AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF T. Lincoln Cannon for the degree of Master of Science in Forest Resources presented on December 9. 1991. Title: A Comparison of Timber Tax Options Available to

"N Signature redacted for privacy. d for privacy. Abstract approved. Most forests and timber in Western Oregon are taxed under the Western Oregon Forest Land and Severance Tax (WOST), a system which is accepted as one that promotes "correct " economic rotation lengths. This study was motivated by the observation that an optional tax with the same stated purpose- the Western Oregon Small Tract Optional Tax (WOSTOT)- continued to coexist for the benefit of small nonindustrial private forest (NIPF) land owners. Inferring that some small NIPF land owners must be receiving beneficial tax treatment under WOSTOT, the study sets out to examine and compare the tax effects of WOST and WOSTOT on forest management, productivity, land-uses, and tax burdens on a variety of different sites under different sets of assumptions. The specific objectives of the study are fourfold. First, compare WOSTOT and WOST in terms of their commo