Timber & Logging
There is a Forest Exemption for land owners who manage forested land, which lasts as long as you own the property. You must fill-out and file it with the Kootenai County Assessor’s Office before December 31st of the year you purchase your property for the exemption to qualify for that tax year. Here is the application:
Kootenai County Timber Exemption Form
In regard to forest management and logging, SLE homeowners may on their own accord clear dead, diseased and/or less desirable trees (like lodgepole) for firewood as long as they are abiding county restrictions during fire season, which advise on when/if chainsaws can be used: LINK HERE. Commercial logging in SLE is a different process and must be approved by the Timber Committee. Please fill-out the below form and contact timber@spiritlakeeast.org with any questions you may have.
SLE homeowners must follow state + county laws/regulations if they are doing any commercial logging on their property, which can be accomplished by working with a professional forester through your selected commercial logging company. Homeowners must also fill-out the below form for approval by the SLE HOA Timber Committee before moving forward with any logging.
Please note, there is NO CLEAR CUTTING ALLOWED in SLE. It’s important to be on the same page with your logging company about this, and how thin you want to go, and to BE PRESENT during commercial logging operations on your SLE property to be sure that it’s all going according to plan including agreed-upon removal and/or mulching of all debris, which homeowners should confirm is in the contract with their commercial logging company to avoid creating fire hazards in SLE. In other words, don’t leave on vacation to avoid the disruption of commercial logging you’ve scheduled to take place on your property.
Below is the form for commercial logging approvals. The Timber Committee will do its best to respond in a timely manner. Again, contact the Timber Committee with any questions at timber@spiritlakeeast.org.