NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ACT (EXCERPT)
Act 451 of 1994 Part 527
MUNICIPAL FORESTS

324.52701 Definitions.

Sec. 52701.

As used in this part:

(a) "Forestry commission" means a forestry commission appointed by a municipality pursuant to this part.

(b) "Legislative body" means any board of supervisors, township board, city or village legislative body, or school district board.

History: Add. 1995, Act 57, Imd. Eff. May 24, 1995
Popular Name: Act 451
Popular Name: NREPA

324.52702 Municipality; right to acquire and use lands for forestry.

Sec. 52702.

Any municipality may acquire by purchase, gift, or devise, or may provide land already in its possession, and use the land for a forestry or recreational purpose, or both, either within or outside of the territorial limits of the municipality, and may carry on forestry or recreational activities, or both, on the land. However, the use of the land for forestry is the highest priority objective of the land and use of the land for recreational activities shall not interfere with its use for forestry. Any municipality may also receive and expend or hold in trust gifts of money or personalty for a forestry or recreational purpose, or both.

History: Add. 1995, Act 57, Imd. Eff. May 24, 1995 ;-- Am. 2012, Act 488, Imd. Eff. Dec. 28, 2012
Popular Name: Act 451
Popular Name: NREPA

324.52703 Municipal forestry commission; members; appointment; terms; vacancies.

Sec. 52703.

The legislative body of any municipality desiring to proceed under this part may appoint a forestry commission for the municipality to consist of 3 members, only 1 of whom shall be a member of the legislative body making the appointment. The members of a forestry commission shall hold office for a term of 4 years and until their successors are appointed and have qualified, except that when first appointed 1 shall be appointed for a term of 4 years, 1 for a term of 3 years, and 1 for a term of 2 years. Any vacancy shall be filled by appointment by the legislative body at any regular session.

History: Add. 1995, Act 57, Imd. Eff. May 24, 1995
Popular Name: Act 451
Popular Name: NREPA

324.52704 Forestry commission; powers and duties.

Sec. 52704.

A forestry commission shall supervise and manage all land of the municipality devoted to forestry and provide labor on forest land by foresters and others as may be necessary for the proper care and maintenance of the land as a forest producing area, to make reasonable rules and regulations concerning the land, and to expend money as may be appropriated or received for this purpose.

History: Add. 1995, Act 57, Imd. Eff. May 24, 1995
Popular Name: Act 451
Popular Name: NREPA

324.52705 Forestry commission; report; contents; filing.

Sec. 52705.

Every forestry commission shall annually at a time to be designated by the legislative body make a report to the legislative body showing the activities of the forestry commission and embracing a detailed statement of its receipts and expenditures during the preceding year. The forestry commission shall also file a copy of the report with the board of supervisors if it is not a county commission and a copy with the department.

History: Add. 1995, Act 57, Imd. Eff. May 24, 1995
Popular Name: Act 451
Popular Name: NREPA

324.52706 Authority to sell state lands to municipalities for forestry; reversion; relinquishing reversionary interest; re-acquisition; definitions; use of term "this section."

Sec. 52706.

(1) The department, the department of treasury, or a state officer having charge of state land, may sell homestead, tax, swamp, or primary school land to a public agency for a forestry or recreational purpose, or both, at a price set by the department, the department of treasury, or the state officer. However, the amount of land sold shall not exceed the amount that may be necessary for the public agency, and any land that is sold shall be suitable for and used for a forestry or recreational purpose, or both, unless conveyed as provided in this section. Land sold to a public agency under this section or section 6 of former 1931 PA 217 shall be used only for a forestry or recreational purpose, or both, if the land is prime land. When the prime land is no longer used for a forestry or recreational purpose, or both, the land shall revert to this state.

(2) Except as provided in subsection (6), the department shall relinquish a reversionary interest in municipal forestland, conveyed to a public agency under this section or section 6 of former 1931 PA 217 before October 12, 2004, within 90 days after the department receives, on a form prescribed by the department, a written request for relinquishment from the public agency that owns the municipal forestland subject to the reversionary interest. The department shall relinquish its reversionary interest by an instrument approved by the department of attorney general and recorded by the department with the register of deeds of the county where the municipal forestland is located. The instrument shall include provisions implementing subsections (3) through (8). The department may charge the public agency an amount equal to the charge for recording the release.

(3) A public agency to which a reversionary interest was relinquished under subsection (2) shall not convey the municipal forestland formerly subject to the reversionary interest unless the conveyance is approved by the department.

(4) Subject to subsection (5), a public agency to which a reversionary interest was relinquished under subsection (2) and any public agency that is a successor in interest shall not convey the municipal forestland formerly subject to the reversionary interest, or any part thereof, unless the conveyance is to a public agency for $1.00 or to a public agency or any other person for fair market value. If the conveyance is to a public agency for $1.00, the deed shall recite "MCL 324.52706 requires an accounting and specifies how proceeds are to be distributed when the property is subsequently conveyed for fair market value.". If the conveyance is to a public agency or any other person for fair market value, the public agency conveying the property shall have an accounting taken, shall retain 50% of the proceeds, and shall submit the remaining 50% of the proceeds to the department of treasury for deposit as follows:

(a) The first $18,000,000.00 in total proceeds from all such conveyances shall be deposited in the general fund.

