| | | | | | |

Forest Landowners Association Commends Bipartisan Push for Comprehensive Disaster Recovery

The Forest Landowners Association (FLA), representing family forest landowners across 43 states, commends the recent bipartisan, bicameral efforts advocating for disaster relief following Hurricane Helene. These initiatives align with FLA’s ongoing work to develop a robust safety net for private forest landowners.

Scott Jones, FLA’s CEO, emphasized the critical nature of these efforts: “Recent natural disasters, from Hurricane Helene to wildfires in the West, highlight the vulnerability of landowners without access to crop insurance or adequate recovery programs. These events not only jeopardize livelihoods but also threaten forest health. We call on Congress to unite and pass a comprehensive disaster relief package, empowering our nation’s private forest landowners to maintain healthy, resilient forests in the face of increasingly frequent natural disasters.”
To address these challenges, FLA proposes a multi-faceted approach:

  1. Tax Certainty: Incorporation of the Disaster Reforestation Act into relevant legislative packages, providing landowners with operational certainty.
  2. Improving EFRP: Enhancement of existing programs, such as the Emergency Forest Restoration Program, through the Emergency Conservation Program Improvement Act to streamline processes and boost effectiveness.
  3. Comprehensive Disaster Relief: Implement an ad hoc disaster relief package addressing budget shortfalls in existing programs. Ensure forest landowners’ eligibility for direct payment programs like WHIP+ and state-administered block grants, which often overlook forest-related losses.

FLA is optimistic that these bipartisan efforts will lead to impactful legislation during the upcoming lame-duck session. We stand ready to work with policymakers on a bipartisan package which will equip America’s forest landowners with the tools necessary for swift recovery and operational continuity.

For more information, contact: Michelle Cain, Director of Communications, mcain@forestlandowners.com

Similar Posts
| |

FLA Response to The Wall Street Journal article, “Lumber Prices are Soaring. Why are Tree Growers Miserable?”

ByAmy Palmer

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.5.5″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” hover_enabled=”0″] A recent article published in the Wall Street Journal was a great example of how FLA is working to ensure the right narrative is being told about forest landowners managing their land for the nation’s domestic timber supply and…
| |

Pass-Through Tax Deduction Set to Expire in 2025

ByAmy Palmer

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.5.5″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.5.5″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”] From Main Street to the Forests, Tax Certainty is Essential FLA is urging Congress to make permanent the Section 199A 20-percent deduction for pass-through businesses permanent by passing the Main Street Tax Certainty Act. For forestry businesses setup as pass-through…

| |

FLA Launches Legal Challenge of Critical Habitat Designation for Black Pinesnake

ByAmy Palmer

On February 26, 2021, the Forest Landowners Association (FLA), filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama challenging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s designation of critical habitat for the black pinesnake (Pituophis melanoleucus). The lawsuit alleges that the Service designated areas of critical habitat based on insufficient scientific…
| |

FLA Opposes Proposed Definition Changes of Non-Industrial Private Forests

ByAmy Palmer

The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) have proposed to change the definition of industrial and non-industrial private forest (NIPF) landowners based on private forest landowners managing forests for timber income or with forest acreage above 45,000 acres. Changes to the guidance for identifying NIPF or to the definition of NIPF…
| | |

Forest Incentives Program Act

ByAmy Palmer

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.22″][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”3.27.4″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”] On March 26, 2021 U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV ) reintroduced the Forest Incentives Program Act. The Forest Landowners Association endorsed this bill and released the following statement. “The Forest Landowners Association…
| |

FLA Statement on the Trillion Trees Act

ByKatie Moss

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.5.5″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” hover_enabled=”0″] Washington, D.C. – Representing private forest landowners who plant, grow, and harvest the vast majority of the wood and fiber that flows into domestic supply chains, the Forest Landowners Association (FLA) issued the following statement from CEO Scott Jones…