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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2991 Reported in Senate (RS)]

<DOC>

                                                       Calendar No. 594
118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2991

  To improve revegetation and carbon sequestration activities in the 
                 United States, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

           September 28 (legislative day, September 22), 2023

  Mr. Manchin (for himself, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. King, and Mr. Marshall) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
               Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

                           November 21, 2024

               Reported by Mr. Manchin, with an amendment
 [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed 
                               in italic]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
  To improve revegetation and carbon sequestration activities in the 
                 United States, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

<DELETED>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``America's 
Revegetation and Carbon Sequestration Act of 2023''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Title of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act 
is as follows:</DELETED>

<DELETED>Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
<DELETED>Sec. 2. Findings.
<DELETED>Sec. 3. Definitions.
                     <DELETED>TITLE I--REVEGETATION

<DELETED>Sec. 101. Climate adaptation and resilient forests and 
                            rangeland measures.
<DELETED>Sec. 102. National revegetation effort.
<DELETED>Sec. 103. Experimental forests.
<DELETED>Sec. 104. Long-term contracts for tree and seed planting.
<DELETED>Sec. 105. Tree planting for communities.
<DELETED>Sec. 106. Revegetation on abandoned mine land.
<DELETED>Sec. 107. International reforestation.
 <DELETED>TITLE II--CARBON SEQUESTRATION THROUGH FOREST MANAGEMENT AND 
                               INNOVATION

<DELETED>Sec. 201. Forest management from carbon credits.
<DELETED>Sec. 202. Recovery and restoration treatments following stand-
                            replacing disturbances.
<DELETED>Sec. 203. Biochar and wood waste.
<DELETED>Sec. 204. Eradication of invasive grasses.
                    <DELETED>TITLE III--MASS TIMBER

<DELETED>Sec. 301. Definitions.
<DELETED>Sec. 302. Joint mass timber science and education program.
<DELETED>Sec. 303. Storing carbon in Federal buildings.
                      <DELETED>TITLE IV--RESEARCH

<DELETED>Sec. 401. Longevity of forest products.
<DELETED>Sec. 402. Forest inventory and analysis.
<DELETED>Sec. 403. Bioeconomy research.
<DELETED>Sec. 404. Insurance product to replace buffers.
<DELETED>Sec. 405. Forest health threat centers.

<DELETED>SEC. 2. FINDINGS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    Congress finds that--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) revegetation efforts can meet multiple goals, 
        including guarding against climate change, improving 
        conservation and habitats, securing public water supplies, and 
        providing for economic and cultural benefits;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) a range of practical constraints, including 
        cost, available infrastructure, and whether land has been 
        converted to other uses that are unlikely to be abandoned, 
        significantly limit the areas that are viable for revegetation 
        projects, and hence revegetation projects must be 
        targeted;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) reforestation projects should occur in areas 
        that were historically forested but have become degraded or 
        impacted from wildfire events, windstorms, or other events, 
        rather than other natural habitats, such as 
        grasslands;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) forests and rangelands are important for 
        storing carbon;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) established forests and native rangelands, 
        including actively managed forests and rangelands, are 
        preferable to new forests and rangelands that are a result of 
        revegetation efforts, because intact forests and vegetation 
        communities are more effective at sequestration and are more 
        resilient to fire, storm, and drought;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (6) natural regrowth of forests and rangelands is 
        cheaper and more efficient than revegetation projects, as long 
        as nonnative invasive species are not adversely impacting the 
        landscape;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (7) native plant development and restoration 
        generates sustainable private sector jobs in a wide variety of 
        sectors;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (8) selecting the appropriate species of trees and 
        of other vegetation and promoting biodiversity using a mixture 
        of species naturally found in the local area, rare species, and 
        species of economic importance are crucial to the success of 
        revegetation efforts;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (9) species selected for revegetation efforts and 
        the specified planting density and structure should be suitable 
        for the local climate, taking into account future climate 
        resilience and other considerations;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (10) scientific knowledge should be combined with 
        local knowledge, and site conditions should be taken into 
        account, in developing revegetation projects, and ideally 
        small-scale planting trials should take place before planting 
        large numbers of trees;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (11) partnerships with local communities are key 
        to the success of tree and vegetation planting projects because 
        local people often have the most to gain from those 
        projects;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (12) a successful planting project must include a 
        plan on how to source seeds or seedlings that match desired 
        species and genetics, and that plan should involve working with 
        local stakeholders;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (13) the sustainability of revegetation projects 
        is dependent on the economic impacts for all stakeholders; 
        and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (14) invasive grasses are a catalyst for wildfires 
        in forests and rangelands.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    In this Act:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) Carbon sequestration.--The term ``carbon 
        sequestration'' means the capture and long-term storage of 
        atmospheric carbon dioxide.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) National forest system.--The term ``National 
        Forest System'' has the meaning given the term in section 11(a) 
        of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 
        1974 (16 U.S.C. 1609(a)).</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) Secretaries.--The term ``Secretaries'' means 
        the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture, 
        acting through the Chief of the Forest Service.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) Secretary.--Except in sections 103, 105(b), 
        201, 202, and 302, the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) Secretary concerned.--The term ``Secretary 
        concerned'' means the Secretary of the Interior or the 
        Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the 
        Forest Service.</DELETED>

