Tree Assistance Program
The USDA Farm Service Agency's (FSA) 2005 Hurricanes Tree Assistance Program (TAP), authorized by the Emergency Agricultural Disaster Assistance Act of 2006 (the ACT), provides payments to eligible owners of commercially grown Christmas trees, ornamental trees, nursery trees, potted trees, bushes (including shrubs), and vines that were lost or damaged because of 2005 hurricanes Katrina, Ophelia, Rita, or Wilma.
Producers in certain counties of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas may be eligible for the program. Under the ACT, USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) provides enough funds to cover approved TAP claims. FSA administers TAP on behalf of CCC.
To be eligible for TAP, a producer of eligible trees, bushes, or vines must:
* Have had financial responsibility for the trees, bushes, or vines
* Suffered qualifying tree, bush, or vine losses of 15 percent or greater for the individual stand from an eligible hurricane in an eligible county during the applicable time
* Be a citizen of, or legal resident alien in, the United States.
Related Resources:
Tree Assistance Program (PDF)
USDA Farm Service Agency
