Section 3. For general property tax purposes, the value of land that is actively devoted to forest production use during the tax year in issue and has not been used for purposes incompatible with forest production in the 2 immediately preceding tax years, shall, upon application of the owner of that land and approval of that application, be the value that the land has for forest production purposes.
The board of assessors of a city or town, in valuing land with respect to which timely application has been made and approved as provided in this chapter, shall consider only those indicia of value which the land has for forest production. The board, in establishing the use value of land, shall use the list of ranges published under section 11 of chapter 61A and its personal knowledge, judgment and experience as to forest land values, but these factors shall be limited to data specific to forest production.
The land tax shall be committed to the collector for collection in the same manner as taxes assessed under chapter 59. The collector shall notify the person assessed of the amount of the tax in the manner provided in section 3 of chapter 60. For the collection of taxes under this chapter the collector shall have all the remedies provided by chapter 60. Taxes so assessed shall be due and payable on October first of the year in which the return is required to be made, and, if not paid on or before November first of the year of assessment, or within 30 days after notification of the taxes if the notice is given after October first, shall bear interest at the rate as provided in section 57 of chapter 59. Any person aggrieved by the assessment of a tax under this section may, within 30 days after the date of notice of the tax, apply in writing to the assessors upon a form approved by the commissioner of revenue for abatement of that tax, and if the assessors, after hearing, find that the tax is excessive, they shall abate it in whole or in part. If the tax has been paid, the town treasurer shall repay to the person assessed the amount of the abatement with interest on that amount at the current rate provided in section 69 of said chapter 59. Any person aggrieved by the refusal of the assessors to abate a tax in whole or in part or by their failure to act upon an application may appeal to the appellate tax board within 30 days after the date of notice of decision of the assessors or within 3 months after the date of the application for abatement, whichever date is later. Any overpayment of tax determined by decision of the appellate tax board shall be reimbursed by the town treasurer with interest at the current rate as provided in said section 69.
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