With Wildfires Straining Communities, Bean Backs Bipartisan Plan to Support Family Forests

WASHINGTON—U.S. Congressman Aaron Bean (FL-04) joined Congressman Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (GA-01), Congresswoman Terri Sewell (AL-07), Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-04), Congressman Greg Steube (FL-17), Congressman Greg Murphy (NC-03), and Congressman Nathaniel Moran (TX-01) in introducing the Save America’s Family Forests Act of 2026. This bipartisan bill aims to help family forest landowners recover more quickly from natural disasters and maintain productive working forests. 

This introduction comes as active wildfires continue to affect communities in Northeast Florida and across multiple states, placing pressure on forest landowners, local economies, and vital natural resources. 

Upon introduction, Congressman Bean said, “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 Forests Act gives them that support, helping Florida’s forestry families keep their land productive and our natural resources strong for the future."

Congressman Carter said, “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. By building on proven expensing policies, this bill ensures they can recover quickly after disasters and continue managing healthy, productive forests.”

The bill has received support from the American Farm Bureau Federation, the Forest Landowners Association, and the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation. 

Full text of the bill can be found HERE.

BACKGROUND 

Under current law, landowners can deduct only $10,000 of reforestation expenses upfront and must recover the remaining costs over seven years. The Save America’s Family Forests Act of 2026 would modernize this outdated approach by allowing faster cost recovery after natural disasters, helping ensure timely replanting and sustained forest productivity.

The bill builds on successful expensing tools—such as bonus depreciation and Section 179 equipment expensing—enacted in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Applying these same principles to reforestation enables forest landowners to reinvest quickly and keep working forests healthy and productive.

Specifically, the bill would:

• Fully and immediately expense reforestation costs following a federally declared natural disaster.
• Remove the $10,000 cap and eliminate long recovery periods under current law.
• Improve access to the capital needed to replant and restore forests rapidly.

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