Any cruise or management plan
A recent cruise speeds up the appraisal considerably.
Donate timberland to charity, with the standing timber included
Timberland specialists: (888) 228-7320
Donate Timberland to Charity
Timberland holds its value in two places at once: the land and the trees standing on it. Real Estate with Causes accepts donated timberland nationwide, from managed pine plantations in the South to mixed hardwood woodlots in the Northeast and Midwest. The standing timber is part of the gift and part of the appraisal, and a forester’s cruise can add real value to the deduction.
Tell us about the land
Every property gets a look. Name, phone and email are the only required fields.
Fully IRS Compliant
We Handle the Paperwork
Form 8283 Done Right
501(c)(3) Recognized Charity
The timber is part of the value
A qualified appraisal of timberland needs to account for the standing timber, usually based on a cruise by a consulting forester that estimates volume and species. Merchantable timber can be worth more than the land beneath it.
Recent harvests
Land cut in the last few years is valued mostly as land and young growth. That is still a gift we review.
Timber sale contracts
If a logger has cutting rights under a contract, the contract travels with the land. Send it to us.
Keeping the timber is a partial interest
If you donate the land but reserve the right to cut the timber, the gift is a partial interest and generally does not qualify for a deduction. The clean route is to donate the land and timber together.
For timberland held more than a year, the deduction is generally fair market value, limited to 30% of AGI with a five-year carryforward. Timber income you have reported in the past and any depletion taken should be reviewed with your advisor.
What to have ready when you call
Forestry paperwork helps value the gift.
Harvest history
When the stand was last cut, and whether it was thinned or clear-cut.
Any timber contracts
Cutting rights, stumpage agreements or hunting leases on the tract.
Timberland donation questions, answered
Does the timber count toward the deduction? +
Yes, if it is donated with the land. The appraisal should value the land and the standing timber together, usually with a forester’s cruise.
Can I harvest the timber first and then donate the land? +
You can, but then the timber income is yours and taxable, and the deduction is only for the cut-over land. Donating before harvest keeps the timber in the gift.
A logger has a contract to cut next year. Does that matter? +
Yes. The contract usually binds the new owner. Send it to us and we will look at how it affects the value and the timing.
Is timberland in a current-use tax program a problem? +
Many states tax forest land at a reduced rate under a current-use or forest program. Some programs impose a rollback tax if the land leaves the program. We check what applies before the transfer.
What happens to the timberland after you receive it? +
Most donated timberland is sold, with or without the timber, and the net proceeds fund our charitable programs.
We do not provide tax or legal advice. See IRS Publication 526, Publication 561 and the Form 8283 instructions, and consult your own advisor.
Related guides
Tell us about the timber and we will review it
Send the county, the acreage and when it was last cut, and we will tell you plainly what a donation would look like.