                <DELETED>TITLE I--REVEGETATION</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 101. CLIMATE ADAPTATION AND RESILIENT FORESTS AND 
              RANGELAND MEASURES.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) In General.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall each revise applicable 
regulations of the Secretary concerned to require the consideration and 
assessment of resiliency and adaptation factors in developing 
strategies and efforts for revegetation, including reforestation and 
rangeland planting, carried out by the Secretary concerned, including 
in selecting species for planting.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Effect.--Nothing in this section affects--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) the reforestation requirements under section 3 
        of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 
        1974 (16 U.S.C. 1601); or</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) the use of the forest plan revision process to 
        make changes to reforestation approaches in an individual unit 
        of the National Forest System.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 102. NATIONAL REVEGETATION EFFORT.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) Definitions.--In this section:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) Federal land.--The term ``Federal land'' 
        means--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) National Forest System land, except--
                </DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) the national grasslands and 
                        land utilization projects administered under 
                        title III of the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act 
                        (7 U.S.C. 1010 et seq.); and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (ii) National Forest System land 
                        east of the 100th meridian; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) land under the jurisdiction of the 
                Secretary.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Task force.--The term ``task force'' means an 
        interagency revegetation task force established under 
        subsection (d).</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) Zone.--The term ``zone'' means a zone 
        described in subsection (c).</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Assessment of Revegetation Needs.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) Federal land assessment.--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) In general.--Not later than 1 year 
                after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
                Secretaries shall assess, using the revegetation 
                assessment tool described in paragraph (2), the number 
                of acres of Federal land in need of revegetation, 
                including--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) acres that have experienced a 
                        stand-replacing disturbance by a wildfire, 
                        windstorm, or other natural event;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (ii) acres on which a regeneration 
                        harvest has previously taken place; 
                        and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (iii) acres that could benefit 
                        from appropriate revegetation, as determined by 
                        the Secretaries.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) Ecological forestry.--In conducting 
                the assessment under subparagraph (A), the Secretaries 
                shall consider the role of recovery periods between 
                disturbances for the development of stand 
                complexity.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Revegetation assessment tool.--Not later than 
        180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
        Secretaries shall jointly develop, or use or expand an 
        existing, objective revegetation assessment tool for each zone 
        that uses a point system or rating scale--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) to consistently assess in various 
                geographic areas, site classes, and forest and 
                rangeland types whether an acre of Federal land is 
                adequately occupied by well-distributed, countable, 
                ecologically appropriate trees or other desirable 
                vegetation;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) to rapidly assess revegetation needs 
                on Federal land; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) to establish baseline conditions for 
                Federal land.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) Forest and rangeland cover restoration on non-
        federal land.--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) Partnership for forest and rangeland 
                cover restoration.--The Secretaries may enter into a 
                partnership with a non-Federal entity, including Indian 
                Tribes, with data or expertise in Federal 
                reforestation--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) to assess the opportunity to 
                        restore forest or rangeland cover across non-
                        Federal land in the United States; or</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (ii) to share existing data 
                        gathered by the non-Federal entity.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) Savings clause.--Nothing in this 
                paragraph grants the Secretary concerned any additional 
                authority over or additional access to non-Federal 
                land.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the 
        date of enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall publish a 
        report describing--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) the number of acres of--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) Federal land in need of 
                        revegetation; and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (ii) non-Federal land in the 
                        United States on which forest or rangeland 
                        cover can be restored and the owner of which 
                        has requested to be included in a comprehensive 
                        revegetation strategy and implementation plan 
                        developed under subsection (e)(2)(A); 
                        and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) the approximate location of the land 
                described under subparagraph (A).</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (c) Regional Zones for Revegetation Efforts.--The 
Secretaries shall use the regions of the National Forest System as the 
zones for revegetation efforts conducted by the task forces under this 
section.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (d) Interagency Task Forces.--Not later than 18 months 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall 
establish an interagency revegetation task force of Federal and non-
Federal members, including Indian Tribes, for each zone--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) to coordinate and carry out the activities 
        described in subsections (e), (f), and (g); and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) to maximize collaboration and shared science 
        and mapping resources among Federal and non-Federal entities, 
        including Indian Tribes, in revegetating land in each zone, 
        including through the use of--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) Department of Agriculture climate 
                hubs;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) collaboratives formed pursuant to 
                section 4003 of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act 
                of 2009 (16 U.S.C. 7303); and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) partnerships with States developed 
                under shared stewardship agreements.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (e) Comprehensive Revegetation Strategy and Implementation 
Plans.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) Data review.--Each task force--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) shall review the report published 
                under subsection (b)(4); and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) may modify, for the applicable zone, 
                the number of acres of land in need of revegetation and 
                the approximate location of the land identified in the 
                report, as necessary.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Plan development.--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) In general.--Not later than 180 days 
                after the date on which a task force is established, 
                the task force shall develop a 10-year comprehensive 
                revegetation strategy and implementation plan--
                </DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) to revegetate not less than 25 
                        percent of the land identified in the report 
                        published under subsection (b)(4), as modified 
                        under paragraph (1)(B) (if applicable), for the 
                        applicable zone; and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (ii) to achieve any additional 
                        goals or targets established by the task 
                        force.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) Requirements.--A plan developed under 
                subparagraph (A) shall--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) take into account the best 
                        available science, best practices, and 
                        available deployment tools, including climate 
                        science that can inform the design of 
                        revegetated areas to assure 
                        resilience;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (ii) be based on, to the maximum 
                        extent practicable, the report published under 
                        subsection (b)(4);</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (iii) identify resources and 
                        efforts needed to conduct appropriate 
                        revegetation treatments in the applicable zone, 
                        including identifying areas in which capacity 
                        exists to plant vegetation or conduct seed 
                        dispersal;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (iv) identify the desired, locally 
                        or regionally adapted native species of 
                        vegetation and the types planting stock 
                        required in the specific areas in the zone in 
                        need of revegetation, including ecosystems that 
                        do not include trees, such as sagebrush 
                        ecosystems, grasslands, or 
                        rangelands;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (v) identify under-represented 
                        species of trees and plants in each zone that 
                        can be acquired and should be planted under 
                        this section;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (vi) prioritize geographic areas 
                        in the applicable zone in need of revegetation, 
                        including giving priority to--</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    (I) burned areas and any 
                                other destabilized land that pose 
                                heightened risks to homes, roads, and 
                                public water supplies if not 
                                revegetated;</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    (II) areas at high risk of 
                                establishing invasive 
                                species;</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    (III) mined 
                                land;</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    (IV) floodplains and 
                                riparian areas; and</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    (V) land with regionally 
                                significant carbon sequestration 
                                potential;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (vii) identify--</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    (I) targets or goals for 
                                the number of acres planted annually; 
                                and</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    (II) other implementation 
                                actions and opportunities;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (viii) identify areas in which--
                        </DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    (I) vegetation restoration 
                                is needed; but</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    (II) natural regeneration 
                                is the most effective means of 
                                restoration;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (ix) identify areas in which 
                        revegetation efforts--</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    (I) may cause an increased 
                                risk of a stand-replacing wildfire, 
                                disease, or insect infestation, if not 
                                properly managed; or</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    (II) would be adverse to 
                                livestock grazing or use by 
                                wildlife;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (x) consider treatments that 
                        increase the carbon sequestration capacity of 
                        forests, rangelands, and grasslands;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (xi) provide for--</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    (I) consideration of 
                                palatability to support grazing by 
                                wildlife and livestock; and</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    (II) coordination with 
                                State wildlife agencies, rangeland 
                                management professionals, and 
                                ranchers;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (xii) incorporate the data and 
                        strategy relating to nurseries and the 
                        availability of planting stock described in 
                        subsection (g);</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (xiii) for activities recommended 
                        to be carried out on non-Federal land--
                        </DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    (I) identify ways to 
                                address revegetation needs voluntarily 
                                by working with States, landowners, 
                                Indian Tribes, and other interested 
                                persons; and</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    (II) ensure that 
                                revegetation efforts will not adversely 
                                impact existing markets for timber and 
                                other forest materials produced from 
                                private working forests;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (xiv) provide an explanation for 
                        any land not included in the implementation 
                        portion of the plan that was identified in the 
                        report published under subsection (b)(4), as 
                        modified under paragraph (1)(B) (if 
                        applicable);</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (xv) utilize an experimental 
                        approach, where appropriate; and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (xvi) be consistent with any 
                        applicable agency land management 
                        plans.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) Exceptions.--Notwithstanding 
                subparagraph (B)(iv), a task force may determine that 
                the selection and use of certain desirable, 
                noninvasive, nonnative species is appropriate in 
                certain limited circumstances, based on localized 
                ecological conditions, as determined by the task 
                force.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) Plan modifications.--A task force may modify a 
        plan developed under paragraph (2) to address new circumstances 
        or changing conditions.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (f) Implementation of Plans.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) In general.--During the 10-year period 
        beginning on the date on which a plan for a zone is completed 
        under subsection (e)(2), the task force, in coordination with 
        applicable Federal agencies, shall implement the 
        plan.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Outside funding.--To implement a plan 
        developed under subsection (e)(2), the Secretary concerned 
        may--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) accept non-Federal funds, including 
                leveraging funding opportunities relating to voluntary 
                carbon mitigation; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) issue a certificate of donation, as 
                appropriate.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) Voluntary participation.--In implementing a 
        plan under this subsection, any activities carried out on non-
        Federal land shall be carried out--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) in cooperation with the owner of the 
                non-Federal land; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) only on a voluntary basis.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) Enterprise team.--The Secretary concerned may 
        employ a Forest Service enterprise team to facilitate the 
        implementation of a plan developed under subsection 
        (e)(2).</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (g) Challenges to the Reforestation Pipeline in the United 
States.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) In general.--A task force shall--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) not later than 60 days after the date 
                on which the task force is established, conduct an 
                inventory of nurseries, an assessment of nursery 
                capacity, and a tally of available planting stock in 
                the applicable zone; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) based on the report published under 
                subsection (b)(4), as modified under subsection 
                (e)(1)(B) (if applicable)--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) estimate the capacity of 
                        nurseries that would be necessary to fulfill 
                        revegetation needs, including identifying the 
                        species and types of planting stock needed for 
                        revegetation; and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (ii) develop a plan for increasing 
                        the number and capacity of nurseries, in 
                        accordance with the estimates under clause 
                        (i).</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Seed collecting.--A task force shall--
        </DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) assess the current capacity to locally 
                collect and store seed; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) develop a plan for increasing capacity 
                described in subparagraph (A), if necessary.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) Partnerships.--The Secretaries may enter into 
        a partnership with a non-Federal entity to assist a task force 
        in meeting the requirements of this subsection.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (h) Report to Congress.--Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter until the date 
on which each plan developed under subsection (e)(2) is fully 
implemented, the Secretaries shall submit to the Committee on Energy 
and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural 
Resources of the House of Representatives, and publish on the website 
of the Department of the Interior, a report that describes, with 
respect to the preceding year--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) whether the Secretaries have achieved 
        compliance with the requirements of this section;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) the total number of acres of land, reported by 
        surface ownership in each zone, in need of revegetation 
        treatments;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) the total number of acres of land, reported by 
        surface ownership in each zone, in which revegetation 
        treatments have been carried out;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) any other accomplishments and improvements to 
        carbon sequestration capacity or other co-benefits as a result 
        of implementing a plan under subsection (e)(2); and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) any barriers to implementation of a plan 
        developed under subsection (e)(2), including as a result of 
        legal issues, logistical issues, seed or sapling shortages, or 
        lack of funding.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (i) Partnerships.--The Secretaries may enter into a 
memorandum of agreement with any member of a task force to carry out 
any activity described in subsection (e), (f), (g), or (h).</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (j) Effect.--Nothing in this section establishes new, 
extends existing, or otherwise affects post-fire rehabilitation no-
grazing requirements.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (k) Avoidance of Duplication.--In carrying out this 
section, the Secretaries shall--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) avoid duplicative efforts and, to the maximum 
        extent practicable, utilize existing efforts and personnel to 
        develop and implement an activity described in subsection (e), 
        (f), (g), or (h);</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) maximize non-Federal involvement; 
        and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) avoid using personnel who would otherwise be 
        engaged in forest management or wildfire mitigation 
        efforts.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 103. EXPERIMENTAL FORESTS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) Purposes of This Section.--The purposes of this 
section are--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) to formally authorize the experimental forests 
        and rangelands on National Forest System land existing on the 
        date of enactment of this Act; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) to require that--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) the network of those experimental 
                forests and rangelands be maintained in perpetuity; 
                and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) climate resiliency research is 
                continuously conducted within the network.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Establishment of Network.--The Secretary of 
Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service (referred 
to in this section as the ``Secretary''), shall establish and manage a 
network of experimental forests and ranges on National Forest System 
land (referred to in this section as the ``network'').</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (c) Management Purposes.--The Secretary shall manage the 
network for the purposes of--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) research;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) technology transfer; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) education.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (d) Criteria.--The network shall include--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) each of the forest cover types that occur in 
        the United States, as defined by the Forest Cover Types of the 
        United States and Canada published by the Society of American 
        Forests;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) an experimental forest that contains forest 
        cover types found in the State of Hawaii; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) an experimental forest that contains forest 
        cover types found in the territories of the United 
        States.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (e) Climate Resiliency Research.--Within the network, the 
Secretary shall conduct research, including research on--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) seedling establishment, site suitability, and 
        tree planting designs to inform and assist efforts undertaken 
        in the United States to establish stands of trees that are 
        resilient in future climate conditions; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) the sources and fates of carbon to construct 
        and improve models of carbon responses to land management 
        practices.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (f) Public Access.--All data collected and research 
findings developed from projects undertaken on the network shall be 
made readily accessible to the public.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (g) Partners.--The Secretary may enter into an agreement 
with a State (including a State forestry agency), an educational 
institution, or a third party to fund or conduct research on the 
network.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (h) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural 
Resources of the House of Representatives a report describing, with 
respect to the network--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) the location of the network on National Forest 
        System land;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) the forest cover types included in the 
        network; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) any additional resources needed--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) to establish or maintain 
                infrastructure in an established experimental forest; 
                or</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) to conduct the research described in 
                subsection (d).</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (i) Savings Clause.--Nothing in this section--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) modifies, limits, or repeals the applicability 
        of any provision of law (including regulations) to National 
        Forest System land; or</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) precludes the Secretary from authorizing 
        multiple-use activities, including livestock grazing and other 
        authorized uses on land included within the network.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 104. LONG-TERM CONTRACTS FOR TREE AND SEED 
              PLANTING.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding the Federal Acquisition 
Regulation, the Secretary concerned may enter into a contract or 
cooperative agreement for re-establishing vegetation on Federal land 
described in subsection (b).</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Federal Land.--Federal land referred to in subsection 
(a) is--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) National Forest System land, other than--
        </DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) the national grasslands and land 
                utilization projects administered under title III of 
                the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act (7 U.S.C. 1010 et 
                seq.); and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) National Forest System land east of 
                the 100th meridian;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) public lands (as defined in section 103 of the 
        Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 
        1702));</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) land that the Secretary holds in trust for an 
        Indian Tribe;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) a unit of the National Wildlife Refuge 
        System;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) land administered by the Bureau of 
        Reclamation; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (6) a unit of the National Park System.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (c) Term.--A contract or cooperative agreement described 
in subsection (a) shall be for a term of not more than 10 
years.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 105. TREE PLANTING FOR COMMUNITIES.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) Job Corps Program.--The Secretary of Labor shall--
</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) develop a career and technical education and 
        training program focused on tree planting or tree maintenance; 
        and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) offer the program as part of the Job Corps 
        program.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Retail Power Provider Tree Planting Grant Program.--
</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) Establishment.--The Secretary of Energy 
        (referred to in this subsection as the ``Secretary''), in 
        consultation with the Secretaries, shall establish a program 
        under which the Secretary shall award grants to States, Indian 
        Tribes, local governments, nonprofit organizations, and retail 
        power providers to conduct tree planting projects in accordance 
        with this subsection (referred to in this subsection as the 
        ``program'').</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Applications.--An entity seeking to receive a 
        grant under the program shall submit to the Secretary an 
        application at such time, in such form, and containing such 
        information as the Secretary may require, including a 
        description of how the project to be carried out using the 
        grant funds will reduce residential energy 
        consumption.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) Priority.--In awarding grants under the 
        program, the Secretary shall give priority to tree planting 
        projects that would provide the largest potential reduction in 
        residential energy consumption for households.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) Variety of geographic locations.--In awarding 
        grants under the program, the Secretary shall ensure diverse 
        and equitable geographic representation among the grant 
        recipients.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) Cost-share.--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) Federal share.--Subject to 
                subparagraph (C), the Federal share of the cost of a 
                tree planting project carried out using a grant under 
                the program shall be not more than 50 
                percent.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) Non-federal share.--The non-Federal 
                share of the cost of a tree planting project carried 
                out using a grant under the program may be in the form 
                of--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) cash or donations received 
                        directly from non-Federal sources; or</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (ii) in-kind 
                        contributions.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) Waiver.--The Secretary may, on a case-
                by-case basis, increase the Federal share described in 
                subparagraph (A) if a tree planting project carried out 
                using a grant under the program is located wholly in an 
                economically distressed community.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 106. REVEGETATION ON ABANDONED MINE LAND.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) Pilot Program.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) Establishment.--Using funding available to the 
        Secretary, including funding provided under section 40804(b)(8) 
        of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (16 U.S.C. 
        6592a(b)(8)), the Secretary shall establish a pilot program to 
        establish native trees, shrubs, or grasses (referred to in this 
        section as ``vegetation'') on eligible mined land described in 
        paragraph (6).</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Financial assistance.--In carrying out the 
        pilot program established under paragraph (1), the Secretary 
        shall--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) in coordination with the Secretary of 
                Agriculture, establish vegetation on eligible mined 
                land located on Federal land;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) offer financial assistance to States 
                to establish native vegetation on eligible mined land 
                located on State land;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) offer financial assistance to Indian 
                Tribes to establish native vegetation on eligible mined 
                land located on Tribal land or land held in Trust for 
                an Indian Tribe; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (D) establish vegetation or offer 
                financial assistance to States or other entities to 
                establish native vegetation on eligible mined land 
                located on private land.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) Compatibility with existing operations.--
        </DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) Consultation.--Prior to selecting a 
                project for funding under the pilot program established 
                under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall consult with, 
                as applicable, the relevant Office of Surface Mining 
                Reclamation and Enforcement abandoned mine land program 
                office to confirm that the proposed project is 
                compatible with any current mining, exploration, or 
                reclamation activities.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) Restriction.--The Secretary shall not 
                provide financial assistance under paragraph (2) to a 
                person or entity with an ongoing legal obligation to 
                revegetate the land in a project area.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) Activities.--The following activities 
        associated with a project to establish vegetation on eligible 
        mined land shall be eligible for financial assistance under 
        paragraph (2):</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) Site preparation, including ripping 
                compacted soils and incorporating soil 
                amendments.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) Vegetation planting.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) Maintenance, including watering, to 
                the extent necessary to establish vegetation under this 
                section.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (D) Managing competing 
                vegetation.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) Preference.--Under the pilot program 
        established under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall, to the 
        maximum extent practicable, seek to establish vegetation that--
        </DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) is ecologically appropriate; 
                and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B)(i) has a high capacity to sequester 
                and store carbon;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (ii) serves to reconnect established 
                landscapes or enhance habitat connectivity; 
                or</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (iii) would establish wildlife habitat 
                that is underrepresented in the State in which the 
                project is located.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (6) Eligible mined land.--To be eligible for 
        financial assistance under paragraph (2), a tree planting 
        project shall be located on--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) land that was mined prior to the date 
                of enactment of this Act;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) in the case of State land or private 
                land, land that is accessible to the public for not 
                less than 1 day per year; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) in the case of private land, land 
                owned by a person, or a nongovernmental organization, 
                that has submitted to the Secretary or the State in 
                which the land is located a request seeking to 
                participate in the pilot program under this 
                section.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (7) Termination.--The pilot program established 
        under paragraph (1) shall be in effect for the 8-year period 
        beginning on the date of enactment of this Act.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Report.--Not later than 5 years after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural 
Resources of the House of Representatives a report describing the 
accomplishments of the pilot program established under subsection 
(a)(1), including--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) jobs created or supported in rural 
        areas;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) increases in the abundance of wildlife 
        species, including game species and song birds;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) opportunities for hunting and other compatible 
        outdoor recreation; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) an estimate of--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) carbon sequestered during the 5-year 
                period beginning on the date on which the pilot program 
                is established; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) projected additional carbon 
                sequestration and storage during the 15-year period 
                beginning on the last day of the period described in 
                subparagraph (A).</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 107. INTERNATIONAL REFORESTATION.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of 
the Forest Service, may--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) evaluate a request from another country for 
        technical assistance for tree planting activities;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) subject to the evaluation under paragraph (1) 
        and the availability of Forest Service personnel and funding, 
        provide to another country technical assistance for tree 
        planting activities, including sharing--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) personnel; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) knowledge through communications and 
                technical on-site instruction; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) enter into a partnership with a 
        nongovernmental entity that is located outside the United 
        States or that is located in the United States and operates 
        internationally--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) to engage in activities that restore 
                vegetation; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) to promote and improve global carbon 
                sequestration through revegetation 
                activities.</DELETED>

