Representative Buddy Carter (R-GA01) is leading a bipartisan coalition to sponsor the Save America’s Family Forests Act of 2026, a bill to help family forest landowners recover more quickly from natural disasters and keep working forests productive.
The coalition includes Representatives Terri Sewell (D-AL), Aaron Bean (R-FL), Mike Thompson (D-CA), Greg Steube (R-FL), Greg Murphy (R-NC), and Nathaniel Moran (R-TX).
Rep. Carter commented on this bill and highlighted its particular importance for the State of Georgia. Forestry is a major part of the state’s economy, and ensuring economic recovery after natural disasters is essential to protecting Georgia’s productivity.
“Georgia’s family forest landowners are essential to our economy and our way of life. It’s the number one state for forestry, supporting rural jobs, strengthening supply chains, and keeping our environment healthy and resilient,” Rep. Carter stated. “Foresters need our support; right now, in my district, wildfires in Brantley County have burned over 20,000 acres. By building on proven expensing policies, this bill ensures they can recover quickly after disasters and continue managing healthy, productive forests.”
The Bill and its Context
Under current law, landowners may only deduct up to $10,000 in reforestation expenses upfront, with the remaining costs recovered over seven years.
The Save America’s Family Forests Act would modernize this provision by expediting cost recovery following natural disasters, helping to ensure timely replanting and forest productivity.
This legislation also seeks to build on the success of provisions such as bonus depreciation and Section 179 equipment expensing included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Applying these same principles to reforestation helps ensure forest landowners can reinvest quickly and keep working forests productive.
Altogether, the legislation will:
- Fully and immediately expense reforestation costs following a federally declared natural disaster.
- Remove the $10,000 cap and eliminate long recovery periods under the current law
- Improve access to the capital needed to replant and restore forests quickly
The Save America’s Family Forests Act is particularly relevant at the moment as Georgia continues to grapple with wildfires and drought conditions. In total, 146 counties have been designated as disaster areas, but emergency resources are being deployed.
