Useful Information and Resources
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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