How to enroll

How to enroll in the Qualified Forest Program

Updated September 9, 2026. Sources: MDARD, Michigan DNR, MCL 211.7jj[1] and MCL 324.51101 to 324.51120. Not affiliated with the State of Michigan.

Enrolling in Michigan's Qualified Forest Program is a paperwork process with one real cost, the forest management plan, and one hard date, September 1. Here is the whole sequence in order.

1. Check the parcel

At least 20 acres, on one parcel.
Forest cover of at least 80% if under 40 acres, or 50% at 40 acres and up. The forester confirms this when writing the plan.
Not your homestead acreage. If you claim the Principal Residence Exemption on the parcel, only the non-homestead part benefits.
Not already enrolled. The calculator checks MDARD's QFP list and the DNR's Commercial Forest list by parcel number.

2. Get a forest management plan

This is the step that takes time and money. The plan must be written by a forester registered with MDARD as a Qualified Forester. It describes the stands on the parcel, sets management goals, and schedules the work, including harvests. Expect $1,000 to $3,000 for a typical parcel, and MDARD notes a plan can take a few months depending on the season. Foresters are busiest in summer, so a winter or spring start is the comfortable path to a September application.

The plan is also the document that keeps you in the program: MDARD requires owners to comply with it, and the recapture tax doubles for land that never had a harvest.

3. Apply to MDARD by September 1

Send the application, the management plan, and a $50 fee payable to the State of Michigan to MDARD, postmarked by September 1. Applications received after that date are held for the following year.

4. Record the affidavit

When MDARD approves the application it sends a Qualified Forest School Tax Affidavit. Sign it, have it notarized, and record it with the Register of Deeds in the county where the land sits. Michigan counties charge a flat $30 to record a document.

5. Give the assessor a copy by December 31

Present the recorded affidavit to your township or city assessor on or before December 31. The exemption starts January 1 of the following year.

6. Each year after

The 2-mill fee appears on your tax bill in place of the school operating mills.
Follow the plan. When timber is sold, file a harvest report with MDARD.
If you sell, tell the buyer about the Qualified Forest Taxable Value Affidavit so the capped taxable value can transfer with the land.

Timeline at a glance

When	What
Winter or spring	Hire a Qualified Forester; plan written
By September 1	Application, plan, and $50 to MDARD
Fall	Affidavit signed, notarized, recorded ($30)
By December 31	Recorded affidavit to the assessor
January 1	Exemption in effect

What it costs, all in

Item	Amount	When
Forest management plan	$1,000 to $3,000	Once
MDARD application fee	$50	Once
Recording the affidavit	$30	Once
Program fee	2 mills of taxable value	Every year, on the tax bill

Against that, the exemption removes up to 18 mills every year. On a parcel with an $80,000 taxable value the net is about $1,280 a year, so the plan pays for itself in one to two years and the savings continue for as long as the land is managed under it.

See the number for your parcel

The calculator uses your township and school district's actual millage. Takes about a minute. If you want a Michigan-registered Qualified Forester to look at the parcel, that is a free ask.

Run your parcel Request a forester consultation