II 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST 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 

A BILL 

To improve revegetation and carbon sequestration activities 

in the United States, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘America’s Revegetation and Carbon Sequestration Act of 

6 2023’’. 

7 (b) TITLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

8 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Findings. 

Sec. 3. Definitions. 


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TITLE I—REVEGETATION 

Sec. 101. Climate adaptation and resilient forests and rangeland measures. 

Sec. 102. National revegetation effort. 

Sec. 103. Experimental forests. 

Sec. 104. Long-term contracts for tree and seed planting. 

Sec. 105. Tree planting for communities. 

Sec. 106. Revegetation on abandoned mine land. 

Sec. 107. International reforestation. 

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. Biochar and wood waste. 

Sec. 204. Eradication of invasive grasses. 

TITLE III—MASS TIMBER 

Sec. 301. Definitions. 

Sec. 302. Joint mass timber science and education program. 

Sec. 303. Storing carbon in Federal buildings. 

TITLE IV—RESEARCH 

Sec. 401. Longevity of forest products. 

Sec. 402. Forest inventory and analysis. 

Sec. 403. Bioeconomy research. 

Sec. 404. Insurance product to replace buffers. 

Sec. 405. Forest health threat centers. 

1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress finds that— 

3 (1) revegetation efforts can meet multiple goals, 

4 including guarding against climate change, improv5 ing conservation and habitats, securing public water 

6 supplies, and providing for economic and cultural 

7 benefits; 

8 (2) a range of practical constraints, including 

9 cost, available infrastructure, and whether land has 

10 been converted to other uses that are unlikely to be 

11 abandoned, significantly limit the areas that are viaVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:53 Oct 01, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2991.IS S2991

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1 ble for revegetation projects, and hence revegetation 

2 projects must be targeted; 

3 (3) reforestation projects should occur in areas 

4 that were historically forested but have become de5 graded or impacted from wildfire events, wind6 storms, or other events, rather than other natural 

7 habitats, such as grasslands; 

8 (4) forests and rangelands are important for 

9 storing carbon; 

10 (5) established forests and native rangelands, 

11 including actively managed forests and rangelands, 

12 are preferable to new forests and rangelands that 

13 are a result of revegetation efforts, because intact 

14 forests and vegetation communities are more effec15 tive at sequestration and are more resilient to fire, 

16 storm, and drought; 

17 (6) natural regrowth of forests and rangelands 

18 is cheaper and more efficient than revegetation 

19 projects, as long as nonnative invasive species are 

20 not adversely impacting the landscape; 

21 (7) native plant development and restoration 

22 generates sustainable private sector jobs in a wide 

23 variety of sectors; 

24 (8) selecting the appropriate species of trees 

25 and of other vegetation and promoting biodiversity 


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1 using a mixture of species naturally found in the 

2 local area, rare species, and species of economic im3 portance are crucial to the success of revegetation 

4 efforts; 

5 (9) species selected for revegetation efforts and 

6 the specified planting density and structure should 

7 be suitable for the local climate, taking into account 

8 future climate resilience and other considerations; 

9 (10) scientific knowledge should be combined 

10 with local knowledge, and site conditions should be 

11 taken into account, in developing revegetation 

12 projects, and ideally small-scale planting trials 

13 should take place before planting large numbers of 

14 trees; 

15 (11) partnerships with local communities are 

16 key to the success of tree and vegetation planting 

17 projects because local people often have the most to 

18 gain from those projects; 

19 (12) a successful planting project must include 

20 a plan on how to source seeds or seedlings that 

21 match desired species and genetics, and that plan 

22 should involve working with local stakeholders; 

23 (13) the sustainability of revegetation projects 

24 is dependent on the economic impacts for all stake25 holders; and 


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1 (14) invasive grasses are a catalyst for wildfires 

2 in forests and rangelands. 

3 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

4 In this Act: 

5 (1) CARBON SEQUESTRATION.—The term ‘‘car6 bon sequestration’’ means the capture and long-term 

7 storage of atmospheric carbon dioxide. 

