WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 6, 2021)—The following statement can be attributed to Tom Martin, President and CEO of the American Forest Foundation in regards to the introduction of the Disaster Reforestation Act, H.R. 4210:

“Families and individuals own and care for the largest portion – 36 percent – of U.S. forests. These family forest owners care about their land, but most are not wealthy landowners. One in three landowners have a household income of less than $50,000. When a disaster strikes unexpectedly, these landowners face significant financial barriers to restore their woodlands.”

“With disasters increasing in severity and frequency, the fire-prone landscapes in the West and the storm-ravaged South, a key woodbasket for the U.S. are at risk. While properly managed forests are highly resilient, if left in a damaged state, these forests face further threats, including from invasive species and additional wildfires, putting not only the local economies but also the many benefits we depend on, such as clean air and water, wildlife habitat, and sustainable wood supplies, in jeopardy.

“Just this past month, more than 100 individual and family forest owners, including half from disaster prone states, visited Capitol Hill to share their stories of weather-related events and to urge Congress to enact policies that help them address the needs in their woods after a disaster.”

“We applaud Representatives Terri Sewell (D-AL) and Buddy Carter (R-GA) on the introduction of the Disaster Reforestation Act, which allows family and private forest owners to recover from the loss of timber destroyed by natural disasters and reforest their lands. This bill would reduce financial burdens of disasters by providing equitable tax treatment of casualty loss of these family forest owners’ timber when a disaster strikes.”

Contact: Elizabeth Greener; (202) 253-1096; egreener@forestfoundation.org

About the American Forest Foundation

The American Forest Foundation (AFF), a forest conservation organization, works exclusively to empower family forest owners to make a meaningful conservation impact around wildlife habitat, clean water, carbon sequestration and storage and sustainable wood supplies. We work across a broad coalition of conservation partners, corporations, and policymakers to empower family forest landowners and make sure everybody understands, supports and values the work of these landowners. Learn more: forestfoundation.org