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Proposal aims to spare landowners from back taxes after removing dying Douglas firs
Summary
Rep. Marsh presented LC 242 to address cases where landowners removing diseased or dead Douglas firs lose a forest‑land tax exemption and face years of back taxes; the concept would adjust the punitive back-tax consequence while preserving existing ODF alternative-plan processes.
Representative Marsh presented LC 242 to the committee on Jan. 9, describing a narrow legislative concept to relieve landowners from punitive back taxes when they remove dying or hazardous Douglas fir trees and consequently fall out of a forest-land tax exemption.
Marsh told the committee that property owners who must remove dead or dying Douglas firs for forest health sometimes become ineligible for the tax exemption and then face multiple years of back taxes, which can be financially crippling. "We think it's inappropriate to have them also subject to back taxes," Marsh said, explaining the bill would address that punitive consequence while leaving Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) processes for alternative plans and eligibility otherwise intact.
Marsh said the bill's relating clause remains broad to allow technical fixes and that ODF would continue to work with landowners to develop alternative plans and to approve or disapprove them. The concept aims to provide short-term relief for landowners acting to maintain forest health; Marsh indicated further conversations with the governor's office and agencies are planned.
The committee accepted the concept for introduction; the bill will receive detailed drafting and a hearing before any final action.
Next steps: ODF will be invited to testify in future hearings to explain alternative-plan mechanics and how eligibility determinations are made.