 <DELETED>TITLE II--CARBON SEQUESTRATION THROUGH FOREST MANAGEMENT AND 
                          INNOVATION</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 201. FOREST MANAGEMENT FROM CARBON CREDITS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) Definitions.--In this section:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) Carbon credit.--The term ``carbon credit'' 
        means a carbon or greenhouse gas credit, offset, or other 
        defined unit--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) approved by a credible, third-party 
                entity; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) as determined by the 
                Secretary.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Carbon credit program.--The term ``carbon 
        credit program'' means a voluntary program or market that 
        issues, assigns, trades, or sells carbon credits.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) Covered activity.--The term ``covered 
        activity'' means an improved forest management activity, 
        including a hazardous fuel treatment, mechanical thinning, or 
        timber harvesting project, that is--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) ecologically appropriate;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) carried out on National Forest System 
                land;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) designed--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) to increase rates of carbon 
                        sequestration;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (ii) to increase long-term carbon 
                        storage in durable wood products; or</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (iii) to mitigate or avoid carbon 
                        emissions;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (D) carried out by--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) the Secretary; or</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (ii) a non-Federal entity under 
                        any existing authority available to the 
                        Secretary; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (E) not in competition with or adverse to 
                the issuance, assignment, trading, or selling of forest 
                carbon in the private sector.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) National forest system.--The term ``National 
        Forest System'' does not include--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) the national grasslands and land 
                utilization projects administered under title III of 
                the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act (7 U.S.C. 1010 et 
                seq.); or</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) National Forest System land east of 
                the 100th meridian.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the 
        Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the 
        Forest Service.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Funds Associated With Carbon Credits for Forest 
Management.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) In general.--The Secretary may use to support 
        the implementation of covered activities, without further 
        appropriation or fiscal year limitation, funds received from a 
        non-Federal entity--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) through a carbon credit program; 
                or</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) for a carbon credit generated from 
                National Forest System land.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Supplement, not supplant.--Amounts made 
        available under paragraph (1) shall supplement, and not 
        supplant, any other amounts made available for covered 
        activities.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (c) Management of Carbon Credit Transactions by National 
Forest Foundation.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) In general.--The National Forest Foundation 
        shall receive and distribute any funds received under 
        subsection (b)(1).</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Other partners.--The National Forest 
        Foundation may work with other entities that use funds received 
        through a carbon credit program or for a carbon credit 
        generated from National Forest System land to design, manage, 
        account for, or implement a covered activity.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) Methodology.--For the management of 
        transactions described in this section, the National Forest 
        Foundation, in collaboration with the Secretary, shall develop 
        and use a methodology that calculates the predicted increase in 
        carbon sequestration or in the longevity of long-term carbon 
        storage for a project or the avoided release of carbon due to 
        reduction of the risk of high-severity fire and other 
        disturbances, by considering--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) retention of forest cover;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) carbon sequestration rates before and 
                after the implementation of a covered 
                activity;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) reduction in the risk of tree 
                mortality;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (D) restoration of historic fire regimes; 
                and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (E) the long-term storage of carbon in 
                long-lasting wood products.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (d) Reports to Congress.--The Secretary, in collaboration 
with the National Forest Foundation, shall annually submit to Congress 
a report describing the status of the program under this section, 
including--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) the extent to which additional covered 
        activities that were implemented with funding received under 
        subsection (b)(1) have been carried out; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) any recommendations to improve or expand the 
        program, including expansion of the authorities under this 
        section to land managed by the Secretary of the 
        Interior.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (e) Effect.--Nothing in this section authorizes any 
activity that is inconsistent with--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) any applicable forest plan; or</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) any other provision of law (including 
        regulations).</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 202. RECOVERY AND RESTORATION TREATMENTS FOLLOWING STAND-
              REPLACING DISTURBANCES.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) Definition of Stand-Replacing Disturbance.--In this 
section, the term ``stand-replacing disturbance'' means a natural 
disturbance event, including a wildland fire or other event, that kills 
all or most of the living overstory trees in a stand and initiates 
forest succession or regrowth on a unit of the National Forest 
System.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Pilot National Forests.--Not later than 1 year after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture, acting 
through the Chief of the Forest Service (referred to in this section as 
the ``Secretary''), shall identify units of the National Forest System 
that the Secretary determines to be at high or very high risk of 
experiencing a stand-replacing disturbance during the 10-year period 
following the date of enactment of this Act.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (c) Interdisciplinary Teams.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the 
        date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish an 
        interdisciplinary post-disturbance planning team (referred to 
        in this section as the ``team'') to assist in carrying out the 
        requirements of this section.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) TEAMS enterprise.--The Secretary may employ a 
        Forest Service enterprise team or a regional planning center to 
        meet the requirement of this subsection.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (d) Model Land and Resource Management Plan Amendment.--
</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the 
        date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in cooperation 
        with the team, shall develop a model land and resource 
        management plan amendment establishing plan content for future 
        site-specific project-level decisions if a stand-replacing 
        disturbance occurs on units of the National Forest System 
        identified under subsection (b).</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Content.--The model amendment required under 
        paragraph (1) shall include direction regarding post-
        disturbance management, including salvage logging and 
        reforestation activities, to achieve desired conditions, 
        objectives, standards, guidelines, suitability of lands, and 
        other plan content, including goals and monitoring provisions, 
        of the existing land and resource management plan on the 
        applicable unit of the National Forest System, if a stand-
        replacing disturbance occurs.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) Use of model land and resource management plan 
        amendment.--The Secretary shall utilize the Model Land and 
        Resource Management Plan Amendment, as adapted to the unique 
        ecological and socioeconomic setting for each unit of the 
        National Forest System identified under subsection (b), in 
        carrying out subsection (e).</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (e) Land and Resource Management Plan Amendments.--
</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) In general.--As soon as practicable, but not 
        later than 10 years, after the date of enactment of this Act, 
        the Secretary, assisted by the team, shall amend the applicable 
        land and resource management plan of each unit of the National 
        Forest System identified under subsection (b).</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Process.--The Secretary shall comply with all 
        relevant laws in carrying out this section.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) Election.--The Secretary may comply with the 
        provisions of this section by incorporating the requirements of 
        this section into an ongoing land and resource management plan 
        revision or amendment process.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 203. BIOCHAR AND WOOD WASTE.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) Food and Drug Administration Biochar Pilot Program.--
</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) In general.--The Commissioner of Food and 
        Drugs (referred to in this subsection as the ``Commissioner''), 
        in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture and in 
        coordination with States, shall establish a pilot program to 
        grant a nationwide food use authorization of biochar as a feed 
        additive for cattle.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Terms.--The pilot program described in this 
        subsection shall be--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) for a period of not more than 5 years; 
                and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) subject to any conditions that the 
                Commissioner determines appropriate.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) Savings clause.--The Commissioner shall ensure 
        that participation in the pilot program under this subsection 
        is voluntary.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) USGS Commercialization Plan.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the 
        date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, acting through 
        the Director of the United States Geological Survey, in 
        coordination with any relevant non-Federal entities, shall 
        develop and publish a national commercialization plan for the 
        production, sale, and use of biochar as a soil amendment for 
        plant growth improvement, including for commercial, 
        agricultural, and residential use.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Requirement.--The commercialization plan 
        required under paragraph (1) shall, at a minimum--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) identify--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) impediments to producing large 
                        quantities of biochar for agricultural, 
                        forestry, or other commercial uses; 
                        and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (ii) solutions for those 
                        impediments; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) propose a framework for demonstration 
                efforts to increase consumer demand for 
                biochar.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 204. ERADICATION OF INVASIVE GRASSES.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) Definitions.--In this section:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) Action plan.--The term ``action plan'' means 
        the action plan developed under subsection (b).</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Federal land.--The term ``Federal land'' 
        means--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) National Forest System land, except--
                </DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) the national grasslands and 
                        land utilization projects administered under 
                        title III of the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act 
                        (7 U.S.C. 1010 et seq.); and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (ii) National Forest System land 
                        east of the 100th meridian; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) land under the jurisdiction of the 
                Secretary.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) Invasive grass.--The term ``invasive grass'' 
        means--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) cheatgrass;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) ventenata;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) medusahead; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (D) any additional invasive, nonnative 
                annual grass species that the Secretaries determine 
                pose a risk by--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) increasing fire vulnerability 
                        and fire spread; and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (ii) altering fire 
                        regimes.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) Target treatment area.--The term ``target 
        treatment area'' means a target treatment area described in 
        subsection (b)(2)(D).</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Action Plan.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) In general.--The Secretaries shall jointly 
        develop and implement an action plan to map, treat, and control 
        invasive grass--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) to promote the resiliency, 
                biodiversity, and carbon sequestration capacity of 
                forests, rangelands, and grasslands;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) to minimize risks from wildfire; 
                and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) to enhance the quality of forage for 
                wildlife and livestock.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Requirements.--The action plan shall--
        </DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) consider or incorporate existing 
                efforts;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) take into account--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) the latest science;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (ii) best practices; and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (iii) available deployment 
                        tools;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) be prepared in coordination with State 
                and local governmental entities and the heads of other 
                Federal agencies, including the Chief of the Natural 
                Resources Conservation Service, that are engaged in 
                activities to control invasive grass to leverage and 
                maximize funding and resources;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (D) identify and depict on a map target 
                treatment areas that focus on--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) areas with a large quantity of 
                        invasive grass where revegetation with native 
                        species is most likely to succeed;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (ii) areas at high risk of 
                        wildfire;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (iii) areas in which invasive 
                        grass negatively impacts livestock grazing or 
                        other uses;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (iv) wildlife habitat and forage 
                        needs, particularly sagebrush 
                        habitat;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (v) areas prone to infestations; 
                        or</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (vi) areas deemed important by the 
                        Secretaries;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (E) establish--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) specific goals;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (ii) specific implementation 
                        actions that the Secretaries and partners of 
                        the Secretaries will conduct over a 5-year 
                        period; and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (iii) targets, including acres to 
                        be treated annually in the target treatment 
                        areas;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (F) provide for a combination of treatment 
                methods for the most effective control of an invasive 
                grass, including--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) mechanical treatment 
                        methods;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (ii) cultural treatment 
                        methods;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (iii) biological treatment 
                        methods, which may include livestock 
                        grazing;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (iv) prescribed fire; or</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (v) chemical treatment 
                        methods;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (G) identify and implement, to the extent 
                practicable, best practices, such as the use of spray 
                washing stations, to reduce the spreading of invasive 
                grass seed adjacent to infested areas or into 
                noninfested areas;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (H) identify methods and tools for the 
                post-treatment monitoring of target treatment areas to 
                determine the effectiveness of a treatment and control 
                efforts;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (I) initiate and expedite environmental 
                reviews for treatments, as required by applicable law, 
                including identifying--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) methods for achieving timely 
                        decisions and implementation for treatments, 
                        monitoring, and follow-up treatments based on 
                        monitoring; and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (ii) maximizing opportunities to 
                        cooperate with other Federal and State agencies 
                        in analysis, assessments, and studies; 
                        and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (J) establish guidelines that--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) if native, intact grasses are 
                        absent within a target treatment area and the 
                        target treatment area is prone to high-risk 
                        vectors or pathways--</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    (I) identify 
                                geographically based desirable, native 
                                seed mix and seed reserves;</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    (II) prioritize reseeding 
                                the area in the target treatment area; 
                                and</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    (III) monitor for the 
                                presence of new invasive grass and 
                                promptly treat any invasive grass 
                                present; and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (ii) if, after conducting a 
                        treatment, desirable native grasses are 
                        established and dominant in a target treatment 
                        area, provide for the natural restoration of 
                        native grasses.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) Deadline to finalize action plan.--Not later 
        than 270 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
        Secretaries shall finalize the action plan.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) Implementation of action plan.--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) In general.--Not later than 60 days 
                after the date on which the action plan is finalized 
                under paragraph (3), the Secretaries shall begin 
                implementing the action plan.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) Memoranda of understanding and 
                agreements.--In implementing the action plan, the 
                Secretary concerned may enter into a memorandum of 
                understanding or an agreement with non-Federal 
                entities, as appropriate, to carry out activities under 
                the action plan to control the spread of an invasive 
                grass on Federal land or land adjacent to Federal 
                land.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) Cooperating agency coordination.--The 
                Secretary concerned shall, to the extent practicable, 
                offer to assist in the preparation of environmental 
                reviews that may be necessary in implementing treatment 
                and control activities on non-Federal land.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (c) Reports to Congress.--Not later than 3 years after the 
date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter during the 
period in which the action plan is being implemented, the Secretaries 
shall submit to Congress a report assessing the effectiveness of the 
action plan that includes a description of--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) the location of the target treatment 
        areas;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) the number of acres within target treatment 
        areas on which treatments were conducted;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) the agreements or partnerships entered into 
        under subsection (b)(4)(B) to advance the implementation of the 
        action plan;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) monitoring information described in subsection 
        (b)(2)(H); and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) recommendations for studies to explore 
        innovative methods and practices to treat and control invasive 
        grass.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (d) Funding.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) Outside funding.--The Secretary concerned may 
        accept non-Federal funds to implement any provision of this 
        section.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Other funding.--In addition to any funding 
        received under paragraph (1), the Secretaries may expend to 
        carry out this section up to $30,000,000 of any funding made 
        available to the Secretary concerned for invasive species 
        control, including funding provided under section 40804(b)(6) 
        of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (16 U.S.C. 
        6592a(b)(6)).</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) Limitations.--Of the amounts made available to 
        carry out this section, not more than 10 percent shall be used 
        for development of the action plan.</DELETED>

