees.  You are expected to harvest trees according to the management plan.    

 

4.  You can take a credit against your Maine Income Tax once every ten years.

 

5.  If you are considering enrolling your property in the program, identify those areas that you or a future owner may want to develop.  It may be advantageous  for you to NOT include these areas in tree growth.   

 

This is a wonderful program for timberland owners to reduce their real estate taxes.  For more information consult Bulletin No. 19 available from either the Maine Revenue Service or the Maine Forest Service.

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LAND & TREES (part two)

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009

Another good reason to own timberland in Maine.

 

Two of the local newspapers this weekend had several articles related to last week’s post.  There are plans in the State of Maine to produce, on a commercial scale, bio-fuels from trees.  The idea is to reduce this country’s dependence on foreign oil.

 

It appears that smaller trees may be used in the process.  This could potentially lead to a market for tree thinnings that are too small for pulp.  Instead of being a cost, the trees harvested during a thinning could mean income for the timberland owner. 

 

New ideas are constantly being explored by researchers, entrepreneurs, and business people for the vast timber resource in Maine.  As more markets are developed for our timber resource, the greater the demand for timberland parcels.  A good time to purchase this commodity is before every Tom, Dick & Harry figure this out.  That time is NOW! 

 

Check out the Wilderness Realty website.  We have for sale prime forestland tracts for the small, individual investor.  Prices are low, especially when compared to the rest of the East Coast.  Remember the old mantra—Buy Low, Sell High.     

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