Mar 16, 2009. /Lesprom Network/. It is now up to West Virginia's Senate whether the state's timber industry will get a four-year reprieve from the severance tax, as The Associated Press informed Lesprom Network. The House of Delegates unanimously passed a bill that would suspend the tax from 2010 through 2013. The tax applies every time a tree is cut down. Supporters say the measure will help the industry weather the recession. But the resulting $4.6 million in estimated savings to loggers means the state Division of Forestry will lose that much in revenue. The agency earlier warned that it would have to forego replacing vehicles and shutter all offices except its Charleston headquarters by 2010, and by mid-2012 lay off 30 enforcement staffers. But Division Director Randy Dye downplayed the potential impact.