Disaster Reforestation Act

Legislation to Ensure Forest Landowners Recover After a Natural Disaster

The Disaster Reforestation Act would amend the tax code to allow forest owners to deduct the value of their timber prior to the loss caused by a natural disaster. This fix would provide permanent assurances to landowners when their timber crops are destroyed and give them the tools they need to recover.

Why Is This Needed?

No Federal Funding

Forest landowners receive NO guaranteed federal funding from disaster relief funding NOR are they provided tax relief from the loss of their timber crop based on the current tax code.

No Annual Income

Most producers impacted by natural disasters have an annual income from their crop. Landowners growing timber for market must wait 25 to 40 years before their crop is ready to sell to the market.

Long Growing Season

During this time, the landowners must pay expenses and taxes annually without crop income while they wait for their timber to mature to market, usually 25 years for softwood and 40 plus years for hardwoods.

DRA Support

Sponsors

House of Representatives

Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL)
Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA)

Cosponsors

House of Representatives

Rep. Rick Allen (R-GA)
Rep. Jerry Carl (R-AL)
Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA)
Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-WA)
Rep. Barry Moore (R-AL)
Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME)
Rep. Kim Schrier (D-WA)
Rep. David Trone (D-MD)
Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA)
Rep. Williams Timmons (R-SC)
Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA)
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA)
Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA)
Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA)
Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA)
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA)
Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA)
Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL)
Rep. David Scott (D-GA)
Rep. Andrea Salinas (D-OR)
Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA),
Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR),
Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR)
Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA)
Rep. Jim Baird (R-IN)
Rep. John Rutherford (R-FL)
Rep. Marie Glusenkamp-Perez (D-WA)
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY)
Rep. Ann Kuster (D-NH)
Rep. Trent Kelly (R-MS)
Rep. Don Davis (D-NC)
Rep. David Rouzer (R-NC)
Rep. Mike Ezell (R-MS)
Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX)




Senate

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA)
Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA)

Senate

Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA)
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL)
Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL)
Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA)
Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS)
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME)
Sen. Angus King (I-ME)
Sen. Tom Cottn (R-AR)

Supporting Organizations

More than 60 national and state organizations have signed on to support the passage of the Disaster Reforestation Act. Access a Full List of Supporting Organizations. National organizations are showcased below.

“Natural disasters are an ever-present and growing threat to the long-term investments made by forest landowners—investments which benefit all Americans by contributing significantly to our economic wellbeing and providing valuable and necessary ecosystem services and products for rural and urban communities alike. SAF is proud to support the Disaster Reforestation Act, which calls for a common-sense and equitable revision to the tax code to help give forest landowners more certainty and incentivize keeping forests as forests.”

Danielle Watson, Director, Policy & Public Affairs at Society of American Foresters

Map of Current Support

Advocacy for the Disaster Reforestation Act

FLA is rooted in grassroots advocacy as demonstrated by our SET to GO teams. Check out our members in action in the videos below.

Farm Bill Listening Sessions

In recent months, the House Agriculture Committee has hosted several Farm Bill Listening Sessions across the country to hear from stakeholders about issues that should be addressed in the 2023 Farm Bill. By utilizing our SET to GO Teams, we have had several FLA members in attendance at these meetings to give testimony about the importance of disaster recovery and the need for the Disaster Reforestation Act to be included in the Farm Bill.

Florida
On April 24, 2023, FLA member Frank Graddy spoke at a Farm Bill Listening Session in Florida. Frank, a fourth-generation Florida landowner, spoke on the devastation to his forestland from Hurricane Michael and how the Disaster Reforestation Act (DRA) is needed to recover from natural disasters.

“That’s a 30-year investment gone in just two to three hours. It had just disappeared.” -In reference to Hurricane Michael in 2019

Frank Grady
Maine
On July 31st, FLA Board Member and chair of FLA’s Government Affairs Committee, Alex Ingraham, spoke at a Farm Bill Listening Session in Freeport, Maine. Ingraham called attention to the growing natural disasters, including recent flooding that has impacted landowners across New England. He told legislators that while uncommon, tax policy has been included in past Farm Bills and that they should include the Disaster Reforestation Act to give landowners certainty in the face of rising natural disasters.

Minnesota
On August 2nd, FLA member Peter Connor spoke at a Farm Bill Listening Session in Morgan, Minnesota at the annual “Farm Fest”. Connor told lawmakers about a 2019 tornado that devastated a significant amount of his timber and how the current tax code does not adequately help landowners recover and reforest. Like Ingraham, he called on the legislators to include the Disaster Reforestation Act in the upcoming Farm Bill so landowners like him can continue to provide the clean air, freshwater, and quality jobs our country depends on.

“430 acres of our timberland was obliterated by a tornado in 2019. 90 percent was completely wiped out right down to the topsoil. While we were able to salvage a small portion of the timber, we were paid a trifling fraction of the true value of the 120 years of sustainable management.”

Peter Connor

Oregon
On June 2nd, FLA member, Brennan Garrelts, spoke at a Farm Bill Listening Session in Albany, Oregon. Brennan, Vice President of Lone Rock Resources, emphasized how private forest landowners do not have access to a federal safety net, crop insurance, or a tax code that helps them recover after a disaster. He called on the legislators to include the Disaster Reforestation Act in the Farm Bill to give landowners certainty in the face of rising natural disasters.

Hill Visits and Other Meetings

There are several other opportunities for FLA members to meet with policymakers both in their home states and on the Hill in Washington, DC. Check out some examples below.

Pete Prutzman meets with Congressman Westerman.
Michael Crowell and Michael Crowell Jr. meet with Congresswoman Letlow.

“More than 250 million acres of land owned by families and individuals are at risk of catastrophic devastation due the increased intensity of natural disasters like hurricanes and wildfires. Our family forest owners, who care for the largest portion of U.S. forests, provide all Americans with wildlife habitat, clean air and water, and wood supplies. However, they are also the demographic of landowners who do not have access to affordable insurance like most farmers and are faced with significant economic loss after disasters that threaten the future of their land. We applaud Congresswoman Sewell and Congressman Carter for addressing these important issues for family forest owners with the introduction of the Disaster Reforestation Act.”

American Forest Foundation