Useful Information and Resources

• Timber Casualty Loss Tax
• Forest Owners Guide to the Federal Income Tax
• National Timber Tax Website
• Tax Tips for Forest Landowners for the 2008 Tax Year
• Loss Deductions for Timber Damaged or Destroyed by a Natural Disaster
• Federal Income Tax on Timber:A Key to Your Most Frequently Asked Questions
• Timber Investment Management Organizations and Real Estate Investment Trusts
• Estate Planning for Forest Landowners: What Will Become of Your Timberland
  

Information about the Program....

Program Purpose
The taxation program provides non-industrial private forest (NIPF) landowners with a consolidated source of information on the complex tax issues associated with forest maintenance and management. While our national forests are of course exempt form federal taxes, and corporate forest landowners often employ taxation specialists to help them manage their forest assets, NIPF landowners rarely have this expertise at their disposal. As a consequence, many forest landowners under invest in their forest lands and even unnecessarily subdivide them, leading to forest fragmentation and eventually forest disappearance.

Well managed forests produce timber and other forest products, provide wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities, aquifer and watershed protection, and other amenities. The nation's NIPF lands, comprising approximately 60% of its forest land, make significant contributions to maintaining these values, and could do more. Providing tailored tax information is one way in which the Forest Service is working to increase forest productivity on non-industrial forest lands.

Program Activities
The taxation program relies upon collaborative efforts involving the Cooperative Forestry staff of the Forest Service, state forestry agencies, the Internal Revenue Service, cooperative state extension services and private groups. The partners work together to collect, analyze and disseminate information about tax law as it pertains to non-industrial forest landowners' forest management. The Forest Service, in concert with the IRS, provides much of the tax expertise, while the State forestry agencies and other partners carry the information to NIPF landowners.

Eligibility
The program directly benefits accountants, lawyers, forestry consultants and State personnel who receive training and information on the Federal tax laws. Non-industrial private forest landowners are the program's ultimate beneficiaries, as they receive the best tax information available, and can subsequently make more informed choices about how to manage their forest lands.

Program Administration and Informational Contacts
The cooperative forestry forest taxation program relies upon multiple partners to accomplish its goals. The States provide the contact point for interested members of the public, while the Federal government, in collaboration with private and educational sources, provides information and training to the States.

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