Agriculture and forestry is much more than a traditional branch of the economy: it also provides nutrition, creates cultural landscapes, acts as a partner for the climate, and maintains family tradition. With its particular legal, tax and business framework, it places high demands on all parties involved – particularly in wealth planning, contract design, tax-optimised business management, and the valuation and structuring of real estate assets.
Bringing together generations, values and the future
In rural areas in particular, agricultural and forestry businesses often form cross-generational assets. The protection, development and responsible transfer of these assets require sound expertise, experience, and a feel for family and entrepreneurial dynamics.
But agricultural and forestry land is not only of interest to private individuals; energy companies are also increasingly focusing on renewable energies, and institutional investors have long included agriculture and forestry in their portfolios.
Our multidisciplinary team provides legal and tax expertise to our clients:
- Family farms
- High net-worth individuals
- Family offices
- Asset-managing companies and foundations
- Municipal and church owners
- Co-operatives
- Energy companies (e.g. wind farm developers)
- Investors in Germany and abroad with a commitment to forestry or agriculture.
Securing tradition, looking to the future.
Our thinking is interdisciplinary, structured and forward-looking – from drafting inheritance and user agreements to optimizing gifts for tax purposes, clarifying ownership structures, and designing sustainable management and usage concepts for forest and agricultural land.
We aim to provide holistic, strategic and cross-generational advice – with a clear focus on long-term value retention, legal security, and custom solutions for complex situations.
Contact us directly: landundforst@fgs.de
Our expertise at a glance
Some of our projects
Advice in connection with subsequent tax matters of succession in agricultural and forestry assets (exploitation of natural resources)
Advice on the gratuitous transfer of agriculture and forestry assets to utilize valuation advantages in large acquisitions
Advice on the donation of agriculture and forestry assets when leasing land to wind turbine operators or joint ventures
Advice in connection with the sale of inherited agriculture and forestry assets and subsequent tax matters/reinvestment clause
Legal and tax structuring for the sale of extensive forest areas
Advising wind farm operators on cross-border corporate succession
Advising wind farm developers and operators on setting up legal structures and ongoing operations
Structuring foreign agricultural and forestry assets for tax-optimized succession planning (e.g. Canada, New Zealand, Brazil, USA, Austria, Czech Republic)