Steube, Carter Introduce Bipartisan Save America’s Families Forests Act

WASHINGTON - Representatives Greg Steube (R-Fla.) Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), Terri Sewell (D-Ala.), Aaron Bean (R-Fla.), Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), Greg Murphy (R-N.C.), and Nathaniel Moran (R-Texas) today introduced the Save America's Family Forests Act. This bill would allow forest landowners to immediately expense reforestation costs following a qualified natural disaster, accelerating recovery and reinvestment in rural economies.

"In Florida, our family forests face constant threats from hurricanes and severe flooding that can wipe out years of timber production overnight. When disaster strikes, family forest landowners need tax relief when replanting costs hit, not years later. That's why I'm co-leading the Save America's Family Forests Act. This bill extends proven expensing policies to family forests in the wake of natural disasters so can recover faster, supply affordable timber, and support rural economies," said Rep. Greg Steube.

"Georgia's family forest landowners are essential to our economy and our way of life," said Rep. Carter "It's the number one state for forestry, supporting rural jobs, strengthening supply chains, and keeping our environment healthy and resilient. By building on proven expensing policies, this bill ensures they can recover quickly after disasters and continue managing healthy, productive forests," said Rep. Buddy Carter.

"Alabama's Black Belt and rural communities depend on healthy, working forests for jobs and economic opportunity. As wildfires and severe weather events become more frequent, we must help landowners recover and rebuild. I'm honored to join my colleagues in advancing this bipartisan effort to support family forest landowners," said Rep. Terri Sewell.

"Northeast Florida's forests are essential to our environment and our economy, and they're under real strain from ongoing wildfires. Family forest landowners and the timber industry play a vital role in restoring these lands, but they need the flexibility to recover and replant quickly after damage. The Save America's Family Forest Act gives them that support, helping Florida's forestry families keep their land productive and our natural resources strong for the future," said Rep. Aaron Bean.

"After catastrophic wildfires and other natural disasters, forest landowners face unnecessary delays in reforesting due to outdated tax policy. The Save America's Family Forests Act provides the certainty landowners need to reinvest quickly, restore forest cover, and keep these landscapes healthy. Proud to serve as a co-lead of this bipartisan legislation to strengthen our natural resources," said Rep. Mike Thompson.

"North Carolina's family forest landowners face growing risks from storms and natural disasters, especially after the devastation of Hurricane Helene, and they need commonsense tax policy that supports recovery. The Save America's Family Forests Act helps keep working forests productive and in family hands by accelerating reforestation investment when it matters most, while also supporting efforts to expand domestic timber production and strengthen our rural economies," said Rep. Greg Murphy.

"Rural communities across America need champions who understand what's at stake. This legislation gives forest landowners the tools to act fast, protect their investment, and keep their land productive for generations to come. America's timber industry needs parity when it comes to relief and recovery from natural disasters. This bill ensures the tax code is working for them, not against," said Rep. Nathaniel Moran.

"Outdated tax policy shouldn't penalize family forest owners for doing the right thing after a natural disaster. Forcing landowners to wait years to recover reforestation costs only delays recovery and discourages reinvestment in working forests. Florida Farm Bureau strongly supports the Save America's Family Forests Act because it delivers a commonsense fix-allowing landowners to expense reforestation costs when they're incurred. This bill will accelerate recovery, strengthen rural economies, and help ensure America's family forests remain productive and sustainable for generations to come." -Jeb S. Smith, President, Florida Farm Bureau Federation

"Private working forests play a vital role providing wildlife habitat and access for sportsmen and women, but as recent natural disasters have shown, recovery costs can impede forest restoration. We thank the bill sponsors for introducing the Save America's Family Forests Act to modernize federal tax policy to help landowners keep forests working sustainably for wildlife, rural communities, and opportunities for hunters and anglers."-Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation

"Family forest landowners play a vital role in keeping America's working forests healthy, resilient, and productive, but recovering from natural disasters can create significant financial challenges. The Save America's Family Forests Act provides a commonsense solution by allowing landowners to reinvest more quickly in reforestation when it matters most. By building on proven expensing policies, this legislation will help ensure our forests remain a strong foundation for rural economies, domestic timber production, and long-term environmental stewardship." -Forest Landowners Association

Background:Forest landowners do not have access to federal crop insurance, leaving them exposed to major losses after hurricanes, wildfires, and other natural disasters. Currently, the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) allows landowners to recover reforestation costs over 8 years. Once timber is harvested after replanting or acquisition, the taxpayer's basis is generally exhausted, limiting tax relief that could be claimed through casualty loss if natural disaster strikes in the future.

At the same time, forest landowners are required to amortize replanting costs over several years, delaying relief when disasters strike. The Save America's Family Forests Act fixes this by allowing forest landowners to expense replanting costs immediately after a qualified natural disaster, helping family forest landowners strengthen rural economies that rely on them most.

Read the bill text here.