Land eligible for SFIA

To be eligible for SFIA, your land must:

• Be at least 50 percent forested, as defined by Minnesota Statutes, section 88.01, subd. 7. Ask your woodland stewardship plan writer or a DNR forester if you need help interpreting this definition.
• Be at least 20 contiguous acres. You may not add up smaller, separate pieces of land to reach 20 acres.
• Have a woodland management plan registered with the DNR that was written within the past 10 years.
• Be current on property taxes.
• Have an SFIA covenant in place at the County Recorder's Office.

Non-forested land

Some types of non-forested land may be enrolled in SFIA, such as:

• An open body of water that is less than 3 acres in size. Multiple water bodies are permitted. For example, if you have four ponds or open bodies of water that are each 2 acres in size, all 8 acres would be eligible. However, if you have one pond or open body of water that is 5 acres in size, then none of the pond or water body acres would be eligible.
• Grasslands, wetlands, and brushlands have a positive influence on local hydrology.

No more than 50 percent of each piece of enrolled land may be non-forested

Structures and houses

Land with a structure on it is not eligible for SFIA. However, land surrounding a structure may qualify. A minimum of 3 acres must be excluded for each improved structure that:

• Is greater than 300 square feet.
• Is used residentially on more than an occasional basis.
• Provides water, sewer, or electrical hookups for residential purposes.

This only applies to structures that are within the boundaries of the land enrolled in SFIA.
Structures that are used exclusively to house and store forest management equipment may be eligible for SFIA.

Ineligible lands and parcels

Several types of land are not eligible for enrollment in SFIA.

• Developed or used for residential purposes
• Used for agricultural purposes, including land that is grazed by livestock or hayed
• Managed for Christmas tree production
• Enrolled in the following reserve programs:
  • Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
  • Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM) Reserve
    • Including Permanent Wetland Preserves (PWP)
  • Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)
• Enrolled in any conservation easement dated after May 30, 2013
• Exempted from paying taxes

Although the types of land mentioned above are not eligible for SFIA, individual acres in the same parcel may still be considered for SFIA. Please email [email protected] or call us at 651-259-5285 if you have questions about your land's eligibility.

Ineligible parcels

An entire tax parcel is ineligible if any of the land within it is enrolled in or classified as:

• Green Acres
• Rural Preserve
• Agricultural Preserves
• Metropolitan Agricultural Preserves

Contact [email protected] if you have any questions or need additional information.