FOREST TAXATION IN THE UNITED STATES 383 
county, thereby effecting classification, provided that classification does not 
become effective until 6 months after the date of application. 
VII-2. The requirements for continued classification are as follows: The 
initial qualifications must be maintained so far as they are applicable. The 
forest must receive reasonable protection and must be cared for and managed 
according to regulations laid down by the State forester. All rules for carrying 
out and administering the law are prepared by the State forester, subject to the 
approval of the State tax commission. The law contains no provision with ref- 
erence to the effect upon classification of transfer of the property. 
VII-3. Declassification is effected either by the owner’s withdrawal or upon 
his failure to protect the forest or to observe the regulations as to its care and 
management. If the property has been classified less than 25 years, a declassifi- 
cation tax is imposed, equal to the full amount of back taxes with interest for 
tle period of classification, when such period does not exceed 10 years, otherwise 
for the last 10 years of such period, less the amount of taxes actually paid for 
such period. [The language of the law is obscure as to the declassification tax, 
but the above appears to be the meaning.] 
WISCONSIN. SPECIFIC PROPERTY TAX AND YIELD TAX, PASSED IN 1927, AMENDED 
IN 1929, 1931, AND 1933 
Wisconsin Statutes 1933, secs. 77.01—77.14, 71.03 (9) and 71.04 (9). 
I. Properties may be classified as ‘‘forest crop lands’’, of which certain lands 
are designated as under ‘‘special classification.” 
II. Forest-crop lands are exempt, both land and trees, from the general 
property tax. 
III. An annual specific property tax, called the ‘‘acreage share’’, is imposed 
at the rate of 10 cents per acre, except that on properties under ‘‘special classifi- 
cation”’ the ‘“‘acreage share’’ is imposed at the following rates per acre for each 
of the first 8 years of classification: First year, 40 cents; second year, 35 cents; 
third year, 30 cents; fourth year, 25 cents; fifth year, 25 cents; sixth year, 20 
cents; seventh year, 20 cents; and eighth year, 15 cents. The revenues from 
this tax are payable to the town treasurer like other property taxes. If such 
tax is not paid by February 20 of any year, there is a penalty of 2 percent plus 
interest at the rate of 1 percent per month, and the land becomes delinquent 
and is subject to redemption by the owner within 3 years. Forty percent of 
the “‘acreage share”’ and of all other moneys received by the town treasurer on 
account of forest-crop lands is apportioned to the school districts in which these 
lands are located in proportion to the forest-crop land area in each within the 
town; 20 percent is paid to the county treasurer and 40 percent is retained for 
the town. 
IV. A yield tax is imposed upon the stumpage value of all merchantable 
wood products cut from such forest-crop lands, except fuel wood used by the 
owner. The rate of the tax is 10 percent except that wood products cut from 
lands under ‘‘special classification’? are subject to the following rates upon 
stumpage during each of the first 8 years of classification: First year, 2 percent; 
second year, 3 percent; third vear, 4 percent; fourth year, 5 percent; fifth year, 
6 percent; sixth year, 7 percent; seventh year, 8 percent; and eighth year, 9 
percent. If the conservation commission [hereinafter referred to as the com- 
mission] finds that the owner has destructively cut the timber on classified 
lands ‘‘without making satisfactory provision for adequate restocking”’, the 
foregoing yield-tax rates are doubled. No such taxable products may be cut 
until 30 days after the owner has filed with the commission and also with the 
tax commission a notice of intention to cut, specifying the kinds and amounts 
of products to be cut, and has filed with the tax commission a bond in such 
amount as required by the tax commission unless waived by it. For the assess- 
ment of the yield tax the commission determines annually, for all localities 
containing forest-crop lands, the stumpage values of the various classes of forest 
products likely to be cut from such lands. The owner reports to the commis- 
sion semiannually the varieties and quantities of products cut during the pre- 
ceding 6 months. The commission may accept such report, or it may itself 
determine the facts, with or without a hearing. In either event the facts are 
reported to the tax commission, which levies the stumpage or yield tax on the 
basis of the report and the stumpage values then in force. At any time within 
a year after any cutting should have been reported, and after giving the owner 
opportunity to be heard, the commission may determine whether the quantity 
uf wood products cut from any forest-crop land was substantially in excess of 
