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Sponsor Statement for HB 358
Exemption From Property Tax: Timber

An Act relating to an optional exemption from municipal property taxes for certain land from which timber is harvested and for certain improvements used in or necessary to the harvest of timber.

HB358 - "An Act relating to an optional exemption from municipal property taxes for certain land from which timber is harvested and for certain improvements used in or necessary to the harvest of timber."

The Kenai Peninsula Borough contains about 1.1 million acres of land consisting of trees that are dying due to infestation by the Spruce Bark Beetle. These areas have been identified as a high fire threat, with limited access for firefighting resources and inadequate emergency evacuation sites.

Harvesting the infested timber is one of the best devices for managing this threat. To encourage continued and expanded operations of harvesting timber resources, HB 358 allows the option to all municipalities to offer land owners a tax exemption to harvest beetle infested timber, or timber that is at risk of being infested or to make improvements, such as clearing roads to gain access to the properties.

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