The Southern Group of State Foresters (SGSF) celebrates the passage of vital legislation over the weekend that delivers much-needed disaster relief to states and forest landowners across the southern region. This funding is key to supporting private forest landowners, who manage the majority of the nation’s forests, as they continue to recover from hurricanes in 2023 and 2024, including Idalia, Milton and Helene, as well as ongoing forest health challenges like beetle outbreaks exacerbated by 2023 gulf-state drought conditions.

“We are immensely appreciative of all those in Congress who advocated for the inclusion of critical disaster aid in this bill, especially timber block grant language,” said Tim Foley, SGSF Policy Director. “The southern region and its forest landowners have borne the brunt of a string of disasters over the past two years, and swift implementation of this funding will be key to ecological, economic and social recovery.”

The bill marks only the second time timber block grants have been authorized, providing critical support for private forest landowners who currently lack access to crop insurance or safety net programs available to other agricultural commodities. Without these tools, landowners are left to bear the full financial burden of natural disasters such as hurricanes, wildfires and floods. This funding is essential to help landowners recover both economically and ecologically from recent and ongoing disaster events.

The bill’s passage offers hope to landowners who have been waiting for relief to replant forests and restore the region’s forest health. SGSF is committed to working closely with federal partners to ensure this funding is distributed swiftly and efficiently to those who need it most.