8 (2) NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM.—The term 

9 ‘‘National Forest System’’ has the meaning given 

10 the term in section 11(a) of the Forest and Range11 land Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 

12 U.S.C. 1609(a)). 

13 (3) SECRETARIES.—The term ‘‘Secretaries’’ 

14 means the Secretary of the Interior and the Sec15 retary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of 

16 the Forest Service. 

17 (4) SECRETARY.—Except in sections 103, 

18 105(b), 201, 202, and 302, the term ‘‘Secretary’’ 

19 means the Secretary of the Interior. 

20 (5) SECRETARY CONCERNED.—The term ‘‘Sec21 retary concerned’’ means the Secretary of the Inte22 rior or the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through 

23 the Chief of the Forest Service. 


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1 TITLE I—REVEGETATION 

2 SEC. 101. CLIMATE ADAPTATION AND RESILIENT FORESTS 

3 AND RANGELAND MEASURES. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after the 

5 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall each 

6 revise applicable regulations of the Secretary concerned to 

7 require the consideration and assessment of resiliency and 

8 adaptation factors in developing strategies and efforts for 

9 revegetation, including reforestation and rangeland plant10 ing, carried out by the Secretary concerned, including in 

11 selecting species for planting. 

12 (b) EFFECT.—Nothing in this section affects— 

13 (1) the reforestation requirements under section 

14 3 of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources 

15 Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1601); or 

16 (2) the use of the forest plan revision process 

17 to make changes to reforestation approaches in an 

18 individual unit of the National Forest System. 

19 SEC. 102. NATIONAL REVEGETATION EFFORT. 

20 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

21 (1) FEDERAL LAND.—The term ‘‘Federal land’’ 

22 means— 

23 (A) National Forest System land, except— 

24 (i) the national grasslands and land 

25 utilization projects administered under title 


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1 III of the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant 

2 Act (7 U.S.C. 1010 et seq.); and 

3 (ii) National Forest System land east 

4 of the 100th meridian; and 

5 (B) land under the jurisdiction of the Sec6 retary. 

7 (2) TASK FORCE.—The term ‘‘task force’’ 

8 means an interagency revegetation task force estab9 lished under subsection (d). 

10 (3) ZONE.—The term ‘‘zone’’ means a zone de11 scribed in subsection (c). 

12 (b) ASSESSMENT OF REVEGETATION NEEDS.— 

13 (1) FEDERAL LAND ASSESSMENT.— 

14 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year 

15 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec16 retaries shall assess, using the revegetation as17 sessment tool described in paragraph (2), the 

18 number of acres of Federal land in need of re19 vegetation, including— 

20 (i) acres that have experienced a 

21 stand-replacing disturbance by a wildfire, 

22 windstorm, or other natural event; 

23 (ii) acres on which a regeneration har24 vest has previously taken place; and 


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1 (iii) acres that could benefit from ap2 propriate revegetation, as determined by 

3 the Secretaries. 

4 (B) ECOLOGICAL FORESTRY.—In con5 ducting the assessment under subparagraph 

6 (A), the Secretaries shall consider the role of 

7 recovery periods between disturbances for the 

8 development of stand complexity. 

9 (2) REVEGETATION ASSESSMENT TOOL.—Not 

10 later than 180 days after the date of enactment of 

11 this Act, the Secretaries shall jointly develop, or use 

12 or expand an existing, objective revegetation assess13 ment tool for each zone that uses a point system or 

14 rating scale— 

15 (A) to consistently assess in various geo16 graphic areas, site classes, and forest and 

17 rangeland types whether an acre of Federal 

18 land is adequately occupied by well-distributed, 

19 countable, ecologically appropriate trees or 

20 other desirable vegetation; 

21 (B) to rapidly assess revegetation needs on 

22 Federal land; and 

23 (C) to establish baseline conditions for 

24 Federal land. 


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1 (3) FOREST AND RANGELAND COVER RESTORA2 TION ON NON-FEDERAL LAND.— 

3 (A) PARTNERSHIP FOR FOREST AND

4 RANGELAND COVER RESTORATION.—The Secre5 taries may enter into a partnership with a non6 Federal entity, including Indian Tribes, with 

7 data or expertise in Federal reforestation— 

8 (i) to assess the opportunity to restore 

9 forest or rangeland cover across non-Fed10 eral land in the United States; or 

11 (ii) to share existing data gathered by 

12 the non-Federal entity. 

