New bill is unfair to landowners

To the Editor:

There’s a bill in the State Senate that’s bad for forestry and recreation and unfair to landowners. The bill’s sponsors want to force Open MFL landowners to allow people to drive vehicles, ATVs etc. on all roads and trails over 9’ wide maintained for vehicular travel. 

Imagine sitting on your deer stand watching trucks drive by; or getting to your cabin to find that thieves easily made off with your furniture because the government forced you to remove the gate at the edge of your land; or not being able to get to your cabin at all because someone destroyed your road. 

Roads and trails could only be closed from April 1 to the first Saturday in May.  Landowners wanting to switch to Closed MFL can only close 320 acres per municipality.  All open MFL lands must have public access, so partial switches to Closed MFL might not help.

Forcing roads to be open 11 months each year is ridiculous. During early or late ice-out years, incredible road damage will happen during March and May.

Landowners who switch to Closed MFL will have to pay the much higher Closed MFL tax rate.  Landowners who cannot place their land in Closed MFL due to the acreage limits may simply remove their lands from MFL and pay the highest tax rate. Is this just a tax hike in disguise? 

Some landowners may not be able to afford to pay the Closed MFL tax and may simply chop up their lands and sell them.

The bill creates a road repair program funded by the State Forestry Account.  What other things will have to be underfunded to make up for this use of the funds? Will there be enough funding to compensate everyone with damaged roads?   A shortfall is apparently already planned, as funds are to be dispensed on a “first come, first served” basis. 

Most ATV riders and other land users are responsible people. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take many irresponsible users to badly damage land.  On un-gated industrial land, I’ve seen non-trail areas torn up by trucks and ATVs.  I’ve seen appliances, furniture, countertops and carpeting in the woods.   Landowners will be stuck with the cost of cleaning up these messes. 

During dry years, especially in certain habitats such as pine barrens, motorized use will increase fire danger. 

Who will pay for the burned timber?

When these things happen and landowners switch or withdraw their lands, or fragment and sell them, acres available for logging and recreation will be lost.

Unlike the recent Pelican River Forest Easement, this ill-conceived bill is not voluntary for landowners; this is nothing but a government land grab. Not only that, but it’s also a land grab that could actually result in there being less land available for logging and recreation.

This bill is being sponsored by Senators Felzkowski, Quinn, and Stafsholt, and co-sponsored by Representatives Green and Schmidt. Please write to your representatives and Governor Evers and oppose this bill. 

Tom Wiensch

Rhinelander