Bill > H0424

This bill provides a pathway for landowners with managed or reserve forestland to donate their property to the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation without incurring a land use change tax. Specifically, the bill allows landowners to gift their forestland to the state under certain conditions: the donation must be absolute (without conditions), the owner must be in good standing, and the land must be directly adjacent to existing state-owned lands within a high-priority forest block. The Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation is required to accept such donations and will manage the gifted land either as state forestland or as part of a state park. Additionally, when accepting a land donation, the department must provide the donor with an assessment of the property's value, which can be used for potential federal charitable income tax deduction purposes. The bill also amends the definition of "development" in existing tax law to explicitly exclude these types of land donations, ensuring that landowners are not penalized financially for gifting their forestland to the state. The provisions of this bill will take effect on July 1, 2025, giving state agencies and potential donors time to prepare for the new donation process.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/status/2026/H.424