13 (B) SAVINGS CLAUSE.—Nothing in this 

14 paragraph grants the Secretary concerned any 

15 additional authority over or additional access to 

16 non-Federal land. 

17 (4) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after 

18 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretaries 

19 shall publish a report describing— 

20 (A) the number of acres of— 

21 (i) Federal land in need of revegeta22 tion; and 

23 (ii) non-Federal land in the United 

24 States on which forest or rangeland cover 

25 can be restored and the owner of which 


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1 has requested to be included in a com2 prehensive revegetation strategy and imple3 mentation plan developed under subsection 

4 (e)(2)(A); and 

5 (B) the approximate location of the land 

6 described under subparagraph (A). 

7 (c) REGIONAL ZONES FOR REVEGETATION EF8 FORTS.—The Secretaries shall use the regions of the Na9 tional Forest System as the zones for revegetation efforts 

10 conducted by the task forces under this section. 

11 (d) INTERAGENCY TASK FORCES.—Not later than 18 

12 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secre13 taries shall establish an interagency revegetation task 

14 force of Federal and non-Federal members, including In15 dian Tribes, for each zone— 

16 (1) to coordinate and carry out the activities 

17 described in subsections (e), (f), and (g); and 

18 (2) to maximize collaboration and shared 

19 science and mapping resources among Federal and 

20 non-Federal entities, including Indian Tribes, in re21 vegetating land in each zone, including through the 

22 use of— 

23 (A) Department of Agriculture climate 

24 hubs; 


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1 (B) collaboratives formed pursuant to sec2 tion 4003 of the Omnibus Public Land Manage3 ment Act of 2009 (16 U.S.C. 7303); and 

4 (C) partnerships with States developed 

5 under shared stewardship agreements. 

6 (e) COMPREHENSIVE REVEGETATION STRATEGY AND

7 IMPLEMENTATION PLANS.— 

8 (1) DATA REVIEW.—Each task force— 

9 (A) shall review the report published under 

10 subsection (b)(4); and 

11 (B) may modify, for the applicable zone, 

12 the number of acres of land in need of revegeta13 tion and the approximate location of the land 

14 identified in the report, as necessary. 

15 (2) PLAN DEVELOPMENT.— 

16 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 

17 days after the date on which a task force is es18 tablished, the task force shall develop a 10-year 

19 comprehensive revegetation strategy and imple20 mentation plan— 

21 (i) to revegetate not less than 25 per22 cent of the land identified in the report 

23 published under subsection (b)(4), as 

24 modified under paragraph (1)(B) (if appli25 cable), for the applicable zone; and 


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1 (ii) to achieve any additional goals or 

2 targets established by the task force. 

3 (B) REQUIREMENTS.—A plan developed 

4 under subparagraph (A) shall— 

5 (i) take into account the best available 

6 science, best practices, and available de7 ployment tools, including climate science 

8 that can inform the design of revegetated 

9 areas to assure resilience; 

10 (ii) be based on, to the maximum ex11 tent practicable, the report published 

12 under subsection (b)(4); 

13 (iii) identify resources and efforts 

14 needed to conduct appropriate revegetation 

15 treatments in the applicable zone, includ16 ing identifying areas in which capacity ex17 ists to plant vegetation or conduct seed 

18 dispersal; 

19 (iv) identify the desired, locally or re20 gionally adapted native species of vegeta21 tion and the types planting stock required 

22 in the specific areas in the zone in need of 

23 revegetation, including ecosystems that do 

24 not include trees, such as sagebrush eco25 systems, grasslands, or rangelands; 


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1 (v) identify under-represented species 

2 of trees and plants in each zone that can 

3 be acquired and should be planted under 

4 this section; 

5 (vi) prioritize geographic areas in the 

6 applicable zone in need of revegetation, in7 cluding giving priority to— 

8 (I) burned areas and any other 

9 destabilized land that pose heightened 

10 risks to homes, roads, and public 

11 water supplies if not revegetated; 

