In assessing changes in forest land ownership, the director shall also consider information reported pursuant to Title 36, sections 305 and 2728.__The director shall provide a summary of changes in ownership of forest land in the biennial report.

Sec. 3. 36 MRSA §305, sub-§5, as enacted by PL 1973, c. 620, §10, is amended to read:

5. Rules and regulations. Promulgate, after appropriate notice and hearing, all rules and regulations necessary to carry into effect any of its duties and responsibilities.; and

Sec. 4. 36 MRSA §305, sub-§6 is enacted to read:

6.__Report on changes in land ownership.__On or before September 1st of each year, report to the Commissioner of Conservation, the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, the Director of the State Planning Office within the Executive Department and the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over public lands on the transfer in ownership of parcels of land 10,000 acres or greater within the unorganized territory of the State.__Using information maintained by the State Tax Assessor under section 1602 and section 4641-D, the bureau shall provide information for each transfer that includes:

A.__Name of the seller;

B.__Name of the buyer;

C.__Number of acres transferred;

D.__Classification of land;

E.__Location by township and county;

F.__Sale price; and

G.__A brief description of the property.

Sec. 5. 36 MRSA §581-F is enacted to read:

§581-F.__Report to the Bureau of Forestry on land in unorganized

territory

On or before September 1st of each year, the State Tax Assessor shall provide to the Department of Conservation, Bureau of Forestry information on land within the unorganized territory taxed according to this subchapter.__The information must include the number of parcels enrolled, classified by parcel size categories.__The State Tax Assessor shall consult with the Director of the Bureau of Forestry in determining the parcel size categories and shall provide the information in a consistent format to facilitate comparison from year to year.

Sec. 6. 36 MRSA §1102, sub-§6, as amended by PL 1989, c. 748, §1, is further amended to read:

6. Open space land. "Open For land first classified under this subchapter on or before April 1, 2002, "open space land" means any area of land, including state wildlife and management areas, sanctuaries and preserves designated as such in Title 12, the preservation or restriction of the use of which provides a public benefit in any of the following areas:

A. Conserving scenic resources;

B. Enhancing public recreation opportunities;

C. Promoting game management; or

D. Preserving wildlife or wildlife habitat.

Open space land first subject to classification under this subchapter after April 1, 2002, in addition to meeting the other requirements of this subsection, must be open to the public without charge for year-round, nonmotorized recreation, including fishing, hunting, cross-country skiing, hiking and nature observation.__Land is not disqualified from classification as open space land if the landowner imposes temporary or localized public access restrictions to protect active habitat of endangered species listed under Title 12, chapter 713, subchapter V; prevent destruction or harm to fragile protected natural resources under Title 38, chapter 3, subchapter I, article 5-A; or protect the recreational user from any hazardous area.

Sec. 7. 36 MRSA §1106-A, sub-§4 is enacted to read:

4.__Percentage reduction for land first classified after April 1, 2002.__All land first classified as open space land

after April 1, 2002 is entitled to the reduction provided in subsection 2, paragraph D.

Sec. 8. 36 MRSA §2728 is enacted to read:

§2728.__Report on ownership of commercial forest land by size of

ownership

On or before September 1st of each year, the State Tax Assessor shall provide the Director of the Bureau of Forestry within the Department of Conservation with information on the number of landowners filing tax returns in accordance with this chapter, including a breakdown of the number of landowners by acreage categories.__The State Tax Assessor shall consult with the Director of the Bureau of Forestry in determining the acreage categories and shall provide the information in a consistent format to facilitate comparison from year to year.

Emergency clause. In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this Act takes effect when approved.

1.

SUMMARY

This bill requires a person submitting a proposal for funding from the Land for Maine's Future Fund or the Public Access to Maine Waters Fund to provide information on the anticipated management of the property and costs associated with the management of the property and monitoring for compliance with easements acquired.

It requires the Director of the Bureau of Forestry within the Department of Conservation to include information on changes in ownership of forest land and parcel size in the biennial state of the forest report using information currently available from the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, Bureau of Revenue Services and information reported to the bureau by municipalities.

It requires the Bureau of Revenue Services to report on land transfers of parcels 10,000 acres and greater in the unorganized territory.

It requires the State Tax Assessor to report annually to the Bureau of Forestry on the number of parcels in the unorganized territory taxed under the Maine Tree Growth Tax Law with a breakdown by parcel size categories.

It requires land initially enrolled as open space land after April 1, 2002 to be open to the public for nonmotorized recreation.

It requires the State Tax Assessor to report annually on the number of landowners owning 500 acres or more of commercial forest land, including a breakdown of the number of landowners by acreage categories.