Petitions and management plans for the designation of managed forest land; transferrals of ownership of managed forest land; establishing stumpage values, filing cutting reports, and estimating withdrawal taxes under the managed forest land program; signatures and authentication requirements for orders under the forest croplands program; granting rule-making authority; making an appropriation; and providing a penalty

2. The dates before which DNR must act on applications under the MFL program are changed, and the deadline for owners to file applications to renew MFL orders is changed.

3. A forestry management plan for the MFL must accompany the application, and the requirement that DNR prepare the plan upon the request of the applying landowner is eliminated. Under the bill, DNR must prepare the plan only if DNR determines that the applicant is unable to have a proposed management plan prepared by a certified independent plan writer. DNR must promulgate rules establishing the criteria for when DNR will prepare the plan.

4. The Department of Revenue, upon the request of an MFL landowner, with the assistance of DNR, must prepare an estimate of the withdrawal tax that would be due if the MFL is withdrawn.

5. The requirement that the stumpage value used to determine the amount of yield taxes and withdrawal taxes under the MFL program be established by rule is eliminated.

6. The bill clarifies that when MFL is transferred to another owner, the person purchasing or otherwise receiving the land pays the transfer fee.

7. Under the forest croplands program, facsimile signatures are allowed and documents are exempted from register of deeds authentication requirements. These provisions exist for the MFL program under current law.

8. The penalties and procedures that apply to persons who file false reports also apply for assessing the yield tax to persons who fail to file cutting reports.

9. An owner selling MFL must disclose to prospective buyers that the land is designated as such under an MFL order.