12 (II) areas at high risk of estab13 lishing invasive species; 

14 (III) mined land; 

15 (IV) floodplains and riparian 

16 areas; and 

17 (V) land with regionally signifi18 cant carbon sequestration potential; 

19 (vii) identify— 

20 (I) targets or goals for the num21 ber of acres planted annually; and 

22 (II) other implementation actions 

23 and opportunities; 

24 (viii) identify areas in which— 


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1 (I) vegetation restoration is need2 ed; but 

3 (II) natural regeneration is the 

4 most effective means of restoration; 

5 (ix) identify areas in which revegeta6 tion efforts— 

7 (I) may cause an increased risk 

8 of a stand-replacing wildfire, disease, 

9 or insect infestation, if not properly 

10 managed; or 

11 (II) would be adverse to livestock 

12 grazing or use by wildlife; 

13 (x) consider treatments that increase 

14 the carbon sequestration capacity of for15 ests, rangelands, and grasslands; 

16 (xi) provide for— 

17 (I) consideration of palatability 

18 to support grazing by wildlife and 

19 livestock; and 

20 (II) coordination with State wild21 life agencies, rangeland management 

22 professionals, and ranchers; 

23 (xii) incorporate the data and strategy 

24 relating to nurseries and the availability of 

25 planting stock described in subsection (g); 


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1 (xiii) for activities recommended to be 

2 carried out on non-Federal land— 

3 (I) identify ways to address re4 vegetation needs voluntarily by work5 ing with States, landowners, Indian 

6 Tribes, and other interested persons; 

7 and 

8 (II) ensure that revegetation ef9 forts will not adversely impact existing 

10 markets for timber and other forest 

11 materials produced from private work12 ing forests; 

13 (xiv) provide an explanation for any 

14 land not included in the implementation 

15 portion of the plan that was identified in 

16 the report published under subsection 

17 (b)(4), as modified under paragraph (1)(B) 

18 (if applicable); 

19 (xv) utilize an experimental approach, 

20 where appropriate; and 

21 (xvi) be consistent with any applicable 

22 agency land management plans. 

23 (C) EXCEPTIONS.—Notwithstanding sub24 paragraph (B)(iv), a task force may determine 

25 that the selection and use of certain desirable, 


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1 noninvasive, nonnative species is appropriate in 

2 certain limited circumstances, based on local3 ized ecological conditions, as determined by the 

4 task force. 

5 (3) PLAN MODIFICATIONS.—A task force may 

6 modify a plan developed under paragraph (2) to ad7 dress new circumstances or changing conditions. 

8 (f) IMPLEMENTATION OF PLANS.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—During the 10-year period 

10 beginning on the date on which a plan for a zone is 

11 completed under subsection (e)(2), the task force, in 

12 coordination with applicable Federal agencies, shall 

13 implement the plan. 

14 (2) OUTSIDE FUNDING.—To implement a plan 

15 developed under subsection (e)(2), the Secretary 

16 concerned may— 

17 (A) accept non-Federal funds, including 

18 leveraging funding opportunities relating to vol19 untary carbon mitigation; and 

20 (B) issue a certificate of donation, as ap21 propriate. 

22 (3) VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION.—In imple23 menting a plan under this subsection, any activities 

24 carried out on non-Federal land shall be carried 

25 out— 


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1 (A) in cooperation with the owner of the 

2 non-Federal land; and 

3 (B) only on a voluntary basis. 

4 (4) ENTERPRISE TEAM.—The Secretary con5 cerned may employ a Forest Service enterprise team 

6 to facilitate the implementation of a plan developed 

7 under subsection (e)(2). 