               <DELETED>TITLE III--MASS TIMBER</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 301. DEFINITIONS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    In this title:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) Local approving agency.--The term ``local 
        approving agency'' means an agency or unit of a local 
        government that is responsible for the issuance of permits for 
        building construction.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Mass timber.--The term ``mass timber'' 
        includes--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) cross-laminated timber;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) nail laminated timber;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) glue laminated timber;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (D) dowel laminated timber;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (E) laminated strand lumber; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (F) laminated veneer lumber.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) Procuring agency.--The term ``procuring 
        agency'' means the Department of the Interior, the Forest 
        Service, or a person that is a party to a contract with the 
        Department of the Interior or the Forest Service, with respect 
        to work performed under such a contract.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) Tall wood building.--The term ``tall wood 
        building'' means a building designed to be--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) constructed with mass timber; 
                and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B)(i) if a residential building, more 
                than 4 stories in height; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (ii) if a commercial building, more than 5 
                stories in height.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 302. JOINT MASS TIMBER SCIENCE AND EDUCATION 
              PROGRAM.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) Mass Timber Science and Education Program With the 
Forest Products Laboratory.--The Secretary of Agriculture, acting 
through the Director of the Forest Products Laboratory of the Forest 
Service (referred to in this section as the ``Secretary''), shall 
establish a mass timber science and education program to respond to the 
emerging research needs of architects, developers, and the forest 
products industry.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Coordination.--The Secretary shall work closely with 
research programs at colleges and universities in administering the 
mass timber science and education program established under subsection 
(a) to supplement the current research and educational efforts of 
colleges and universities.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (c) Purposes.--The mass timber science and education 
program established under subsection (a) shall have the following 
principal purposes:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) To provide practical research responsive to 
        the needs of architects, developers, and the forest products 
        industry, including assessments of carbon impacts in the 
        originating forests and the end use of mass timber in the built 
        environment.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) To engage and listen to clients and then 
        develop focused, strategic lines of new research responsive to 
        those needs, which may include research relating to 
        flammability and performance during a fire, structural 
        characteristics, energy use and savings, acoustics, and slab 
        construction composed of hybrid materials.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) To solicit proposals from scientists who 
        compete for funding through a rigorous peer-review process 
        designed to ensure the best projects are funded.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) To disseminate research findings using a suite 
        of communication tools to ensure that architects, developers, 
        and the forest products industry are aware of, understand, and 
        can use the information to make sound decisions and implement 
        projects.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) To develop and facilitate the adoption, on a 
        voluntary basis, of a curriculum for building structures using 
        mass timber for use in schools of engineering and architecture 
        that includes--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) structural design; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) the possibilities, benefits, and 
                limitations of using mass timber in 
                construction.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (d) Mass Timber Plan.--Not later than September 30, 2024, 
the Secretary shall submit to the relevant committees of Congress a 
mass timber plan that includes--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) an assessment of the current state of 
        knowledge about mass timber and tall wood buildings;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) an integrated approach to improve knowledge 
        sharing;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) an approach for project monitoring and 
        evaluation; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) an approach for setting research 
        priorities.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (e) Stakeholder Advisory Group.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) Membership.--The Secretary shall appoint a 
        stakeholder advisory group of technical experts that consists, 
        at a minimum, of--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) a Forest Service scientist;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) a researcher from a college or 
                university;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) a representative of a trade 
                association;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (D) an architect or developer;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (E) a representative of a local approving 
                agency;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (F) a representative of a forest products 
                company; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (G) a representative of a nongovernmental 
                organization with experience--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) designing or constructing tall 
                        wood buildings; or</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (ii) complying with or revising 
                        related building codes.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Duties.--The stakeholder advisory group shall 
        meet at least annually--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) to consider immediate and long-term 
                science needs;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) to suggest to the Secretary 
                appropriate topic areas, specific issues within those 
                topic areas, and information transfer needs for which 
                the Secretary shall solicit proposals described in 
                subsection (c)(3); and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) to assist the Secretary in drafting 
                the mass timber plan required under subsection 
                (d).</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (f) Assistance.--The Secretary may provide to the 
Secretary of Transportation and to States technical assistance relating 
to the use of wood in bridges when undergoing revisions to a State 
bridge design manual.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (g) Availability of Appropriations.--From amounts 
appropriated for Forest Service research, excluding funding made 
available for the Forest Inventory and Analysis program, the Secretary 
may use $4,000,000 to carry out the activities described in this 
section.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 303. STORING CARBON IN FEDERAL BUILDINGS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) Mass Timber Buildings Database and Plan.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) Database.--The Secretaries, in coordination 
        with any other relevant agencies, shall develop and maintain a 
        running database of mass timber buildings that are owned or 
        leased by the Federal Government and are occupied primarily by 
        employees of the Secretaries (referred to in this subsection as 
        the ``database'').</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Assessment.--The Secretary of Agriculture, 
        acting through the Director of the Forest Products Laboratory 
        of the Forest Service, shall conduct an assessment of each mass 
        timber building included in the database, which shall include 
        collecting data on the embodied carbon of the materials used in 
        the construction of the mass timber buildings included in the 
        database.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) Plan.--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) In general.--The Secretaries shall 
                prepare a plan to increase the quantity of carbon 
                stored in buildings that are owned or leased by the 
                Federal Government and are occupied primarily by 
                employees of Secretaries.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) Plan submission.--Not later than 1 
                year after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
                Secretaries shall submit the plan under subparagraph 
                (A) to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of 
                the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of 
                the House of Representatives.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) Material neutrality.--The plan 
                submitted by the Secretaries shall be, to the maximum 
                extent practicable, material neutral, and may include 
                using mass timber, carbon concrete, and any other 
                materials.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Minimum Purchases.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) In general.--Not later than September 30, 
        2027, subject to the exceptions listed in paragraph (2), the 
        Secretaries shall procure facilities, buildings, or structures, 
        including not fewer than 100 single-occupancy restrooms, using 
        domestic mass timber.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Exceptions.--The Secretaries may decide not to 
        procure facilities, buildings, or structures using domestic 
        mass timber if the Secretaries determine that the items--
        </DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) are not reasonably available within a 
                reasonable period of time;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) fail to meet the reasonable 
                performance standards of the procuring 
                agencies;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) are not necessary to support the 
                mission of the applicable agency; or</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (D) are available only at an unreasonable 
                price.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (c) Coordination and Technical Assistance.--The Secretary 
of Agriculture, acting through the Director of the Forest Products 
Laboratory of the Forest Service, may coordinate with other Federal 
agencies and non-Federal partners for the purpose of improving the 
management and efficiency of constructing mass timber buildings and 
infrastructure.</DELETED>

                 <DELETED>TITLE IV--RESEARCH</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 401. LONGEVITY OF FOREST PRODUCTS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    The Secretary of Energy, in coordination with the 
Secretary of Agriculture, shall--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) develop more accurate and efficient methods 
        and technologies to measure and monitor the amount and average 
        lifespan of carbon stored in woody biomass energy feedstocks 
        and building materials;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) by not later than 2 years after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, publish estimates of the amount and 
        average lifespan of carbon stored in different woody biomass 
        energy feedstocks and building materials, including in short-
        lived forest products and long-lived wood products; 
        and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) by not later than 3 years after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, publish an estimate of the total amount 
        of carbon stored in--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) short-lived forest products;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) building materials; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) other long-lived wood 
                products.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 402. FOREST INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) In General.--To bring more innovation and efficiency 
to climate-resilient forestry actions in the United States, the 
Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest 
Service--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) shall publish a report, or expand on a report 
        being published pursuant to another provision of law, that 
        demonstrates the efforts of the Forest Service--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) to measure a consistent historical 
                series of field plots while using advanced technology, 
                including remote sensing, to improve data and 
                information; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) to use advanced geospatial 
                technologies to improve area and volume estimates, 
                especially for sub-State regions and smaller area 
                estimates;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) may use remote sensing technologies and other 
        technologies to develop more accurate and efficient methods and 
        to reduce costs to facilitate the measuring and monitoring of 
        forest carbon in the United States, in a manner that can--
        </DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) assess landscape-scale or regional-
                scale carbon stocking;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) improve the quantity and quality of 
                the information available to policy makers and forest 
                managers, including with regard to forest inventories 
                and verification activities;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) empower private forest owners to 
                participate in voluntary carbon crediting 
                opportunities; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (D) enable--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) a policy maker to compare the 
                        consequences of policy options to increase 
                        climate benefits from forests; and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (ii) an assessment of the 
                        effectiveness of a policy implemented to 
                        increase the climate benefits from forests; 
                        and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) may accelerate, or increase the frequency of, 
        current inventories and data collection activities across all 
        forest types to ensure consistent nationwide estimates of 
        forest carbon pools that can reflect short-term changes from 
        disturbances, such as wildfires, and management 
        activities.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Funding.--The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through 
the Chief of the Forest Service, may annually use to carry out this 
section not more than $10,000,000 of any amount made available to the 
Forest Service for research.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 403. BIOECONOMY RESEARCH.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Director 
of the Forest Products Laboratory of the Forest Service, shall expand 
research relating to the use of wood--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) to facilitate the establishment of new 
        markets, including nontraditional markets, for material 
        produced from forest management projects that typically has 
        little or no commercial value;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) to increase the economic viability of 
        manufacturing products using material described in paragraph 
        (1); and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) including structural testing of hardwood 
        species for use in mass timber.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 404. INSURANCE PRODUCT TO REPLACE BUFFERS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of 
the Forest Service, may--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) establish an intragovernmental revolving fund 
        to maintain adequate buffer reserves for a project implementing 
        a covered activity (as defined in subsection (a) of section 
        201) under that section to cover unforeseen losses in carbon 
        stocks to address nonpermanence; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) transfer amounts into and out of the 
        intragovernmental revolving fund established under paragraph 
        (1) to serve as a buffer pool for covered activities referred 
        to in paragraph (1).</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 405. FOREST HEALTH THREAT CENTERS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of 
the Forest Service, shall--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) seek to expand the services provided by the 
        Western Wildland Environmental Threat Assessment Center and the 
        Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center such that 
        those Centers become centers of excellence to inform large-
        scale climate-resilient forest management; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) share the syntheses, models, and application 
        tools developed by the Western Wildland Environmental Threat 
        Assessment Center and the Eastern Forest Environmental Threat 
        Assessment Center with--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) the Department of Agriculture climate 
                hubs; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) the Climate Adaptation Science Centers 
                managed by the Secretary, acting through the Director 
                of the United States Geological Survey.</DELETED>

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``America's 
Revegetation and Carbon Sequestration Act of 2024''.
    (b) Title of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Definitions.

