Reforestation Amortization


Reforestation amortization allows qualified forest landowners to recover stand-establishment costs over a fixed period. Under Internal Revenue Code §194, a portion of these costs may be deducted immediately each tax year, and any excess is amortized over a defined schedule.

What Costs Qualify

Qualified reforestation expenditures are the direct costs of establishing a commercial timber stand, such as:

  • Site preparation, planting, and seeding labor
  • Seed, seedlings, or cuttings of commercial species
  • Brush/weed control directly tied to establishment
  • On-site supervision and layout specific to planting
  • Use or depreciation of specialized planting equipment

Activities must be directed to producing timber products with a useful life greater than 10 years on property held for the planting, cultivating, caring for, and cutting of trees for sale or use in the commercial production of timber products.

Annual Deduction Limit and Amortization

Each year, up to $10,000 per qualified timber property (QTP) may be deducted as current expense (limits differ for some filers, and trusts are generally excluded). Any qualifying costs above that amount are capitalized to a reforestation sub-account and amortized over 84 months.

84-Month (7-Year) Pattern

By convention, reforestation amortization spans eight tax years (due to mid-year start rules) using the familiar fractions:

  • Year 1: 1⁄14 of amortizable costs
  • Years 2–7: 1⁄7 each year
  • Year 8: final 1⁄14

Illustrative Example

A landowner incurs $18,000 of qualifying costs on a single QTP. In the first year, $10,000 is deducted currently. The remaining $8,000 becomes the amortizable base:

Tax Year Fraction Amortization
Year 1 1/14 $571
Years 2–7 1/7 each $1,143 per year
Year 8 1/14 $571

Figures rounded to nearest dollar; actual results follow return-year timing and your accounting method.

Records and Elections

  • Identify each QTP and the year costs were incurred.
  • Maintain invoices/ledgers by activity (site prep, seedlings, planting, weed control).
  • Make the §194 election and attach the required statement in the initial year.
  • Report amortization annually for the 84-month period.

Coordination Notes

  • The former federal 10% reforestation investment tax credit is no longer available for expenditures after Oct. 22, 2004.
  • Some states provide separate incentives; handle those independently of federal §194 treatment.

Current Status of IRC §194

Although the Reforestation Amortization provision under Internal Revenue Code §194 was enacted in 1980, it remains an active and electable deduction in 2025.
The section was not repealed when the 10 percent Reforestation Investment Tax Credit expired in 2004.
Qualified taxpayers may still deduct up to $10 000 per qualified timber property each year and amortize any excess over an 84-month (seven-year) period.
However, because this dollar limit was never indexed for inflation, its relative value has declined substantially since adoption.
While §194 continues to serve as a legitimate federal incentive, most landowners now utilize it primarily for documentation and audit defense rather than for material tax savings.
Some states maintain separate reforestation incentives that can complement the federal deduction.