8 (g) CHALLENGES TO THE REFORESTATION PIPELINE

9 IN THE UNITED STATES.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—A task force shall— 

11 (A) not later than 60 days after the date 

12 on which the task force is established, conduct 

13 an inventory of nurseries, an assessment of 

14 nursery capacity, and a tally of available plant15 ing stock in the applicable zone; and 

16 (B) based on the report published under 

17 subsection (b)(4), as modified under subsection 

18 (e)(1)(B) (if applicable)— 

19 (i) estimate the capacity of nurseries 

20 that would be necessary to fulfill revegeta21 tion needs, including identifying the species 

22 and types of planting stock needed for re23 vegetation; and 

24 (ii) develop a plan for increasing the 

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1 cordance with the estimates under clause 

2 (i). 

3 (2) SEED COLLECTING.—A task force shall— 

4 (A) assess the current capacity to locally 

5 collect and store seed; and 

6 (B) develop a plan for increasing capacity 

7 described in subparagraph (A), if necessary. 

8 (3) PARTNERSHIPS.—The Secretaries may 

9 enter into a partnership with a non-Federal entity to 

10 assist a task force in meeting the requirements of 

11 this subsection. 

12 (h) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 1 year 

13 after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually 

14 thereafter until the date on which each plan developed 

15 under subsection (e)(2) is fully implemented, the Secre16 taries shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Nat17 ural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Nat18 ural Resources of the House of Representatives, and pub19 lish on the website of the Department of the Interior, a 

20 report that describes, with respect to the preceding year— 

21 (1) whether the Secretaries have achieved com22 pliance with the requirements of this section; 

23 (2) the total number of acres of land, reported 

24 by surface ownership in each zone, in need of revege25 tation treatments; 


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1 (3) the total number of acres of land, reported 

2 by surface ownership in each zone, in which revege3 tation treatments have been carried out; 

4 (4) any other accomplishments and improve5 ments to carbon sequestration capacity or other co6 benefits as a result of implementing a plan under 

7 subsection (e)(2); and 

8 (5) any barriers to implementation of a plan de9 veloped under subsection (e)(2), including as a result 

10 of legal issues, logistical issues, seed or sapling 

11 shortages, or lack of funding. 

12 (i) PARTNERSHIPS.—The Secretaries may enter into 

13 a memorandum of agreement with any member of a task 

14 force to carry out any activity described in subsection (e), 

15 (f), (g), or (h). 

16 (j) EFFECT.—Nothing in this section establishes new, 

17 extends existing, or otherwise affects post-fire rehabilita18 tion no-grazing requirements. 

19 (k) AVOIDANCE OF DUPLICATION.—In carrying out 

20 this section, the Secretaries shall— 

21 (1) avoid duplicative efforts and, to the max22 imum extent practicable, utilize existing efforts and 

23 personnel to develop and implement an activity de24 scribed in subsection (e), (f), (g), or (h); 

25 (2) maximize non-Federal involvement; and 


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1 (3) avoid using personnel who would otherwise 

2 be engaged in forest management or wildfire mitiga3 tion efforts. 

4 SEC. 103. EXPERIMENTAL FORESTS. 

5 (a) PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION.—The purposes of 

6 this section are— 

7 (1) to formally authorize the experimental for8 ests and rangelands on National Forest System land 

9 existing on the date of enactment of this Act; and 

10 (2) to require that— 

11 (A) the network of those experimental for12 ests and rangelands be maintained in per13 petuity; and 

14 (B) climate resiliency research is continu15 ously conducted within the network. 

16 (b) ESTABLISHMENT OF NETWORK.—The Secretary 

17 of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest 

18 Service (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Secretary’’), 

19 shall establish and manage a network of experimental for20 ests and ranges on National Forest System land (referred 

21 to in this section as the ‘‘network’’). 

22 (c) MANAGEMENT PURPOSES.—The Secretary shall 

23 manage the network for the purposes of— 

24 (1) research; 

25 (2) technology transfer; and 


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1 (3) education. 

2 (d) CRITERIA.—The network shall include— 

3 (1) each of the forest cover types that occur in 

4 the United States, as defined by the Forest Cover 

5 Types of the United States and Canada published by 

6 the Society of American Forests; 

7 (2) an experimental forest that contains forest 

8 cover types found in the State of Hawaii; and 

9 (3) an experimental forest that contains forest 

10 cover types found in the territories of the United 

11 States. 

12 (e) CLIMATE RESILIENCY RESEARCH.—Within the 

13 network, the Secretary shall conduct research, including 

14 research on— 

15 (1) seedling establishment, site suitability, and 

16 tree planting designs to inform and assist efforts un17 dertaken in the United States to establish stands of 

18 trees that are resilient in future climate conditions; 

19 and 

20 (2) the sources and fates of carbon to construct 

21 and improve models of carbon responses to land 

22 management practices. 

