Public Benefit Of Tax Exemption

There are matters of Public Benefit related to the performance of Assessor duties.  Public benefit related to tax on a single tax lot or some number of collective tax lots all having a common benefit.

In Oregon the Forestland Assessment of $79.38 per acre in Eastern Oregon, including Deschutes County, is an incentive to protect Forestland from Urban Encroachment and support the economic value of land use to grow timber for commercial harvest.  Forestland preservation also has environmental importance.   $79 per acre is a strong incentive if  contiguous properties are valued at $250,000 per acre!

Washington also has forest and manages the Public benefit of property tax incentives in a way that may be a mode for Oregon.

This is a King County Washington link to the Public Benefit aspect of  property tax incentives.  In this case the benefit of Open Space.
https://www.kingcounty.gov/~/media/services/environment/stewardship/sustainable-building/documents/resource-protection-incentives/PBRS_App_March_2013.ashx?la=en

Current Use Taxation Program King County Washington
https://www.kingcounty.gov/services/environment/stewardship/sustainable-building/resource-protection-incentives.aspx

In Oregon there are various ORS, OAR, and local level government rules and regulations aim at promoting the public benefit.  The benefit of the "at large" benefit to everyone at the state and local level.  The tax assessment value of $79.38 for all of Eastern Oregon applies in a Forestland Classification Program to every property owner in the program regardless of county or city location.

Is the incentive worth it?  An excellent question.  If the incentive was not granted what would be the various real and conceptual loss.  If the incentive is granted then it is granted at the expense of revenue for other pruposes in a zero sum game.

It is simply a cost/benefit analysis based on quantitative and qualitative evaluation.

It is important that this evaluation be at the local level, county and city.

Blanket centralized state incentives broadly applied fail to consider local public benefit.