Title 16ConservationRelease 119-73

§2206 Emergency forest restoration program

Title 16 › Chapter CHAPTER 42— - EMERGENCY CONSERVATION PROGRAM › § 2206

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary can pay private rural landowners for actions that fix damage to their forest land after a natural disaster. To get money, an owner must show the land had tree cover right before the disaster. Payments can cover no more than 75 percent of the cost of the work. Money for the program can be provided as needed and stays available until spent. Emergency measures = actions needed to repair disaster damage, protect resources, and restore forest health. Natural disaster = wildfires, hurricanes or strong winds, drought, ice storms or blizzards, floods, or other events the Secretary decides. Nonindustrial private forest land = privately owned rural land that has or had trees and is controlled by a private owner.

Full Legal Text

Title 16, §2206

Conservation — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In this section:
(1)The term “emergency measures” means those measures that—
(A)are necessary to address damage caused by a natural disaster to natural resources on nonindustrial private forest land, and the damage, if not treated—
(i)would impair or endanger the natural resources on the land; and
(ii)would materially affect future use of the land; and
(B)would restore forest health and forest-related resources on the land.
(2)The term “natural disaster” includes wildfires, hurricanes or excessive winds, drought, ice storms or blizzards, floods, or other resource-impacting events, as determined by the Secretary.
(3)The term “nonindustrial private forest land” means rural land, as determined by the Secretary, that—
(A)has existing tree cover (or had tree cover immediately before the natural disaster and is suitable for growing trees); and
(B)is owned by any nonindustrial private individual, group, association, corporation, or other private legal entity, that has definitive decision-making authority over the land.
(b)The Secretary may make payments to an owner of nonindustrial private forest land who carries out emergency measures to restore the land after the land is damaged by a natural disaster.
(c)To be eligible to receive a payment under subsection (b), an owner must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Secretary that the nonindustrial private forest land on which the emergency measures are carried out had tree cover immediately before the natural disaster.
(d)Payments made under subsection (b) shall not exceed 75 percent of the total cost of the emergency measures carried out by an owner of nonindustrial private forest land.
(e)There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary such funds as may be necessary to carry out this section. Amounts so appropriated shall remain available until expended.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification Pub. L. 110–234 and Pub. L. 110–246 enacted identical sections. Pub. L. 110–234 was repealed by section 4(a) of Pub. L. 110–246.

Amendments

2018—Subsec. (a)(4). Pub. L. 115–334 struck out par. (4). Text read as follows: “The term ‘Secretary’ means the Secretary of Agriculture.”

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Enactment of this section and repeal of Pub. L. 110–234 by Pub. L. 110–246 effective May 22, 2008, the date of enactment of Pub. L. 110–234, see section 4 of Pub. L. 110–246, set out as a note under section 8701 of Title 7, Agriculture.

Regulations

Pub. L. 110–234, title VIII, § 8203(b),
May 22, 2008, 122 Stat. 1291, and Pub. L. 110–246, § 4(a), title VIII, § 8203(b),
June 18, 2008, 122 Stat. 1664, 2052, provided that: “Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act [
June 18, 2008], the Secretary of Agriculture shall issue

Regulations

to carry out section 407 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 [16 U.S.C. 2206], as added by subsection (a).” [Pub. L. 110–234 and Pub. L. 110–246 enacted identical provisions. Pub. L. 110–234 was repealed by section 4(a) of Pub. L. 110–246, set out as a note under section 8701 of Title 7, Agriculture.]

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

16 U.S.C. § 2206

Title 16Conservation

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73