Cassidy Introduces Bill to Help Louisiana Forest Landowners Recover After Natural Disasters

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) introduced legislation to help America's landowners recover from the loss of timber after natural disasters. The Save America's Family Forests Act amends and makes improvements to the tax code to allow forest owners to deduct more reforestation expenses caused by a natural disaster.

"Thousands of Louisianians rely on our forest industries for work," said Dr. Cassidy. "Supporting our forest landowners as they rebuild is the right thing to do."

The Save America's Family Forests Act is supported by the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation, the Louisiana Forestry Association, the Forest Landowners Association, the American Farm Bureau Federation, the Association of Consulting Foresters, and the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation.

"Louisiana's forestry producers have faced repeated setbacks from hurricanes, wildfires, and other natural disasters that can wipe out decades of investment overnight. Recovery depends on the ability to reinvest quickly, and current tax policy slows that process down. The Save America's Family Forests Act helps address that by allowing landowners to expense reforestation costs when they are incurred, improving cash flow and speeding up recovery. Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation supports this commonsense approach to keeping working forests productive and supporting the rural communities that depend on them," said the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation.

"Louisiana's forest landowners know firsthand how difficult recovery can be after major disruptions like Hurricane Ida and the 2023 wildfires that impacted more than 60,000 acres across the state. Long timelines for cost recovery only add to that burden. By allowing faster reinvestment in reforestation, the Save America's Family Forests Act supports landowners in restoring their forests, sustaining forest-based jobs, and keeping Louisiana's working forests healthy and productive over the long term," said the Louisiana Forestry Association.

Companion legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by U.S. Representatives Buddy Carter (R-GA-1), Aaron Bean (R-FL-4), Greg Steube (R-FL-17), Greg Murphy (R-NC-3), Nathaniel Moran (R-TX-1), Terri Sewell (D-AL-7), and Mike Thompson (D-CA-4). Cassidy was joined by U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) in introducing the legislation in the Senate.

Background

Louisiana timberland plays a critical role in the state's economy, communities, and environment. According to the Forest Landowners Association, they provide an impact of $13 billion on the Louisiana economy. 48,000 Louisiana jobs are supported by forestry providing $1 billion in salaries and wages and $328 million in state taxes.

Tax deductions for crop losses provide much-needed relief for agriculture crops and farmers after a disaster. However, they do not provide any economic relief for landowners whose timber crops were destroyed. The legislation allows landowners to immediately deduct more of the cost of replacing timber destroyed during disaster events.

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