Huron Forestry Services
Forest Management Plans

Pay 25% of the residential tax rate on your forest land.

The Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program (MFTIP) rewards good stewardship of Ontario's private forests. We prepare the plan; you enjoy the savings — and a healthier woodlot.

What is the MFTIP?

The Ontario Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program encourages landowners to take an active role in stewarding their own forests. If your property qualifies and you follow an approved Managed Forest Plan, the forested portion of your land (excluding your residence) is reassessed in a similar way to farmland — and taxed at just 25% of the residential rate.

The goal isn't just tax relief. A good plan deepens your knowledge of your own woodlot, sets clear objectives for it, and lays out a practical schedule of work — so the forest is healthier and more valuable when it passes to the next generation.

Deadlines matter: new plans are due June 30, and renewals are due July 31. Plans take time to prepare properly — a site visit, inventory work, mapping and writing — so please get in touch well ahead of the deadline.

Is your land eligible?

To qualify for the MFTIP, your property must:

  • Be located in Ontario, on one property with one municipal roll number
  • Be owned by a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, a Canadian corporation, partnership or trust, or a conservation authority
  • Include at least 4 hectares (9.88 acres) of forest, excluding residences
  • Meet a minimum stocking density — for example, 1,000 trees per hectare of any size, or 250 trees per hectare where trees exceed 20 cm in diameter (with tiers in between)

Not sure where you land? We can usually tell you within one conversation.

What goes into your plan

A Managed Forest Plan is a working document for your property — prepared to provincial standards and built around your objectives.

Property review & landowner objectives

Location and identification of the property, its history and its place in the surrounding landscape — plus what you want from your forest: income, wildlife, recreation, legacy.

Forest inventory & compartment mapping

We walk your woodlot and map it into compartments, recording species composition, age, stocking, soils, water features and wildlife attributes for each stand.

Compartment prescriptions

Each compartment gets its own description and prescription — including stand density analysis, a 20-year management outlook and a 10-year operating plan.

Work schedule & harvest mapping

A clear summary of the work to complete over the next 10 years, along with mapping of harvestable areas — so you always know what happens next, and when.

Approval & follow-through

The finished plan is certified for MFTIP enrolment. We stay available and can support with the 5-year progress, the 10-year renewal, and any questions in between.

Roughly, what's the saving?

On eligible forest land, MFTIP typically reduces the property tax to 25% of the residential rate — a saving that repeats every year you stay enrolled.

Check your eligibility
Need Forestry Advice?

Let's walk your property.

Serving private landowners across Southwestern Ontario.

(519) 955-4975

info@huronforestry.ca

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