Senators Reverend Warnock, Cassidy Introduce Bipartisan Bill Supporting Forest Landowners After Natural Disasters

The Disaster Reforestation Act will help America’s forest landowners recover from timber losses after natural disasters

Georgia Forestry Commission estimates 8.9 million acres of forestland was located in Hurricane Helene’s path, with 1.4 million acres receiving the majority of the timber damage

Georgia is the #1 forestry state in the nation, leading in commercially available timberland, volume of timber harvested, exports of forest products, seedling production for reforestation, and more

Senator Reverend Warnock: “Our rural communities need all the help they can get after a disaster like Hurricane Helene devastates farmland and forests. The bipartisan Disaster Reforestation Act will help lessen the burden on forest owners during a recovery process following a natural disaster”

Senator Cassidy: “Louisianans know too well the importance of natural disaster relief. When their lives and communities are torn apart by storms, they need a tax fix like this”

Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) introduced bipartisan legislation to help America’s landowners recover from the loss of timber after natural disasters.

The Disaster Reforestation Act amends and makes improvements to the tax code to allow forest owners to deduct the value of their timber prior to the loss caused by a natural disaster.

“Our rural communities need all the help they can get after a disaster like Hurricane Helene devastates farmland and forests. The bipartisan Disaster Reforestation Act will help lessen the burden on forest owners during a recovery process following a natural disaster,” said Senator Warnock. “The forestry industry is central to Georgia’s economy and ecology, and I’m happy to work alongside Senator Cassidy in this.”

“Louisianans know too well the importance of natural disaster relief,” said Dr. Cassidy. “When their lives and communities are torn apart by storms, they need a tax fix like this.”

Senator Warnock has long fought for federal assistance for communities, farmers, and landowners in Georgia following the devastation caused by an extreme weather event. After Hurricane Helene, Senator Warnock remained on the frontlines of response efforts and pushed to deliver additional disaster assistance to Georgians, particularly Georgia’s hard-hit agricultural communities:

Prior to Hurricane Helene, the Senator had long been pushing to secure additional federal disaster assistance to help Georgia’s farmers following the devastation caused by Hurricane Idalia in 2023 and Hurricane Debby in August 2024;
The Senator led the bipartisan Senate push that successfully led the White House to submit its supplemental disaster assistance request to Congress;
To date Senator Warnock has helped secure over $340 million in individual and household assistance to Georgians from FEMA, and he has hosted three outreach clinics in rural communities to help connect roughly 200 Georgians with federal assistance following Hurricane Helene.

The Disaster Reforestation Act is supported by: Alabama Forestry Association, American Forest Foundation, Arkansas Forestry Association, Association of Consulting Foresters, California Forestry Association, Florida Forestry Association, Forest Resources Association, Forestry Association of South Carolina, Georgia Forestry Association, Hardwood Federation, Iowa Coalition For Trees and Forests, Iowa Woodland Owners, Kentucky Forest Industries Association, Louisiana Forestry Association, Massachusetts Forest Alliance, Mississippi Forestry Association, National Alliance of Forest Owners, National Association of State Foresters, National Woodlands Association, North Carolina Forestry Association, Ohio Forestry Association, Oklahoma Forestry Association, Pennsylvania Forestry Association, Society of American Foresters, Southeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association, Southern Group of State Foresters, Tennessee Forestry Association, Texas Forestry Association, The Carbon Fund, Trees Forever, Virginia Forestry Association, Washington Farm Forestry Association, Washington Forest Protection Association, and Wildlife Mississippi.

The legislation can be found HERE.

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