Woodland owners selling timber for the first time
Free checklist of what a timber sale contract should cover: lump sum or pay as cut, BMPs, roads, cleanup, and how the sale is taxed.
ePlan fills in
How it works
What you get
The check is free. The paperwork after it is drafted at the Timber harvest plan door.
Modeled on: USDA Forest Service, Tax Tips for Forest Landowners for the 2025 Tax Year
From public data
of holding standing timber is what lets sale income qualify for long-term capital gains rates
Source: USDA Forest Service, Tax Tips for Forest Landowners for the 2025 Tax Year
Draft a California timber harvesting plan for your RPF: units, silviculture, roads, watercourse protection and the 14 CCR 1034 sections. Free to read.
Questions
If you held the standing timber more than 1 year, the gain usually qualifies for long-term capital gains rates. Investors report a lump-sum sale on Form 8949 and Schedule D, and a pay-as-cut sale on Form 4797.
Yes. You pay tax on net income, so selling expenses such as forester, appraisal and attorney fees are subtracted from the gross proceeds, along with your timber basis.
Normal silviculture is exempt from Section 404, but forest roads in waters of the US must follow baseline best management practices. Write those practices into the contract so the logger is bound by them.
Related doors
Where are the harvest units?
What's the name of your fuel break?
Where is the stand you cruised?
What are you planning on the Tahoe?
Which forest is the project on?
Where is the harvest?
Answer it and ePlan opens the Timber harvest plan door with your answer filled in.