RSA 79:1. Definitions.

The following words and phrases as used in this chapter shall have the meanings indicated, unless a contrary meaning shall appear in the context: I. "Assessing officials", means those charged by law with the duty of assessing taxes in the city, town or unincorporated place. II. (a) "Owner" means: (1) For purposes of joint tenants or joint tenants with rights of survivorship, every owner that holds title to the subject property. (2) For purposes of tenants-in-common, any one or more of the tenants-in-common that hold title to the subject property. For purposes of RSA 79:10, I(a), any one or more of tenants-in-common may sign an intent to cut. Provided, however, that non-signing tenants-in-common shall have been notified by certified mail by the applicant of the intent to cut at least 30 days prior to cutting and that a bond or surety is filed to secure payment of the yield tax if any tenant-in-common does not sign or give a power of attorney to sign a notice of intent to cut. (3) A previous owner who retains timber rights to land and who registers his or her claim with the registry of deeds. (4) Any person who has purchased stumpage and cutting rights on public lands. (b) The following persons shall not be required to file an intent to cut or be subject to the tax imposed by this chapter: (1) A person who cuts, within the tax year, up to 15,000 board feet of logs from his or her own land for use in the construction, reconstruction, or alteration of his or her own buildings, structures, or fences situated in the state of New Hampshire; provided that such buildings are not being built for sale purposes; (2) A person who cuts or causes to be cut, within the tax year, up to 30 cords of fuel wood for his or her own consumption in the state of New Hampshire for domestic fuel purposes, or any amount for the manufacture of maple sugar or syrup; (3) Federal government, state government, cities, towns, school districts, or other political subdivisions which cut wood or timber for their own use, on lands under their ownership or jurisdiction or both. (4) Persons engaged in the clearing or maintaining of rights-of-way or water storage reservoir areas incidental to the furnishing of utility services or transportation services to the public; provided, however, that when the person clearing or causing the clearing of said right-of-way sells or agrees to sell the wood or timber, the person shall be deemed to be an "owner" as defined in subparagraph (a) above. (5) A person who cuts or causes to be cut, within the tax year, up to 15,000 board feet of logs and 30 cords of wood and 300 tons of whole tree chips, from the person's own land within a municipality, for land conversion purposes other than timber growing and forest uses, provided that those persons intending to convert the use of the land have secured all required permits including, but not limited to, building permits, subdivision or zoning permits, excavation permits, or site plan approvals, as necessary for the use to which the land will be converted, and are able to furnish proof of such permits. III. "Stumpage value" means the amount determined by the assessing officials in the same manner as other property values for the purposes of taxation at the time the timber is cut. The assessing official shall take into consideration the location of the timber, the quality of the timber, the size of the sale, and any other factors necessary to harvest the wood or timber that affect the value of timber being cut. Stumpage value of all forest products except those customarily measured by the cord, by weight, or by the piece shall be determined on the basis of international 1/4 inch rule log scale. If there are questions by the assessors regarding the true and accurate stumpage values reflected in contracts presented by the owner as the basis for timber tax assessment, the department of revenue administration, municipal and property division, shall be available to assist or advise the municipalities in the proper calculation of the stumpage value for assessment purposes. The burden shall be upon the owner filing the "Report of Wood Cut" form to demonstrate the reasonableness of a claim under this paragraph. (a) For standing timber sold to a purchaser, the assessing official shall consider the stumpage price paid on a per cord, per 1,000 board foot, by weight or other basis when calculating stumpage value. If the assessing official finds that a claim is not commercially reasonable then the assessing official may, after conducting an inspection of the property, use the average stumpage value list provided by the department of revenue. (b) For sales of timber where the product is not sold as standing timber, the assessing official shall use the average stumpage value list provided by the department of revenue administration. IV. "Tax year" as used in this chapter shall mean October 1, 1963 to March 31, 1964 inclusive and shall thereafter mean from April 1 of any year to March 31 of the next year, inclusive. V. [Repealed.] VI. "Short rotation tree fiber farming" means the production, cultivation, growing and harvesting of any genetically-engineered tree species for rotation periods not to exceed 15 years between planting and harvesting. VII. "Genetically-engineered tree" means trees selected for their fast growth, pest resistance, and other special characteristics by tree improvement and breeding methods. VIII. "Sugar orchard" means a stand of Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) and/or Red Maple (Acer rubrum) used actively and primarily as a source of sap for the production of maple syrup or related maple products. Active use shall mean that a substantial portion of the maple trees appropriate for tapping of sap are being tapped at least once every 3 years. Such stands shall have clearly established boundaries, and a defined area. In the stand, 50 percent or more of the average basal area of all live trees 2 inches or greater diameter at breast height (dbh) shall be composed of Sugar Maples and/or Red Maples. The area and boundaries of a sugar orchard shall be certified by a licensed forester. Individual Sugar Maple or Red Maple trees that are outside of the boundaries of such a certified sugar orchard and that have been tapped for sap at least once within the 3 years immediately prior to the filing of a notice of intent to cut them shall also be considered to be sugar orchard trees. IX. "Pre-sequestration timber tax revenue" means the average of the amounts any municipality received in timber tax revenue from the owner of a parcel of land for the 5 full tax years preceding the tax year in which the owner or the owner's predecessor in interest entered into a legally binding commitment to enroll or register the timber on such land in a carbon sequestration program or to otherwise dedicate the timber on such land to carbon sequestration. Source: Source. 1949, 295:2, par. 1. 1953, 256:1. RSA 79:1. 1955, 287:1, par. 1. 1963, 316:1. 1973, 544:8. 1975, 380:1. 1985, 275:1, 2, 18, I. 1992, 76:1. 1997, 250:2. 1998, 286:5. 2001, 127:1. 2002, 154:2, eff. July 14, 2002. 2012, 141:1, eff. July 1, 2012. 2014, 161:4, eff. July 10, 2014. 2024, 19:1, eff. July 1, 2024. 2025, 164:1, eff. July 1, 2025.