Linda Wang, National Timber Tax Specialist and

John Greene, Research Forester, Southern Research Station

Federal income tax law contains provisions to encourage stewardship and management of private forest land.  The primary goal of this bulletin is to assist forest landowners and their advisors with timber tax information they can use to file their 2012 income tax returns. The information presented here is current as of September 15, 2012.

A new/updated publication, Federal Income Tax on Timber: A Quick Guide for Woodland Owners, has been posted on the U.S. Forest Service's Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry Web site. This document is the fourth version of the publication originally titled "Federal Income Tax on Timber: A Key to Your Most Frequently Asked Questions."  This revision removed the questions and presents just the information. Although this publication is not available in hard copy, you can find it online at http://na.fs.fed.us/pubs/detail.cfm?id=5270.

 

Note: You can also find this document and other timber tax-related information at the National Timber Tax Web site: www.timbertax.org.

 

 

 Home 

New Web Site Offers Landowners Interactive Tools for Managing Woodlands

 

Minnesota DNR - Division of Forestry

 

June 7, 2012 (MNN) - Here are some interesting numbers: of the 747 million acres of wooded land in the United States, more than 250 million acres are owned by private individuals and families. Across the country, 11 million families and individuals own forests and wooded areas that are vital to our clean air, clean water, and wildlife. Of those 11 million, about 4.5 million families and individuals each own 10 or more acres of woodland. And yet, only 4 percent have a management plan in place for their woodlands. According to the American Forest Foundation (AFF), the lack of management plans puts these treasured properties at ever-increasing risk of fires, invasive species, pathogens, and other problems.

 

To help woodland owners better understand and protect their properties, the AFF has launched a new Web site, MyLandPlan.org, which can help family forest owners map, protect, and enjoy their woods for years to come. The free Web site "helps you discover the possible threats to your land," says Tom Martin, president and CEO of AFF. "If you own a plot of land, it helps you ask the right questions based on your goals for your land and refers you to the right sources."

Read more. 

 

 Home

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Minnesota Mill Converts to Producing Chemical Cellulose

 

Electronic media may be reducing the demand for printed paper products, but an iPhone app that eliminates the need for articles of clothing is likely a long way off.  Or so that would seem to be the logic used by Sappi Limited in its recent announcement to convert its Cloquet, MN, paper and pulp mill to the production of chemical cellulose, which is used to make rayon, among other products.  

Read more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Cooperative Forest Management (CFM) Committee of the Northeastern Area Association of State Foresters selected Janet Eger of Indiana as the 2012 CFM Forester of the Year.  The award was presented to Janet at the committee's meeting in Atlantic City, NJ, by Lisa Allen, State Forester of Missouri.

 

 

Missouri State Forester Lisa Allen (left) presents the 2012 CFM Forester of the Year award to Janet Eger.

 

Note: All CFM coordinators will be receiving a letter and nomination template from CFM Chair Ginger Anderson.  Please consider nominating a forester from your State for the 2013 CFM Forester of the Year.

Read more. 

Home 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Forest Stewardship Program Managers 

Meet in Nebraska

 

From September 25-27, 2012, U.S. Forest Service Forest Stewardship Program Managers from 42 States and U.S. Territories joined Program Managers from the Forest Service headquarters in Washington, DC, and Regional Offices for a National Program Managers' Meeting. That gathering was held at the National Arbor Day Foundation's Lied Conference Center in Nebraska; the last national Forest Stewardship Program meeting took place 5 years ago in Albuquerque, NM. The 3-day meeting focused primarily on the newly adopted national program strategy, FSPTwenty20, and how the program can use it to effectively help carry out State Forest Action Plans.

Read more.

 

Forest Stewardship Program Managers participate in a small-group session during their national meeting in September 2012.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The 2012 Numbers are in...

 

September 30 marked the end of Federal Fiscal Year (FY) 2012, and the Northeastern Area States' accomplishments in the Forest Stewardship Program have been reported and compiled.  We are pleased to report that in the region served by the Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry, the Forest Stewardship Program's most significant metric has surpassed the 4-million-acre mark!  More than 4 million acres within Important Forest Areas (State priority landscapes) in the Northeastern Area are being managed sustainably with a current Forest Stewardship Plan.  More than 10 million acres (all private lands - priority and nonpriority lands) in this region have a current Forest Stewardship Plan.

 

In addition, more than 9,600 Forest Stewardship Plans covering more than 684,000 acres were prepared in the 20 States of the Northeastern Area in FY 2012.  More than 52,000 landowners received technical assistance while more than 69,000 landowners attended some type of educational program, workshop, or seminar.

- Source: 2012 PMAS data

Home 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~