The USDA Forest Service - Forest 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 from 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.

Website: USDA Forest Service