The Georgia Senate unanimously passed a measure to permit local governments in the Hurricane Helene federal disaster area to provide temporary relief from taxes for the harvest or sale of standing timber during the final quarter of 2024 and throughout 2025.
Senate Bill 52, the “Timberlands Recovery, Exemption, and Earnings Stability (TREES) Act,” sponsored by state Sen. Russ Goodman, R-Cogdell, outlines a process a local government must follow to grant this relief and audits that the Georgia Forestry Commission must perform. Additionally, subject to appropriations, the measure establishes state grants to offset revenue losses suffered by local governments due to the hurricane and the tax relief granted by the TREES Act.
“As of November, the estimated losses to standing timber caused by Hurricane Helene were nearly $1.3 billion,” Republican Lt. Governor Burt Jones said in a statement. “Reducing costs and stabilizing the market to allow for quicker harvesting and recovery of lands where some timber is still salvageable is a priority for the Senate.
“Along with passing the TREES Act, I will prioritize adding additional funding in the amended fiscal year 2025 budget for recovery efforts,” Jones added. “I will continue to work with Governor Brian Kemp, Speaker Jon Burns, state agencies and local communities to help our neighbors as they work to replant their crops and rebuild their businesses from generational loss. These efforts will help Georgians come out stronger than before.”
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