Disaster Recovery

When natural or human-caused disasters occur on national forests and grasslands, the devastation can have long-term effects on the land and nearby communities. Repairing the damage, like repairing a house after a hurricane, can be costly and long-term.

The Forest Service uses available funding, supplemental funding and emergency authorities to respond to immediate or long-term disaster recovery on agency-managed lands. The agency also works with other federal, state and local agencies and organizations and can provide assistance for owners of non-industrial forestlands.

Burned Area Emergency Response

Wildfires are complex. Once the wildfire is out, the threat is not gone. Many wildfires cause little damage or pose risks to people, wildlife and the environment. However, some wildfires can cause or increase flooding and mudslides, damaging vegetation and roads downstream, putting community water resources, structures and people at risk.

Quickly minimizing post-fire threats is a priority that can take up to a year depending on the damage and terrain. Most wildfires do not require a burned area emergency response. This response is an opportunity to remove trees that pose a risk, post hazard warning signs, install gates and barriers for public safety closures, stabilize and protect roads, trails and other infrastructure and protect historic sites, among other efforts.

Burned Area Rehabilitation

We use burned area rehabilitation efforts as a bridge to connect emergency response actions to long-term recovery goals. Within three years after a wildfire is out, the agency works to repair or replace minor infrastructure damaged by the fire and other post-fire damage and jumpstart the larger restoration effort. Rehabilitation efforts include repairing or improving land unlikely to recover naturally or repairing or replacing minor infrastructure and facilities damaged by the fire.

Emergency Forest Restoration for Landowners

American forests cover about 800 million acres, with about half of those forests owned by 10 million private landowners. The Forest Service, in partnership with USDA’s Farm Service Agency, provides financial and technical assistance to help owners of non-industrial forests restore forest health damaged by natural disasters.

State forestry agencies conduct site assessments to qualify private landowners for aid and to restore private and Tribal forest lands. This assistance helps provide shelter for wildlife, nutrients for soil, and protect water supplies while protecting natural resources and wildlife habitats.

Learn more about Farm Service Agency disaster loans and financial assistance for farmers and ranchers.

Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads

The agency works with the Federal Highway Administration to repair or rebuild federally owned highways and roads that are open to public travel but seriously damaged as a result of a natural disaster or catastrophic event. This emergency relief funding reimburses up to 100 percent of the hefty expenses, with financing provided 10-18 months after damage occurs.

Scientific Study

Restoring the vast expanses of degraded and threatened U.S. landscapes is a monumental task. As a science-based organization, the Forest Service relies on scientists and other expert help to monitor emergency stabilization efforts to understand the results of post-fire recovery and conduct post-fire research around reforestation and fuels management.

The work also includes restoration and recovery efforts when ecosystems are degraded or severely disturbed by wildfire and natural disasters. Forest Service scientists apply interdisciplinary approach to restoration and recovery research to ensure a comprehensive approach, restoring ecosystems from the soil upward so that restoration efforts are informed, effective, economical, and efficient.

The American Relief Act of 2025

A group of people remove downed trees from a paved road. — USDA Forest Service crews with the Appalachian Ranger District work to clear downed trees from a road near Carver’s Gap on the North Carolina and Tennessee border, Oct. 8, 2024. Hundreds of miles of roads were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Helene cutting off access for residents and severing travel corridors along the states’ border. *(USDA Forest Service photo)*

The American Relief Act of 2025 provided $6.35 billion in supplemental funding to the Forest Service, including $6.26 billion for expenses related to fires, hurricanes and other disasters that occurred during 2022, 2023 and 2024. The remaining funding, as described in the 2025 Forest Service Disaster Operation Plan, includes $14 million for forest health protection efforts to address budworm in the eastern region and $75 million to establish and maintain shaded fuel breaks in the Pacific regions to help reduce fire risk and protect communities.

Most of the Forest Service supplemental funding—80%—is for disaster recovery on national forests and grasslands to repair damage caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024.

Hurricane Helene, a Category 4 hurricane caused considerable damage and 250 fatalities as it crossed seven southeastern states. Of those deaths, 78 people died because of freshwater flooding. That storm brought catastrophic inland flooding, extreme winds, deadly storm surge, and numerous tornadoes that devastated portions of the southeast. Helene produced 33 tornadoes while it was still a tropical cyclone and became the deadliest Atlantic hurricane since Maria in 2017 and the deadliest to strike the U.S. mainland since Katrina in 2005. Federal estimates put Helene’s total costs at $78.7 billion.
Hurricane Milton caused 12 direct and 27 indirect deaths when it hit coastal Florida, still recovering from Hurricane Helene. Milton also caused an outbreak of 45 known tornadoes in southern and central portions of the Florida Peninsula and a tornadic waterspout over Lake Okeechobee.

The other portions of the supplemental funding will support efforts to recover from wildfires, tornados, floods, wind and storm events, and other disasters across the nation and Puerto Rico. These recovery efforts include repairing recreation and administrative infrastructure, reopening roads and trails, restoring forest health, and reducing wildfire risk. We will ensure all disaster recovery efforts are planned and built for long-term resilience.

Are you an individual who needs disaster recovery assistance?

Connect with DisasterAssistance.gov for more information or download the official Federal Emergency Management Administration app to your smart phone. The app provides essential tools and information to prepare for, stay safe during and recover from disasters.