(b) Any proceeds in excess of $18,000,000.00 shall be deposited in the fire protection fund created in section 732a of the Michigan vehicle code, 1949 PA 300, MCL 257.732a.

(5) Once the municipal forestland or part thereof formerly subject to a reversionary interest is conveyed for fair market value and an accounting is taken and the proceeds are distributed as provided under subsection (4), subsection (4) does not apply to subsequent conveyances of that municipal forestland or part thereof, respectively.

(6) Subsection (2) does not apply to prime land.

(7) A public agency to which a reversionary interest is relinquished under subsection (2) shall not convey the municipal forestland formerly subject to the reversionary interest to a third person unless the public agency has conducted a public hearing on the proposed conveyance. The public agency may conduct a second public hearing on the proposed conveyance if the public agency determines that a second public hearing may be necessary. Notice of a public hearing under this subsection shall be published at least twice in a newspaper of general circulation in the county or counties where the municipal forestland is located, not more than 28 or less than 7 days before the hearing. The notice shall describe where the municipal forestland is located, specify the approximate size of the municipal forestland, describe its current use, and identify the person to whom the municipal forestland is proposed to be sold, if known. The public agency shall provide a copy of the notice to the director of the department not less than 7 days before the hearing.

(8) The requirements of subsection (7) do not relieve the public agency of any notice, hearing, or other requirements imposed by any other law.

(9) If municipal forestland was conveyed to a public agency under this section or section 6 of former 1931 PA 217 and the municipal forestland is subsequently conveyed by the public agency to the department, then, for purposes of subparts 13 and 14 of part 21, the municipal forestland shall not be considered to have been reacquired by the department on or after January 1, 1933 for natural resource purposes unless the municipal forestland was originally acquired by the department on or after January 1, 1933 for natural resource purposes.

(10) As used in this section:

(a) "Basal area" means the sum of the cross-sectional area of trees 4 inches or greater in diameter measured at 4.5 feet from the highest ground at the base of each tree.

(b) "Municipal forestland" means homestead, tax, swamp, or primary school land sold to a public agency under this section or section 6 of former 1931 PA 217 for a forestry or recreational purpose, or both.

(i) Is within a boundary of a program administered by the department.

(ii) Provides access to a public body of water.

(iii) Is not less than 121 acres in size and, at any time during the preceding 10 years, had a basal area of not less than 90 square feet per acre.

(d) "Public agency" means a school district, public educational institution, governmental unit of this state or agency of this state, or a municipality.

(e) "Recreational purpose" includes any motorized or nonmotorized recreational activity.

(11) The use in this section of the phrase "this section or section 6 of former 1931 PA 217" does not imply that the term "this section" as used elsewhere in this act does not include the relevant section as it existed in former law codified in this act.

History: Add. 1995, Act 57, Imd. Eff. May 24, 1995 ;-- Am. 2002, Act 356, Imd. Eff. May 23, 2002 ;-- Am. 2004, Act 377, Imd. Eff. Oct. 12, 2004 ;-- Am. 2006, Act 179, Imd. Eff. June 6, 2006 ;-- Am. 2012, Act 488, Imd. Eff. Dec. 28, 2012
Popular Name: Act 451
Popular Name: NREPA

324.52707 Forestry commissions and department of natural resources; cooperation.

Sec. 52707.

A forestry commission and the department shall cooperate with each other in all matters pertaining to the establishment and maintenance of public forests. The department may inspect municipal forests as often as it considers necessary.

History: Add. 1995, Act 57, Imd. Eff. May 24, 1995
Popular Name: Act 451
Popular Name: NREPA

324.52708 Municipality; appropriation for forestry; limitation.

Sec. 52708.

The legislative body of any county, city, or village or the electors of any township or school district in which a forestry commission has been appointed may appropriate money to be used by the forestry commission to carry out the purposes of this part. However, if the legislative body desires to spend an amount in excess of 1/10 mill per dollar assessed valuation or in excess of $5,000.00, or both, in any 1 year for the purposes of this part, the sum shall not be appropriated unless the electors of the county, city, or village agree to the expenditure at any general or special election by a 3/5 vote.

History: Add. 1995, Act 57, Imd. Eff. May 24, 1995
Popular Name: Act 451
Popular Name: NREPA

324.52709 Forestry funds; accounting.

Sec. 52709.

A separate account of all revenue and expense of all funds appropriated or invested, or both, to the forestry commission shall be kept by the financial officer of the municipality and the funds may be expended upon the warrant of 2 members of the forestry commission.

History: Add. 1995, Act 57, Imd. Eff. May 24, 1995
Popular Name: Act 451
Popular Name: NREPA

324.52710 Special forestry fund; creation; payments in lieu of property taxes.

Sec. 52710.

Any income from forest land shall be paid into the general fund of the municipality and may be set up in a special forestry fund by the municipality. A forestry commission and the townships and school districts in which its municipal forest lies by agreement shall determine a formula under which the forestry commission shall make payments to the townships and school districts in lieu of general property taxes which would otherwise be levied against the land and forests comprising the municipal forest.

History: Add. 1995, Act 57, Imd. Eff. May 24, 1995
Popular Name: Act 451
Popular Name: NREPA

Rendered 3/24/2025 9:08 PM
Michigan Compiled Laws Complete Through PA 2 of 2025
Courtesy of legislature.mi.gov