                         TITLE I--REVEGETATION

Sec. 101. Climate adaptation and resilient forests and rangeland 
                            measures.
Sec. 102. National revegetation effort.
Sec. 103. Experimental forests and ranges.
Sec. 104. Long-term contracts for tree and seed planting.
Sec. 105. Revegetation workforce.
Sec. 106. Revegetation on abandoned mine land.

TITLE II--CARBON SEQUESTRATION THROUGH FOREST MANAGEMENT AND INNOVATION

Sec. 201. Forest management from carbon credits.
Sec. 202. Recovery and restoration treatments following stand-replacing 
                            disturbances.
Sec. 203. Eradication of invasive grasses.

                          TITLE III--RESEARCH

Sec. 301. Longevity of forest products.
Sec. 302. Forest inventory and analysis.
Sec. 303. Bioeconomy research and technology transfer.
Sec. 304. Forest health threat centers.
Sec. 305. Joint mass timber science and education program.

                        TITLE IV--MISCELLANEOUS

Sec. 401. Designation of Patsye Crites Forest.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Carbon sequestration.--The term ``carbon 
        sequestration'' means the capture and long-term storage of 
        atmospheric carbon dioxide.
            (2) Federal land.--The term ``Federal land'' means--
                    (A) National Forest System land; and
                    (B) land under the jurisdiction of the Secretary.
            (3) National forest system.--
                    (A) In general.--The term ``National Forest 
                System'' has the meaning given the term in section 
                11(a) of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources 
                Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1609(a)).
                    (B) Exclusion.--The term ``National Forest System'' 
                does not include any forest reserve not created from 
                the public domain.
            (4) Secretaries.--The term ``Secretaries'' means the 
        Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture, 
        acting through the Chief of the Forest Service.
            (5) Secretary.--Except as provided in sections 103, 201, 
        202, 303, and 305, the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.
            (6) Secretary concerned.--The term ``Secretary concerned'' 
        means the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of 
        Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service.

                         TITLE I--REVEGETATION

SEC. 101. CLIMATE ADAPTATION AND RESILIENT FORESTS AND RANGELAND 
              MEASURES.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretaries shall each revise applicable regulations 
of the Secretary concerned to require the consideration and assessment 
of resiliency and adaptation factors in developing strategies and 
efforts for revegetation, including reforestation and rangeland 
planting, carried out by the Secretary concerned, including in 
selecting species for planting.
    (b) Effect.--Nothing in this section affects--
            (1) the reforestation requirements under section 3 of the 
        Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 
        (16 U.S.C. 1601); or
            (2) the use of the forest plan revision process to make 
        changes to reforestation approaches in an individual unit of 
        the National Forest System.

SEC. 102. NATIONAL REVEGETATION EFFORT.

    (a) Reforestation Reports Submitted to Additional Committees.--
Section 70303 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (16 U.S.C. 
1601 note; Public Law 117-58) is amended, in the matter preceding 
paragraph (1), by striking ``Senate'' and inserting ``Senate, the 
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate, the Committee 
on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives,''.
    (b) Reforestation Report From the Department of the Interior.--
            (1) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    (A) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
                ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
                            (i) the Committee on Appropriations of the 
                        Senate;
                            (ii) the Committee on Appropriations of the 
                        House of Representatives;
                            (iii) the Committee on Energy and Natural 
                        Resources of the Senate;
                            (iv) the Committee on Natural Resources of 
                        the House of Representatives;
                            (v) the Committee on Agriculture, 
                        Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate; and
                            (vi) the Committee on Agriculture of the 
                        House of Representatives.
                    (B) FRRRPA terms.--The terms ``natural 
                regeneration'', ``reforestation'', and ``unplanned 
                event'' have the meanings given those terms in section 
                3(e)(4)(A) of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable 
                Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 
                1601(e)(4)(A)).
                    (C) Priority land.--The term ``priority land'' 
                means historically forested land under the jurisdiction 
                of the Secretary concerned that, due to an unplanned 
                event--
                            (i) requires reforestation to meet the 
                        objectives described in an applicable land use 
                        plan; and
                            (ii) is unlikely to experience natural 
                        regeneration.
            (2) Reforestation report.--Not later than 1 year after the 
        date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall prepare and 
        submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report 
        containing estimates of--
                    (A) the number of acres of priority land; and
                    (B) the amounts necessary to be appropriated, in 
                addition to amounts available from other sources, to 
                implement reforestation projects on all priority land 
                not later than 10 years after the date of submission of 
                the report, including amounts necessary--
                            (i) to secure seed;
                            (ii) to grow seedlings;
                            (iii) to prepare sites for reforestation;
                            (iv) to plant trees;
                            (v) to conduct thinning;
                            (vi) to remove deleterious growth and 
                        underbrush;
                            (vii) to build fencing to exclude livestock 
                        and adverse wildlife from reforestation areas; 
                        and
                            (viii) to otherwise establish and improve 
                        growing forests.
            (3) Annual updates.--Not later than 1 year after the date 
        of submission of the report under paragraph (2), and annually 
        thereafter for the subsequent 8 years, the Secretary shall 
        prepare for inclusion in the budget of the United States 
        Government required to be submitted by the President under 
        section 1105 of title 31, United States Code, an update to the 
        report required under paragraph (2).
    (c) Supporting the Reforestation Pipeline in the United States.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretaries shall jointly--
                    (A) not later than 90 days after the date on which 
                the report is submitted under subsection (b)(2), 
                conduct--
                            (i) an inventory of orchards and nurseries 
                        capable of supporting reforestation (as defined 
                        in section 3(e)(4)(A) of the Forest and 
                        Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 
                        1974 (16 U.S.C. 1601(e)(4)(A))) on priority 
                        land (as defined in subsection (b)(1));
                            (ii) an assessment of the capacity of the 
                        orchards and nurseries listed in the inventory 
                        under clause (i); and
                            (iii) a comparison of available planting 
                        stock in each region in which orchards and 
                        nurseries listed in the inventory under clause 
                        (i) are located, as determined by the 
                        Secretaries; and
                    (B) based on the estimates contained in the report 
                submitted under subsection (b)(2) and the estimates 
                submitted under section 3(e)(2) of the Forest and 
                Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 
                U.S.C. 1601(e)(2))--
                            (i) prepare an estimate of the capacity of 
                        orchards and nurseries that would be necessary 
                        to implement reforestation projects on all 
                        priority land (as defined in section (b)(1)) 
                        within 10 years, including identifying the 
                        species and types of planting stock needed for 
                        that reforestation; and
                            (ii) develop a plan for increasing the 
                        capacity of orchards and nurseries such that 
                        the necessary capacity described in clause (i) 
                        is achieved.
            (2) Seed collecting.--The Secretaries shall each--
                    (A) assess whether the current workforce capacity 
                and infrastructure capacity to locally collect, 
                process, and store seed is sufficient to implement 
                reforestation projects on all priority land within 10 
                years;
                    (B) if the Secretary concerned determines that 
                workforce capacity or infrastructure capacity is 
                insufficient under subparagraph (A), develop and carry 
                out a plan for increasing workforce capacity, 
                infrastructure capacity, or both, as applicable; and
                    (C) in developing and carrying out the plan under 
                subparagraph (B), coordinate with any Job Corps program 
                established under section 105(a) regarding the 
                development and hiring of the workforce for orchards 
                and nurseries.
            (3) Availability of plant material.--
                    (A) In general.--In carrying out a revegetation 
                project on Federal land, the Secretary concerned may 
                submit to the other Secretary concerned a request for 
                plant material purchased, owned, grown, or managed by 
                the other Secretary concerned.
                    (B) Provision.--The Secretary concerned to which a 
                request is submitted under subparagraph (A) shall 
                provide the requested plant material, to the extent 
                practicable.
                    (C) Reimbursement.--The Secretary concerned that 
                submits a request under subparagraph (A) shall 
                reimburse the other Secretary concerned for any plant 
                material provided under the request.
    (d) Partnerships.--The Secretary concerned may enter into an 
agreement with a non-Federal entity to carry out any activity described 
in subsection (b) or (c).
    (e) Reforestation Trust Fund.--Section 303 of Public Law 96-451 (16 
U.S.C. 1606a) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (c), by striking ``(c)(1) It shall be'' 
        and all that follows through the period at the end of paragraph 
        (1) and inserting the following:
    ``(c) Annual Reports; Investments.--
            ``(1) Annual reports.--The Secretary of Agriculture, in 
        coordination with the Secretary of the Treasury, shall submit 
        to Congress an annual report that contains a description of--
                    ``(A) the deposits in, expenditures from, and 
                balance of the Trust Fund;
                    ``(B) the projects funded by the Trust Fund; and
                    ``(C) projected deposits in, and any projected 
                expenditures from, the Trust fund for the next fiscal 
                year.'';
            (2) by conforming the margins of subsection (c)(2), and the 
        margins of the subparagraphs within that paragraph, 
        accordingly; and
            (3) by striking subsection (d) and inserting the following:
    ``(d) Obligation of Funds.--The Secretary of Agriculture (referred 
to in this subsection as the `Secretary') may obligate such sums as are 
available in the Trust Fund, including any amounts not obligated in 
previous fiscal years, for--
            ``(1) reforestation on National Forest System land in 
        accordance with section 3(e) of the Forest and Rangeland 
        Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1601(e));
            ``(2) site preparation as needed to accomplish 
        reforestation described in paragraph (1);
            ``(3) seed collection, preparation, and storage necessary 
        to support appropriate seed availability;
            ``(4) nursery construction or activities necessary to 
        support appropriate seedling availability; and
            ``(5) properly allocable administrative costs for the 
        activities described in paragraphs (1) through (4).''.
    (f) Avoidance of Duplication.--In carrying out this section and the 
amendments made by this section, the Secretaries shall--
            (1) avoid duplicative efforts and, to the maximum extent 
        practicable, utilize existing efforts and personnel to develop 
        and implement an activity required under this section or an 
        amendment made by this section; and
            (2) avoid using personnel who would otherwise be engaged in 
        forest management or wildfire mitigation efforts.
    (g) Effect.--Nothing in this section or an amendment made by this 
section establishes new, extends existing, or otherwise affects any 
requirement under Federal law prohibiting or restricting grazing during 
post-wildfire rehabilitation.

SEC. 103. EXPERIMENTAL FORESTS AND RANGES.

