COLUMBIA, SC — South Carolina forestry officials are uniting to ensure independent timber crews and truck drivers receive a fair share of federal aid as surging diesel prices strain rural businesses.
On October 19, 2026, President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins introduced the $8 Billion USDA Harvest Fuel Relief Program. The initiative was designed to offer one-time emergency payments to American farmers dealing with high fuel expenses and rising operating costs during the busy fall harvest.
While the federal program aims to cushion the agricultural sector, state forestry leaders caution that the workers who cut, process, and transport South Carolina timber face the exact same financial pressures but risk being left out.
In response, a joint coalition—including the Forestry Association of South Carolina, the SC Timber Producers Association, and the SC Forestry Commission—sent a letter to South Carolina’s Congressional delegation. The group is asking federal lawmakers to step in and urge the U.S. Department of Agriculture to expand the $8 billion program to cover independent logging operations, in-woods processing crews, and timber haulers across the country.
Forestry serves as a primary driver of South Carolina’s rural economy. Operating heavy machinery in the woods and driving log trucks to local mills requires vast amounts of diesel fuel, making everyday timber operations highly vulnerable to price spikes at the pump.
To support the effort, state forestry advocates are encouraging local residents, timber owners, and industry workers to reach out to federal officials directly. Members of the public can email HarvestFuel@usda.gov to request that independent timber harvesters and haulers be included in the federal relief distribution.
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