This bill modifies the federal tree assistance program, which helps orchardists and nursery tree growers recover from crop losses. The legislation expands eligibility by including biennial crop trees and pest damage alongside existing insect damage coverage, and removes a previous restriction that denied assistance to growers without prior production history. It allows farmers to replant with different tree varieties, planting densities, or locations while receiving the same level of assistance they would have gotten replanting identically, and gives the Department of Agriculture discretion to adjust acreage limitations on a case-by-case basis. The bill also establishes clearer timelines, requiring farmers to complete replanting activities within two years of approval or longer if necessary for tree survival, and mandates that the Department issue decisions on assistance applications within 120 days. The legislation does not specify new funding amounts or appropriations for the program.
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