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6 

 The Tree Assistance Program provides cost-share payments to owners who incurred orchard 

 tree, forest seedling, and nursery inventory tree losses in 1992 due to hurricane, typhoon, 

 freeze, drought, earthquake, or related condition. 



Payments are being provided for the amount of loss on each individual mortal stand that 

 exceeds 35 percent of the stand, adjusted for normal mortality. Payments will provide 

 65 percent of the cost to replant or rehabilitate that portion of the loss that exceeds this 35 

 percent, plus the normal mortality. 



Payments are only authorized for eligible owners who actually replant or rehabilitate eligible 

 trees or nursery inventory. To qualify, orchard tree owners must own not more than 

 500 acres of orchard trees, and forest tree seedling owners not more than 1 ,000 acres of 

 forest trees. No such acreage limitation applies to nursery inventory losses. Finally, the 

 owner of a given type of nursery tree or plant may be eligible for benefits under both TAP 

 and the crop-loss assistance program. However, a producer may receive benefits on the 

 given nursery tree or plant from only one program, not both. 



This concludes my statement, Mr. Chairman, and I will be happy to respond to questions. 



