Forester asks Marlborough selectmen to abate doomage penalties after late timber-cut filings; board to decide by July 1

Steve Hardy, the forester who handled two recent timber harvests, asked the Marlborough Board of Selectmen on April 1 to abate doomage penalties tied to late Reports of Cut, saying an accident incapacitated him and led to the missed filing deadlines.

Hardy told the board he has not previously filed late and said the penalties felt excessive. "This is the first time in my 33 years that I have heard of doomage," he said, and added that he takes responsibility for the missed deadlines. The board noted one cut carried about $4,700 in doomage for a late Report of Cut and a second carried roughly $7,500 in doomage plus a reduction in timber value because much of the wood was poor quality or dead. The transcript records that the property owners paid the timber tax and the forester paid the doomage penalties.

Chairman Paight said the town used an NHDRA matrix to calculate the tax; the matrix produced an assessment rating of 83 percent while the property owner reported 33 percent for valuation. Paight also noted that a timber sales summary submitted with the abatement application for the Monadnock Conservancy cut might have affected the stumpage valuation had it been filed alongside the Report of Cut.

Selectman Nelson asked whether Hardy had staff who could have filed returns on his behalf; Hardy responded that he was responsible for the paperwork and that the accident caused the due date to be missed. Board members observed they did not recall previously abating doomage penalties and said they would review older cases to determine past practice.

The board did not reach a final decision on April 1. Members agreed to review prior doomage situations and consider the facts, with a target decision date of July 1. The forester left the meeting at 10:50 a.m.; the record shows the board will follow up before rendering a final determination.

Why it matters: Doomage penalties on late timber-cut filings can impose substantial costs on foresters and landowners; how Marlborough treats these abatements could set a precedent for similarly timed filings in the region.