U.S. Sens. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., and Katie Britt, R-Ala., recently joined U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-LA, in reintroducing the Disaster Reforestation Act, a piece of legislation aimed at establishing tax deductions for foresters who lose timber as a result of natural disasters. Tuberville and Britt previously cosponsored the legislation when it was originally introduced in 2023.
“Previous disaster relief policies and programs provide much-needed relief for agriculture crops and farmers, however, they do not provide any economic relief for farmers whose timber crops were destroyed. The Disaster Reforestation Act allows landowners to deduct the full value of timber destroyed during disaster events in the same way the tax code treats other crops,” reads an official press release from Sen. Tuberville.
Under the legislation, a landowner who loses uncut timber “from fire, storm, other casualty or theft” may have the value of their lost timber appraised and subsequently deducted from their taxes. The legislation only applies to timber that “is held for the purpose of being cut and sold in connection with a trade or business” and requires the landowner to reforest the lost timber “by planting, seeding or appropriate site preparation” within five years of the initial loss.
“Natural disasters can’t be stopped, but we can help those who are affected by them,” Tuberville said of the legislation. “Taking care of Alabama’s foresters is crucial to our state’s industry. This bill lightens the load when our forest owners are hit by a storm. It’s encouraging to see my colleagues on both sides of the aisle coming together to help future foresters in the wake of disaster.”
U.S. Sens. Angus King, I-ME, and Raphael Warnock, D-GA, are also cosponsors of the Disaster Reforestation Act. Additionally, numerous forestry organizations, including the Alabama Forestry Association, stand in support of the bill.
