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Texas Forest Service Aims to Help Landowners Recoup from Drought & Wildfire Losses

Texas Forest Service Aims to Help Landowners Recoup from Drought & Wildfire Losses

Diboll- New timber laws could allow landowners to recoup some of their losses sustained from the relentless drought and devastating wildfire season that plagued Texas last year. February 17 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. the Texas Forest Service will host an all-day tax workshop designed to give landowners a leg up when it comes to forest management planning.

In 2012, the federal rules regarding landowners who have experienced a significant timber loss will be explained through the Timber Income and Property Tax Workshop next month at the Lottie and Arthur Temple Civic Center located at 601 Dennis St., in Diboll. Registration is $70 per person and includes a workbook and lunch.

The workshop will focus on changes to state taxes for timber producers and contract lumberjacks, who will now need a registration number from the Texas Comptroller’s Office before they can be considered exempt from the sale and use tax. The sale and use tax is applied to goods and services paid for throughout timber production such as site preparation, planting, cultivating and harvesting. Forestry law can be very complicated and this workshop is designed to help timber owners get acquainted with the laws.

For more information or to register, go to http://texasforestservice.tamu.edu/timbertaxworkshop. Or, contact Staff Assistant Monica Jadlowski at 979-458-6630 or [email protected].

The Texas Forest Service is also hosting a symposium for East Texas landowners still reeling from the effects of the relentless, ongoing drought. The Drought Symposium will focus on general impacts from the 2011 drought, as well as forest health issues, tree mortality assessments, silviculture recommendations, market and climate trends and federal assistance programs. Attendees also will get a preview of the predictions for the 2012 fire season. 

The symposium is scheduled for Wednesday, February 8 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Lottie Arthur Temple Civic Center.