The assessor of each county shall, on or before the first day of January of each year, obtain from the department of natural resources, and from the local land offices of the state, lists of public lands sold or contracted to be sold during the previous year in his or her county, and certify them for taxation, together with the various classes of state lands sold during the same year, and it shall be the duty of the department of natural resources to certify a list or lists of all public lands sold or contracted to be sold during the previous year, on application of the assessor of any county applying therefor.