    (a) Purposes.--The purposes of this section are--
            (1) to formally authorize the experimental forests and 
        ranges of the Secretary of Agriculture (referred to in this 
        section as the ``Secretary'') existing on the date of enactment 
        of this Act; and
            (2) to require the Secretary--
                    (A) to establish and manage a network of 
                experimental forests and ranges over timescales that 
                support long-term research; and
                    (B) to continuously conduct within the network 
                described in subparagraph (A) long-term research on 
                changes in forest and range systems, including on the 
                impacts of management, climate change, and other 
                stressors.
    (b) Establishment of Network.--The Secretary shall establish and 
manage a network of experimental forests and ranges (referred to in 
this section as the ``network'') on--
            (1) as practicable, National Forest System land;
            (2) other Federal land; or
            (3) other land that may be managed by the Secretary under a 
        long-term agreement.
    (c) Management Purposes.--The Secretary shall manage the network 
for the purposes of--
            (1) research;
            (2) technology transfer; and
            (3) education.
    (d) Criteria.--The network shall include--
            (1) each of the forest cover types that occur in the United 
        States, as defined under the forest inventory and analysis 
        program established under section 3(e) of the Forest and 
        Rangeland Renewable Resources Research Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 
        1642(e));
            (2) an experimental forest that contains forest cover types 
        found in the State of Hawaii;
            (3) an experimental forest that contains forest cover types 
        found in the territories of the United States; and
            (4) experimental ranges that represent rangeland vegetation 
        types in the United States.
    (e) Climate Resiliency Research.--Within the network, the Secretary 
shall conduct research, including research on--
            (1) seedling establishment, site suitability, and 
        revegetation schedules and designs to inform and assist efforts 
        undertaken in the United States to establish forests and ranges 
        that are resilient in future climate conditions;
            (2) the sources, sinks, and transport mechanisms of carbon 
        to construct and improve models of carbon responses to land 
        management practices and under changing climate conditions;
            (3) vegetation changes and ecosystem conversion; and
            (4) hydrologic changes associated with vegetation or 
        climatic changes.
    (f) Traditional Ecological Knowledge.--To the extent practicable 
and consistent with other Federal laws (including regulations), the 
Secretary shall integrate indigenous perspectives and traditional 
ecological knowledge in the development and research plans for forests 
and ranges within the network.
    (g) Public Access.--Consistent with other laws (including 
regulations), the Secretary shall make readily accessible to the public 
any collected data and research findings from projects within the 
network.
    (h) Partners.--The Secretary may enter into an agreement with a 
State (including a State forestry agency), an Indian Tribe, a Tribal 
organization, an educational institution, or a third party to fund or 
conduct research on the network.
    (i) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources 
of the House of Representatives a report describing, with respect to 
the network--
            (1) the location of forests and ranges;
            (2) the forest cover types included in the network and any 
        forest cover types not included in the network; and
            (3) any additional resources needed--
                    (A) to establish or maintain infrastructure in an 
                established experimental forest or range;
                    (B) to expand the network to additional forest 
                cover types not included in the network; or
                    (C) to conduct the research described in subsection 
                (e).
    (j) Savings Clause.--Nothing in this section--
            (1) modifies, limits, or repeals the applicability of any 
        other provision of law (including regulations) to National 
        Forest System land; or
            (2) precludes the Secretary from authorizing multiple-use 
        activities, including livestock grazing and other authorized 
        uses on land included within the network.
    (k) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary such sums as are necessary to carry out 
this section.

SEC. 104. LONG-TERM CONTRACTS FOR TREE AND SEED PLANTING.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary concerned may enter into a contract 
or cooperative agreement for re-establishing vegetation on Federal land 
under the jurisdiction of the Secretary concerned.
    (b) Term.--Notwithstanding the time limit for multiyear contracts 
in section 3903 of title 41, United States Code, a contract or 
cooperative agreement described in subsection (a) may be for a term of 
not more than 10 years.

SEC. 105. REVEGETATION WORKFORCE.

    (a) Job Corps Program.--The Secretary of Labor, in coordination 
with the Secretaries, shall--
            (1) develop a career and technical education and training 
        program focused on tree planting and revegetation, tree 
        maintenance, nursery management, or seed collection; and
            (2) offer the program as part of the Job Corps program.
    (b) Direct Hire Authority.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary concerned may appoint, 
        without regard to subchapter I of chapter 33 of title 5, United 
        States Code, other than sections 3303 and 3328 of that title, a 
        graduate of the program developed and offered under subsection 
        (a) directly to a position within, as applicable, the 
        Department of Agriculture or the Department of the Interior--
                    (A) for which the candidate meets Office of 
                Personnel Management qualification standards; and
                    (B) of which the primary duties relate directly to 
                the training the graduate received under the program 
                developed and offered under subsection (a).
            (2) Limitation.--The Secretary concerned may exercise the 
        direct hire authority under paragraph (1) with respect to a 
        specific qualified candidate not later than 1 year after the 
        date on which the candidate completed the program developed and 
        offered under subsection (a).

SEC. 106. REVEGETATION ON ABANDONED MINE LAND.

    (a) Pilot Program.--
            (1) Establishment.--Using funding available to the 
        Secretary, including funding provided under section 40804(b)(8) 
        of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (16 U.S.C. 
        6592a(b)(8)), the Secretary shall establish a pilot program to 
        establish native trees, shrubs, or grasses (referred to in this 
        section as ``vegetation'') on eligible mined land described in 
        paragraph (6).
            (2) Financial assistance.--In carrying out the pilot 
        program established under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall--
                    (A) in coordination with the Secretary of 
                Agriculture, establish vegetation on eligible mined 
                land located on Federal land;
                    (B) offer financial assistance to States to 
                establish native vegetation on eligible mined land 
                located on State land;
                    (C) offer financial assistance to Indian Tribes to 
                establish native vegetation on eligible mined land 
                located on Tribal land or land held in Trust for an 
                Indian Tribe; and
                    (D) establish vegetation or offer financial 
                assistance to States or other entities to establish 
                native vegetation on eligible mined land located on 
                private land.
            (3) Compatibility with existing operations.--
                    (A) Consultation.--Prior to selecting a project for 
                funding under the pilot program established under 
                paragraph (1), the Secretary shall consult with, as 
                applicable, the relevant Office of Surface Mining 
                Reclamation and Enforcement abandoned mine land program 
                office to confirm that the proposed project is 
                compatible with any current mining, exploration, or 
                reclamation activities.
                    (B) Restriction.--The Secretary shall not provide 
                financial assistance under paragraph (2) to a person or 
                entity with an ongoing legal obligation to revegetate 
                the land in a project area.
            (4) Activities.--The following activities associated with a 
        project to establish vegetation on eligible mined land shall be 
        eligible for financial assistance under paragraph (2):
                    (A) Site preparation, including ripping compacted 
                soils and incorporating soil amendments.
                    (B) Vegetation planting.
                    (C) Maintenance, including watering, to the extent 
                necessary to establish vegetation under this section.
                    (D) Managing competing vegetation.
            (5) Preference.--Under the pilot program established under 
        paragraph (1), the Secretary shall, to the maximum extent 
        practicable, seek to establish vegetation that--
                    (A) is ecologically appropriate; and
                    (B)(i) has a high capacity to sequester and store 
                carbon;
                    (ii) serves to reconnect established landscapes or 
                enhance habitat connectivity; or
                    (iii) would establish wildlife habitat that is 
                underrepresented in the State in which the project is 
                located.
            (6) Eligible mined land.--To be eligible for financial 
        assistance under paragraph (2), a tree planting project shall 
        be located on--
                    (A) land that was mined prior to the date of 
                enactment of this Act;
                    (B) in the case of State land or private land, land 
                that is accessible to the public for not less than 1 
                day per year; and
                    (C) in the case of private land, land owned by a 
                person, or a nongovernmental organization, that has 
                submitted to the Secretary a request seeking to 
                participate in the pilot program under this section.
            (7) Termination.--The pilot program established under 
        paragraph (1) shall be in effect for the 8-year period 
        beginning on the date of enactment of this Act.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 5 years after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources 
of the House of Representatives a report describing the accomplishments 
of the pilot program established under subsection (a)(1), including--
            (1) jobs created or supported in rural areas;
            (2) increases in the abundance of wildlife species, 
        including game species and song birds;
            (3) opportunities for hunting and other compatible outdoor 
        recreation; and
            (4) an estimate of--
                    (A) carbon sequestered during the 5-year period 
                beginning on the date on which the pilot program is 
                established; and
                    (B) projected additional carbon sequestration and 
                storage during the 15-year period beginning on the last 
                day of the period described in subparagraph (A).

TITLE II--CARBON SEQUESTRATION THROUGH FOREST MANAGEMENT AND INNOVATION

SEC. 201. FOREST MANAGEMENT FROM CARBON CREDITS.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Buffer pool.--The term ``buffer pool'' means additional 
        sequestered carbon or greenhouse gas held in reserve beyond the 
        carbon or greenhouse gas represented by a carbon credit to 
        serve as an offset in the event of nonpermanence or carbon 
        sequestration reversal for a carbon credit.
            (2) Carbon credit.--The term ``carbon credit'' means a 
        credit, offset, or other defined unit of carbon or a greenhouse 
        gas that--
                    (A) represents additional carbon or greenhouse gas 
                sequestered or carbon or greenhouse gas emissions 
                mitigated, compared to such sequestration or mitigation 
                without the financial support embodied in the credit, 
                offset, or other defined unit;
                    (B) is approved by a credible, third-party entity;
                    (C) is generated from the implementation or funding 
                of a covered activity; and
                    (D) is identifiable, measurable, and traceable.
            (3) Carbon credit program.--The term ``carbon credit 
        program'' means a voluntary program or market that issues, 
        assigns, trades, or sells carbon credits.
            (4) Covered activity.--The term ``covered activity'' means 
        a forest revegetation activity that--
                    (A) is ecologically appropriate;
                    (B) is carried out on National Forest System land;
                    (C) is designed, in accordance with the best 
                available science--
                            (i) to increase rates of carbon or 
                        greenhouse gas sequestration;
                            (ii) to increase the quantity of 
                        sequestered carbon or greenhouse gas; or
                            (iii) to mitigate or avoid carbon or 
                        greenhouse gas emissions;
                    (D) to the extent practicable, is accomplished 
                using plants native to the landscape or to adjacent 
                landscapes;
                    (E) to the maximum extent practicable, revegetates 
                the area in a manner and at a schedule that minimizes 
                the threat of stand-replacing wildfire; and
                    (F) is carried out by--
                            (i) the Secretary; or
                            (ii) a non-Federal entity authorized by the 
                        Secretary under any other provision of law.
            (5) Intragovernmental revolving fund.--The term 
        ``intragovernmental revolving fund'' means a Federal account 
        that receives a portion of funds received through a carbon 
        credit program for use for covered activities in the event of 
        nonpermanence or carbon sequestration reversal for a carbon 
        credit.
            (6) Resilience.--The term ``resilience'' means the ability 
        of an area of the National Forest System to retain its inherent 
        ecological structure, composition, and functional integrity in 
        response to historical and anticipated stresses for the forest 
        type of the area, at any level from the ecosystem to the 
        landscape scale, over the age span of the dominant trees of the 
        area.
            (7) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service.
    (b) Funds Associated With Carbon Credits for Forest Management.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary may expend funds received 
        from a non-Federal entity from a carbon credit program for a 
        carbon credit, without further appropriation or fiscal year 
        limitation, to support the implementation of covered 
        activities.
            (2) Supplement, not supplant.--Amounts made available to 
        the Secretary under paragraph (1) shall supplement, and not 
        supplant, any other amounts made available for covered 
        activities.
            (3) Exclusive use.--Amounts made available to the Secretary 
        under paragraph (1) shall only be used for--
                    (A) the implementation of covered activities; and
                    (B) any properly allocable administrative costs.
    (c) Management of Carbon Credit Transactions by National Forest 
Foundation.--
            (1) In general.--The National Forest Foundation shall 
        receive and distribute any funds received under subsection 
        (b)(1).
            (2) Other partners.--The National Forest Foundation and the 
        Secretary may work with other entities that use funds received 
        through a carbon credit program or for a carbon credit to 
        design, manage, account for, implement, or monitor a covered 
        activity.
            (3) Methodology.--For the management of transactions 
        described in this section, the National Forest Foundation and 
        the Secretary shall jointly develop and use a methodology that 
        calculates the value of a carbon credit, based on--
                    (A) the reestablishment or retention of forest 
                cover;
                    (B) carbon sequestration rates before and after the 
                implementation of the covered activity; and
                    (C) such other considerations as are necessary to 
                accurately calculate the value of the carbon credit.
            (4) Limitations.--A carbon credit--
                    (A) shall not be construed to constrain, limit, or 
                otherwise affect the authority of the Secretary to 
                carry out activities within the National Forest System; 
                and
                    (B) shall be limited in value to the amount 
                necessary to represent the carbon or greenhouse gas 
                sequestered by vegetation with a stand density index of 
                not greater than the stand density index necessary for 
                resilience of the forest cover type in the area where 
                the carbon credit is generated.
    (d) Risk Mitigation Tools.--The Secretary may--
            (1) establish a buffer pool, an intragovernmental revolving 
        fund, or another similar risk mitigation tool for a project to 
        carry out a covered activity under this section;
            (2) transfer amounts into and out of the buffer pool, 
        intragovernmental revolving fund, or other tool established 
        under paragraph (1); and
            (3) develop a protocol, after providing notice and an 
        opportunity for public comment, for the management of the 
        buffer pool, intragovernmental revolving fund, or other tool 
        established under paragraph (1).
    (e) Reports to Congress.--The Secretary, in collaboration with the 
National Forest Foundation, shall annually submit to Congress a report 
describing the status of the program under this section, including--
            (1) the extent to which covered activities that were 
        implemented as a direct result of funding received under 
        subsection (b)(1) have been carried out; and
            (2) any recommendations to improve or expand the program, 
        including expansion of the authorities under this section to 
        land managed by the Secretary of the Interior.
    (f) Transparency.--The Secretary, in collaboration with the 
National Forest Foundation, shall make publicly available on a website 
of the Forest Service the data relating to all carbon credits issued, 
traded, sold, or retired under this section.
    (g) Effect.--Nothing in this section authorizes any activity that 
is inconsistent with--
            (1) any applicable land management plan; or
            (2) any other provision of law (including regulations).

