What would the Qualified Forest Program save on your land?
Michigan's QFP exempts most of the school operating tax on enrolled forestland. Enter your township, school district, and the taxable value from your tax bill. The calculator uses your district's actual millage, not a statewide estimate.
Your parcel
Most townships have one. If yours has several, it's printed on your tax bill.
On your February or July tax bill. Taxable value, not assessed (SEV), usually the lower number.
Find the exact number
It's on your summer or winter tax bill and on the assessment notice mailed each February, on the line marked Taxable Value.
Pick your county and township above and a lookup link appears here.
Or estimate it
Taxable value is usually about half of what the land would sell for, and less if you've owned it a while.
Enter acres above to estimate
From your tax bill. Dashes optional. Checks MDARD's QFP list and the DNR's Commercial Forest list to see if this parcel is already enrolled.
Estimated annual savings
$0per year
$0Current annual tax (non-homestead)
$0Annual tax if enrolled
$0Ten-year savings
$0Savings per acre per year
Get the parcel report
An emailed report with these numbers, the enrollment checklist, the September 1 deadline, and how to get a management plan written for this parcel.
How enrollment works
20 acres minimum. Under 40 acres must be 80% productive forest; 40 acres and up, 50%.
Buildings are allowed but not exempt. School operating tax still applies to the value of any structures, and a building can't push the forested share below the minimum. Homestead acreage already skips these mills, so QFP only helps non-homestead land.
A forest management plan written by an MDARD-registered Qualified Forester. This is the real cost of enrolling, and it typically pays for itself in one to two years. Request one through the parcel report above.
Apply by September 1 for the exemption to begin the following tax year. $50 application fee.
You must follow the plan, including scheduled harvests. Withdrawing later is expensive, so treat enrollment as a long-term commitment.