The Wildlife Habitat Conservation and Management Program (WHCMP) is a voluntary incentive program administered by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) in collaboration with local governments and other partners, to help landowners conserve wildlife habitat on their property that is ecologically significant.

Under the program, private landowners can receive property tax relief to voluntarily conserve wildlife habitat on their property, as part of the efforts of Oregon’s Conservation Strategy to meet conservation goals within the state. Landowners must confirm that their property is within a participating county and contact their city or county planning department to determine eligibility in the program. ODFW biologists will determine if the “proposed property has wildlife characteristics necessary to qualify for enrollment in the WHCMP” (ODFW 2015b).

Landowners and ODFW biologists develop a wildlife plan that outlines practices to be implemented by the landowner to conserve and restore native habitat and wildlife on the property. Property owners apply for a special assessment for wildlife habitat through the county assessor’s office, to receive tax relief. “The habitat program provides two options for calculating a property’s value: (1) for farm use, under ORS 308A.050 to 308A.128; or (2) as forestland, under ORS 321.354 or 321.812.

Property that was specially assessed during the previous assessment year will continue to be valued as farm or forestland, whichever is applicable. Property that was not specially assessed during the previous assessment year is valued for the wildlife habitat special assessment as forestland if it meets relevant stocking and species standards or for farm use if it does not meet the forestland standards” (ODFW 2015a).

• Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. 2015a. Landowner Guide to the Wildlife Habitat Conservation and Management Program. dfw.state.or.us/lands/whcmp/landowner_guide.pdf.
• Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW). 2015b. Wildlife Habitat Conservation and Management Program. dfw.state.or.us/lands/whcmp/.

Amount of the Incentive
“The habitat program provides two options for calculating a property’s value: (1) for farm use, under ORS 308A.050 to 308A.128, or (2) as forestland, under ORS 321.354 or 321.812. Property that was specially assessed during the previous assessment year will continue to be valued as farm or forestland, whichever is applicable. Property that was not specially assessed during the previous assessment year is valued for the wildlife habitat special assessment as forestland if it meets relevant stocking and species standards or for farm use if it does not meet the forestland standards”

Keywords: tax relief