SEC. 202. RECOVERY AND RESTORATION TREATMENTS FOLLOWING STAND-REPLACING 
              DISTURBANCES.

    (a) Definition of Stand-replacing Disturbance.--In this section, 
the term ``stand-replacing disturbance'' means a natural disturbance 
event, including a wildland fire or other event, that kills all or most 
of the living overstory trees in a stand and initiates forest 
succession or regrowth on a unit of the National Forest System.
    (b) Pilot National Forests.--Not later than 1 year after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through 
the Chief of the Forest Service (referred to in this section as the 
``Secretary''), shall identify units of the National Forest System that 
the Secretary determines to be at high or very high risk of 
experiencing a stand-replacing disturbance during the 10-year period 
following the date of enactment of this Act.
    (c) Interdisciplinary Teams.--Not later than 2 years after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish an 
interdisciplinary post-disturbance planning team (referred to in this 
section as the ``team'') to assist in carrying out the requirements of 
this section.
    (d) Model Land and Resource Management Plan Amendment.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in cooperation with the 
        team, shall develop a model land and resource management plan 
        amendment establishing plan content for future site-specific 
        project-level decisions if a stand-replacing disturbance occurs 
        on units of the National Forest System identified under 
        subsection (b).
            (2) Content.--The model amendment required under paragraph 
        (1) shall include direction regarding post-disturbance 
        management, including salvage logging and reforestation 
        activities, to achieve desired conditions, objectives, 
        standards, guidelines, suitability of lands, and other plan 
        content, including goals and monitoring provisions, of the 
        existing land and resource management plan on the applicable 
        unit of the National Forest System, if a stand-replacing 
        disturbance occurs.
            (3) Use of model land and resource management plan 
        amendment.--The Secretary shall utilize the Model Land and 
        Resource Management Plan Amendment, as adapted to the unique 
        ecological and socioeconomic setting for each unit of the 
        National Forest System identified under subsection (b), in 
        carrying out subsection (e).
    (e) Land and Resource Management Plan Amendments.--
            (1) In general.--As soon as practicable, but not later than 
        10 years, after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
        Secretary, assisted by the team, shall amend the applicable 
        land and resource management plan of each unit of the National 
        Forest System identified under subsection (b).
            (2) Process.--The Secretary shall comply with all relevant 
        laws in carrying out this section.
            (3) Election.--The Secretary may comply with the provisions 
        of this section by incorporating the requirements of this 
        section into an ongoing land and resource management plan 
        revision or amendment process.

SEC. 203. ERADICATION OF INVASIVE GRASSES.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Action plan.--The term ``action plan'' means the action 
        plan developed under subsection (b).
            (2) Invasive grass.--The term ``invasive grass'' means--
                    (A) cheatgrass;
                    (B) ventenata;
                    (C) medusahead; and
                    (D) any additional invasive, nonnative grass 
                species that the Secretaries determine pose a risk by--
                            (i) increasing fire vulnerability and fire 
                        spread; and
                            (ii) altering fire regimes.
    (b) Action Plan.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretaries shall jointly develop and 
        implement an action plan to map, treat, and control invasive 
        grass--
                    (A) to promote the resiliency, biodiversity, and 
                carbon sequestration capacity of forests, rangelands, 
                and grasslands;
                    (B) to restore native plant species;
                    (C) to minimize risks from wildfire; and
                    (D) to enhance the quality of forage for wildlife 
                and livestock.
            (2) Requirements.--The action plan shall--
                    (A) consider or incorporate existing efforts;
                    (B) take into account--
                            (i) the latest science;
                            (ii) best practices; and
                            (iii) available deployment tools;
                    (C) be prepared in coordination with State, Tribal, 
                and local governmental entities and the heads of other 
                Federal agencies, including the Chief of the Natural 
                Resources Conservation Service, that are engaged in 
                activities to control invasive grass to leverage and 
                maximize funding and resources;
                    (D) identify options to streamline environmental 
                review, including--
                            (i) the use of categorical exclusions (as 
                        defined in section 111 of the National 
                        Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 
                        4336e)), including a categorical exclusion of 
                        another agency pursuant to section 109 of that 
                        Act (42 U.S.C. 4336c);
                            (ii) the development of consultations under 
                        section 7 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 
                        (16 U.S.C. 1536) on a programmatic basis;
                            (iii) interagency coordination regarding 
                        the validation, registration, and effective use 
                        of products to control or eradicate invasive 
                        grass; and
                            (iv) maximizing opportunities to cooperate 
                        with other Federal, Tribal, and State agencies 
                        in analysis, assessments, and studies;
                    (E) establish--
                            (i) specific goals;
                            (ii) specific implementation actions that 
                        the Secretaries and partners of the Secretaries 
                        will conduct over a 5-year period; and
                            (iii) targets, including acres to be 
                        treated annually in target treatment areas 
                        identified by the Secretaries;
                    (F) provide for a combination of treatment methods 
                for the most effective control or eradication of an 
                invasive grass, including--
                            (i) manual treatment methods;
                            (ii) mechanical treatment methods;
                            (iii) cultural treatment methods, including 
                        the use of wood chips or prescribed fire;
                            (iv) biological treatment methods, which 
                        may include livestock grazing; or
                            (v) chemical treatment methods;
                    (G) identify and implement, to the extent 
                practicable, best practices to reduce the spreading of 
                invasive grass seed, such as the use of spray washing 
                stations; and
                    (H) identify methods and metrics to determine the 
                effectiveness of treatment and control efforts.
            (3) Deadline to finalize action plan.--Not later than 1 
        year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretaries 
        shall finalize the action plan.
            (4) Implementation of action plan.--
                    (A) In general.--Not later than 60 days after the 
                date on which the action plan is finalized under 
                paragraph (3), the Secretaries shall begin implementing 
                the action plan in a manner consistent with other 
                applicable laws (including regulations).
                    (B) Memoranda of understanding and agreements.--In 
                implementing the action plan, the Secretary concerned 
                may enter into a memorandum of understanding or an 
                agreement with non-Federal entities, as appropriate, to 
                carry out activities under the action plan to control 
                the spread of an invasive grass on Federal land or land 
                adjacent to Federal land.
                    (C) Cooperating agency coordination.--The Secretary 
                concerned shall, to the extent practicable, offer to 
                assist in the preparation of environmental reviews that 
                may be necessary in implementing treatment and control 
                activities on land adjacent to Federal land.
    (c) Reports to Congress.--Not later than 3 years after the date of 
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter during the period in 
which the action plan is being implemented, the Secretaries shall 
submit to Congress a report assessing the effectiveness of the action 
plan that includes a description of--
            (1) the location and acreage of the areas treated for 
        invasive grass;
            (2) any memoranda of understanding or agreements entered 
        into under subsection (b)(4)(B) to advance the implementation 
        of the action plan;
            (3) the effectiveness of treatments and control efforts, 
        determined using the methods and metrics described in 
        subsection (b)(2)(H); and
            (4) recommendations for studies to explore innovative 
        methods and practices to treat and control invasive grass.
    (d) Funding.--
            (1) Outside funding.--The Secretary concerned may accept 
        non-Federal funds to implement any provision of this section.
            (2) Other funding.--In addition to any funding received 
        under paragraph (1), the Secretaries may expend to carry out 
        this section up to $30,000,000 of any funding made available to 
        the Secretary concerned for invasive species control, including 
        funding provided under section 40804(b)(6) of the 
        Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (16 U.S.C. 6592a(b)(6)).
            (3) Limitations.--Of the amounts made available to carry 
        out this section, not more than 10 percent shall be used for 
        development of the action plan.

                          TITLE III--RESEARCH

SEC. 301. LONGEVITY OF FOREST PRODUCTS.

    The Secretary of Energy, in coordination with the Secretary of 
Agriculture, shall--
            (1) develop accurate and efficient methods and technologies 
        to measure and monitor the amount and average lifespan of 
        carbon stored in woody biomass energy feedstocks and building 
        materials;
            (2) by not later than 2 years after the date of enactment 
        of this Act, publish estimates of the carbon intensity of woody 
        biomass energy feedstocks and building materials, including in 
        short-lived forest products and long-lived wood products; and
            (3) by not later than 3 years after the date of enactment 
        of this Act, publish a lifecycle carbon assessment, including 
        any carbon sequestration, for--
                    (A) short-lived forest products;
                    (B) building materials; and
                    (C) other long-lived wood products.

SEC. 302. FOREST INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS.

    (a) In General.--To bring more innovation and efficiency to 
climate-resilient forestry actions in the United States, the Secretary 
of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service--
            (1) shall publish a report, or expand on a report being 
        published pursuant to another provision of law, that 
        demonstrates the efforts of the Forest Service--
                    (A) to measure a consistent historical series of 
                field plots while using advanced technology, including 
                remote sensing, to improve data and information; and
                    (B) to use advanced geospatial technologies to 
                improve area and volume estimates, especially for 
                smaller areas;
            (2) may use remote sensing technologies and other 
        technologies to develop more accurate and efficient methods and 
        to reduce costs to facilitate the measuring and monitoring of 
        forest carbon in the United States, in a manner that can--
                    (A) assess landscape-scale or regional-scale carbon 
                stocking;
                    (B) improve the quantity and quality of the 
                information available to policy makers and forest 
                managers, including with regard to forest inventories 
                and verification activities;
                    (C) empower private forest owners to participate in 
                voluntary carbon crediting opportunities; and
                    (D) enable--
                            (i) a policy maker to compare the 
                        consequences of policy options to increase 
                        climate benefits from forests; and
                            (ii) an assessment of the effectiveness of 
                        a policy implemented to increase the climate 
                        benefits from forests; and
            (3) may accelerate, or increase the frequency of, current 
        inventories and data collection activities across all forest 
        types to ensure consistent nationwide estimates of forest 
        carbon pools that can reflect short-term changes from 
        disturbances, such as wildfires, and management activities.
    (b) Funding.--The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the 
Chief of the Forest Service, may annually use to carry out this section 
not more than $10,000,000 of any amount made available to the Forest 
Service for research.

SEC. 303. BIOECONOMY RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER.

