The Legislature finds that engaging in commercial forestry is a privilege that results in costs as well as benefits to the State and that persons enjoying that privilege should be subject to the tax imposed by this chapter. [PL 1985, c. 514, §2 (NEW).] The Legislature further finds that the persons owning 500 acres or more of forest land are typically engaged in commercial forest activity. Historically, that amount of land has been used for administrative efficiency and to delineate the amount of land indicative of management for commercial activity, especially for purposes of the Maine Tree Growth Tax Law and the spruce budworm tax. The activity of growing commercially valuable trees is one which occupies a very long cycle. It is not uncommon that 40 years must pass between the planting of a seedling and the time when the tree will be harvested for commercial use. During that interim, it may at times be difficult to discern any obvious commercial activity taking place on the land. In many instances, the best accepted commercial practice with regard to that forest land is to do nothing other than to allow the trees to follow the natural course of maturation. Experience has shown that it is almost inevitable that a large amount of land containing commercially valuable trees will at some point be harvested for commercial purposes. Owners of such large amounts of land will receive the financial benefit of commercial activity either through the sale of the forest product or through the increased value that the forest product adds to the land when the land is transferred. [PL 1985, c. 514, §2 (NEW).]
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