Forest Landowner Assistance
The Division of Forestry has two Service Foresters available to provide technical advice and assistance to woodlot owners throughout the State. This service is available to private citizens, municipalities, conservation groups or other private or public organizations. To learn more, visit Forestry Assistance for Connecticut Landowners or view the Brochure Describing What Service Foresters Have to Offer.
Classification of Land as "Forest Land" for Taxation Purposes
The State Forester is responsible for establishing the standards for what qualifies land as "forest land" as per section 12-107d of the Connecticut General Statutes. Individual property owners who wish to take advantage of this opportunity must have their land inspected by a properly qualified professional forester.
Resources Regarding Estate Planning of Value to Forest Landowners
The USDA Forest Service has produced a very useful brochure that can be of great assistance to landowners exploring the issue of Estate Planning: "Your Family Land: Legacy or Memory".
The University of Massachusetts Amherst, Highlands Community Initiative and the North Quabbin Regional Lands Partnership have put together a publication, Your Land, Your Legacy: Deciding the Future of Your Land to Meet the Needs of You and Your Family, of real-life case studies about how some Massachusetts landowners and families used a variety of estate planning professionals and tools to develop creative solutions to meet their needs and goals. Estate planning is a broad topic. This publication focuses on the elements of estate planning that deal directly with keeping land in its natural, undeveloped state.
The US Forest Service has made available as a free pdf download a 200 page soft-covered book entitled "Estate Planning for Forest Landowners: What Will Become of Your Timberland?". You may request a hardcopy of this publication through the Forest Service.
The Connecticut Forest Legacy Program
The Forest Legacy Program helps to identify and conserve environmentally important forests. The program protects working forests, those forests that protect water quality and provide habitat, forest products, opportunities for recreation and other public benefits.
Content last reviewed February 2020