    (a) Forest Products Research.--The Secretary of Agriculture 
(referred to in this section as the ``Secretary''), in coordination 
with the Secretary of Energy, shall expand research relating to the use 
of wood--
            (1) to facilitate the establishment of new markets, 
        including nontraditional markets, for material produced from 
        forest management projects that typically has little or no 
        commercial value;
            (2) to increase the economic viability of manufacturing 
        products using material described in paragraph (1);
            (3) for the production of low-carbon renewable fuel, 
        including sustainable aviation fuel; and
            (4) including structural testing of hardwood species for 
        use in mass timber.
    (b) Technology Transfer Office.--
            (1) Establishment.--There is established within the Forest 
        Service an Office of Technology Transfer (referred to this 
        subsection as the ``Office'').
            (2) Mission.--The mission of the Office shall be--
                    (A) to expand the commercial impact of the research 
                investments of the Forest Service; and
                    (B) to provide for the commercialization of 
                technologies that support the mission of the Forest 
                Service.
            (3) Chief commercialization officer.--
                    (A) In general.--The Office shall be headed by an 
                officer, who shall be known as the ``Chief 
                Commercialization Officer'' and who shall report to the 
                Deputy Chief of the Forest Service for Research and 
                Development.
                    (B) Qualifications.--An individual appointed to the 
                position of Chief Commercialization Officer shall be an 
                individual who, by reason of professional background 
                and experience, is specially qualified to advise the 
                Chief of the Forest Service and the Deputy Chief of the 
                Forest Service for Research and Development on 
                technology transfer at the Forest Service.
                    (C) Duties.--The Chief Commercialization Officer 
                shall--
                            (i) oversee the expenditure of funds 
                        allocated for technology transfer within the 
                        Forest Service;
                            (ii) represent the Forest Service on--
                                    (I) the Federal Laboratory 
                                Consortium for Technology Transfer 
                                established by section 11(e) of the 
                                Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation 
                                Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3710(e)); and
                                    (II) other similar interagency 
                                coordinating entities;
                            (iii) coordinate with--
                                    (I) other technology transfer and 
                                commercialization offices within the 
                                Department of Agriculture; and
                                    (II) other similar Federal 
                                entities, as appropriate;
                            (iv) oversee efforts to engage with private 
                        sector entities, including venture capital 
                        companies, on issues relating to technology 
                        transfer and commercialization; and
                            (v) coordinate efforts to patent or 
                        otherwise protect under title 35, United States 
                        Code, any inventions arising from a Forest 
                        Service laboratory.
            (4) Technology transfer working group.--
                    (A) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish 
                within the Forest Service a Technology Transfer Working 
                Group, which shall consist of--
                            (i) the Deputy Chief of the Forest Service 
                        for Research and Development;
                            (ii) the Chief Commercialization Officer;
                            (iii) representatives from each research 
                        station within the Forest Service; and
                            (iv) representatives from other Forest 
                        Service entities with relevant expertise, as 
                        appropriate.
                    (B) Duties.--The Technology Transfer Working Group 
                established under subparagraph (A) shall--
                            (i) assist with the coordination of 
                        technology transfer and commercialization 
                        opportunities occurring at Forest Service 
                        laboratories;
                            (ii) develop and disseminate guidance to 
                        researchers at Forest Service laboratories on 
                        technology transfer and commercialization 
                        requirements under the Stevenson-Wydler 
                        Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 
                        3701 et seq.) and associated agreements to 
                        implement those requirements; and
                            (iii) develop and disseminate to the public 
                        and prospective technology partners information 
                        about opportunities and procedures for 
                        technology transfer with the Forest Service.
                    (C) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date 
                of enactment of this Act, the Technology Transfer 
                Working Group established under subparagraph (A) shall 
                submit to Congress a report that describes--
                            (i) the number of cooperative research and 
                        development agreements entered into by the 
                        Forest Service under section 12 of the 
                        Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 
                        1980 (15 U.S.C. 3710a) during the preceding 5 
                        years;
                            (ii) the number of agreements with 
                        partnership intermediaries entered into by the 
                        Forest Service under section 23 of the 
                        Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 
                        1980 (15 U.S.C. 3715) during the preceding 5 
                        years;
                            (iii) the number of licenses or other use 
                        authorizations issued by the Forest Service for 
                        patents held by the Forest Service during the 
                        preceding 5 years; and
                            (iv) recommendations for legislative, 
                        programmatic, or regulatory changes to support 
                        the mission of the Office.
            (5) Key performance indicators.--Beginning with the first 
        year after the report under paragraph (4)(C) is submitted, and 
        each year thereafter, the President shall include in the budget 
        of the United States Government submitted to Congress under 
        section 1105 of title 31, United States Code--
                    (A) the number of cooperative research and 
                development agreements entered into by the Forest 
                Service under section 12 of the Stevenson-Wydler 
                Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3710a) 
                during the preceding year;
                    (B) the number of agreements with partnership 
                intermediaries entered into by the Forest Service under 
                section 23 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology 
                Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3715) during the 
                preceding year; and
                    (C) the number of licenses or other use 
                authorizations issued by the Forest Service for patents 
                held by the Forest Service during the preceding year.
            (6) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this 
        subsection $5,000,000 for each fiscal year.
    (c) National Forest Foundation Activities.--Section 402(b)(3) of 
the National Forest Foundation Act (16 U.S.C. 583j(b)(3)) is amended by 
striking ``cooperative forestry'' and inserting ``technology transfer, 
commercialization, cooperative forestry,''.
    (d) Small Business Voucher Pilot Program.--
            (1) Establishment.--The Secretary, in consultation with the 
        Secretary of Energy and the Administrator of the Small Business 
        Administration, shall establish an innovation voucher pilot 
        program to accelerate product development, demonstration, and 
        commercialization in the forest products sector.
            (2) Vouchers.--Under the pilot program established under 
        paragraph (1), the Secretary shall provide vouchers to small 
        business concerns (as defined in section 3 of the Small 
        Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632)) to be used at research facilities 
        of the Forest Service for research, development, demonstration, 
        technology transfer, skills training and workforce development, 
        or commercial application activities.
            (3) Cost-sharing.--
                    (A) Basic research.--Except as provided in 
                subparagraph (D), the Secretary may require up to 20 
                percent of the cost of a voucher provided under 
                paragraph (2) for a research or development activity 
                that is of a basic or fundamental nature, at the 
                discretion of the Secretary, to be provided by a non-
                Federal source.
                    (B) Applied research.--Except as provided in 
                subparagraphs (D) and (E), the Secretary shall require 
                not less than 20 percent of the cost of a voucher 
                provided under paragraph (2) for a research or 
                development activity that is not of a basic or 
                fundamental nature, at the discretion of the Secretary, 
                to be provided by a non-Federal source.
                    (C) Demonstration and commercial application.--
                Except as provided in subparagraph (E), the Secretary 
                shall require not less than 50 percent of the cost of a 
                voucher provided under paragraph (2) for a 
                demonstration or commercial application activity to be 
                provided by a non-Federal source.
                    (D) Exemption for higher education and nonprofit 
                institutions.--The cost share requirements under 
                subparagraphs (A) and (B) shall not apply to an 
                activity performed by an institution of higher 
                education or a nonprofit institution (as defined in 
                section 4 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation 
                Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3703)).
                    (E) Reduction in cost-share.--The Secretary may 
                reduce the non-Federal share required under 
                subparagraphs (B) and (C) if the Secretary determines 
                the reduction to be necessary and appropriate, taking 
                into account any technological risk relating to the 
                activity.
            (4) Termination.--The authorities provided under this 
        subsection (except for paragraph (5)) shall expire on September 
        30, 2029.
            (5) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the termination 
        of the pilot program under paragraph (4), the Secretary shall 
        submit to Congress a report describing the outcomes of the 
        pilot program, including any recommendations to improve the 
        pilot program.

SEC. 304. FOREST HEALTH THREAT CENTERS.

    The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the 
Forest Service, shall--
            (1) seek to expand the services provided by the Western 
        Wildland Environmental Threat Assessment Center and the Eastern 
        Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center such that those 
        Centers become centers of excellence to inform large-scale 
        climate-resilient forest management; and
            (2) share the syntheses, models, and application tools 
        developed by the Western Wildland Environmental Threat 
        Assessment Center and the Eastern Forest Environmental Threat 
        Assessment Center with--
                    (A) the Department of Agriculture climate hubs; and
                    (B) the Climate Adaptation Science Centers managed 
                by the Secretary, acting through the Director of the 
                United States Geological Survey.

SEC. 305. JOINT MASS TIMBER SCIENCE AND EDUCATION PROGRAM.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Local approving agency.--The term ``local approving 
        agency'' means an agency or unit of a local government that is 
        responsible for the issuance of permits for building 
        construction.
            (2) Mass timber.--The term ``mass timber'' includes--
                    (A) cross-laminated timber;
                    (B) nail laminated timber;
                    (C) glue laminated timber;
                    (D) dowel laminated timber;
                    (E) laminated strand lumber; and
                    (F) laminated veneer lumber.
            (3) Procuring agency.--The term ``procuring agency'' means 
        the Department of the Interior, the Forest Service, or a person 
        that is a party to a contract with the Department of the 
        Interior or the Forest Service, with respect to work performed 
        under such a contract.
            (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Agriculture, acting through the Director of the Forest 
        Products Laboratory of the Forest Service.
            (5) Tall wood building.--The term ``tall wood building'' 
        means a building designed to be--
                    (A) constructed with mass timber; and
                    (B)(i) if a residential building, more than 4 
                stories in height; and
                    (ii) if a commercial building, more than 5 stories 
                in height.
    (b) Mass Timber Science and Education Program With the Forest 
Products Laboratory.--The Secretary shall establish a mass timber 
science and education program to respond to the emerging research needs 
of architects, developers, and the forest products industry.
    (c) Coordination.--The Secretary shall coordinate with research 
programs at colleges and universities in administering the mass timber 
science and education program established under subsection (b) to 
supplement the current research and educational efforts of colleges and 
universities.
    (d) Purposes.--The mass timber science and education program 
established under subsection (b) shall have the following principal 
purposes:
            (1) To provide practical research responsive to the needs 
        of architects, developers, and the forest products industry, 
        including assessments of carbon impacts in the originating 
        forests and the end use of mass timber in the built 
        environment.
            (2) To engage and listen to clients and then develop 
        focused, strategic lines of new research responsive to those 
        needs, which may include research relating to flammability and 
        performance during a fire, structural characteristics, energy 
        use and savings, acoustics, and slab construction composed of 
        hybrid materials.
            (3) To solicit proposals from scientists who compete for 
        funding through a rigorous peer-review process designed to 
        ensure the best projects are funded.
            (4) To disseminate research findings using a suite of 
        communication tools to ensure that architects, developers, and 
        the forest products industry are aware of, understand, and can 
        use the information to make sound decisions and implement 
        projects.
            (5) To develop and facilitate the adoption, on a voluntary 
        basis, of a curriculum for building structures using mass 
        timber for use in schools of engineering and architecture that 
        includes--
                    (A) structural design; and
                    (B) the possibilities, benefits, and limitations of 
                using mass timber in construction.
    (e) Mass Timber Plan.--Not later than September 30, 2025, the 
Secretary shall submit to the relevant committees of Congress a mass 
timber plan that includes--
            (1) an assessment of the current state of knowledge about 
        mass timber and tall wood buildings;
            (2) an integrated approach to improve knowledge sharing;
            (3) an approach for project monitoring and evaluation; and
            (4) an approach for setting research priorities.
    (f) Stakeholder Advisory Group.--
            (1) Membership.--The Secretary shall appoint a stakeholder 
        advisory group of technical experts that consists, at a 
        minimum, of--
                    (A) a Forest Service scientist;
                    (B) a researcher from a college or university;
                    (C) a representative of a trade association;
                    (D) an architect or developer;
                    (E) a representative of a local approving agency;
                    (F) a representative of a forest products company; 
                and
                    (G) a representative of a nongovernmental 
                organization with experience--
                            (i) designing or constructing tall wood 
                        buildings; or
                            (ii) complying with or revising related 
                        building codes.
            (2) Duties.--The stakeholder advisory group shall meet at 
        least annually--
                    (A) to consider immediate and long-term science 
                needs;
                    (B) to suggest to the Secretary appropriate topic 
                areas, specific issues within those topic areas, and 
                information transfer needs for which the Secretary 
                shall solicit proposals described in subsection (d)(3); 
                and
                    (C) to assist the Secretary in drafting the mass 
                timber plan required under subsection (e).
    (g) Assistance.--The Secretary may provide to the Secretary of 
Transportation and to States technical assistance relating to the use 
of wood in bridges when undergoing revisions to a State bridge design 
manual.
    (h) Availability of Appropriations.--From amounts appropriated for 
Forest Service research, excluding funding made available for the 
Forest Inventory and Analysis program, the Secretary may use $4,000,000 
to carry out the activities described in this section.

                        TITLE IV--MISCELLANEOUS

SEC. 401. DESIGNATION OF PATSYE CRITES FOREST.

    (a) Designation.--On acquisition by the United States, the 
approximately 2,693.31 acres of land within the Monongahela National 
Forest identified on the map prepared by the Forest Service entitled 
``Blackwater Canyon'' and dated August 5, 2024, shall be known and 
designated as the ``Patsye Crites Forest''.
    (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, 
paper, or other record of the United States to the land acquired under 
subsection (a) shall be deemed to be a reference to the ``Patsye Crites 
Forest''.
                                                       Calendar No. 594

118th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                                S. 2991

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

  To improve revegetation and carbon sequestration activities in the 
                 United States, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                           November 21, 2024

                       Reported with an amendment
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