23 (f) PUBLIC ACCESS.—All data collected and research 

24 findings developed from projects undertaken on the net25 work shall be made readily accessible to the public. 


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1 (g) PARTNERS.—The Secretary may enter into an 

2 agreement with a State (including a State forestry agen3 cy), an educational institution, or a third party to fund 

4 or conduct research on the network. 

5 (h) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after the 

6 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit 

7 to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of 

8 the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of 

9 the House of Representatives a report describing, with re10 spect to the network— 

11 (1) the location of the network on National 

12 Forest System land; 

13 (2) the forest cover types included in the net14 work; and 

15 (3) any additional resources needed— 

16 (A) to establish or maintain infrastructure 

17 in an established experimental forest; or 

18 (B) to conduct the research described in 

19 subsection (d). 

20 (i) SAVINGS CLAUSE.—Nothing in this section— 

21 (1) modifies, limits, or repeals the applicability 

22 of any provision of law (including regulations) to 

23 National Forest System land; or 

24 (2) precludes the Secretary from authorizing 

25 multiple-use activities, including livestock grazing 


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1 and other authorized uses on land included within 

2 the network. 

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

4 PLANTING. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding the Federal Ac6 quisition Regulation, the Secretary concerned may enter 

7 into a contract or cooperative agreement for re-estab8 lishing vegetation on Federal land described in subsection 

9 (b). 

10 (b) FEDERAL LAND.—Federal land referred to in 

11 subsection (a) is— 

12 (1) National Forest System land, other than— 

13 (A) the national grasslands and land utili14 zation projects administered under title III of 

15 the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act (7 

16 U.S.C. 1010 et seq.); and 

17 (B) National Forest System land east of 

18 the 100th meridian; 

19 (2) public lands (as defined in section 103 of 

20 the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 

21 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1702)); 

22 (3) land that the Secretary holds in trust for an 

23 Indian Tribe; 

24 (4) a unit of the National Wildlife Refuge Sys25 tem; 


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1 (5) land administered by the Bureau of Rec2 lamation; and 

3 (6) a unit of the National Park System. 

4 (c) TERM.—A contract or cooperative agreement de5 scribed in subsection (a) shall be for a term of not more 

6 than 10 years. 

7 SEC. 105. TREE PLANTING FOR COMMUNITIES. 

8 (a) JOB CORPS PROGRAM.—The Secretary of Labor 

9 shall— 

10 (1) develop a career and technical education 

11 and training program focused on tree planting or 

12 tree maintenance; and 

13 (2) offer the program as part of the Job Corps 

14 program. 

15 (b) RETAIL POWER PROVIDER TREE PLANTING

16 GRANT PROGRAM.— 

17 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of En18 ergy (referred to in this subsection as the ‘‘Sec19 retary’’), in consultation with the Secretaries, shall 

20 establish a program under which the Secretary shall 

21 award grants to States, Indian Tribes, local govern22 ments, nonprofit organizations, and retail power pro23 viders to conduct tree planting projects in accord24 ance with this subsection (referred to in this sub25 section as the ‘‘program’’). 


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1 (2) APPLICATIONS.—An entity seeking to re2 ceive a grant under the program shall submit to the 

3 Secretary an application at such time, in such form, 

4 and containing such information as the Secretary 

5 may require, including a description of how the 

6 project to be carried out using the grant funds will 

7 reduce residential energy consumption. 

8 (3) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under the 

9 program, the Secretary shall give priority to tree 

10 planting projects that would provide the largest po11 tential reduction in residential energy consumption 

12 for households. 

13 (4) VARIETY OF GEOGRAPHIC LOCATIONS.—In 

14 awarding grants under the program, the Secretary 

15 shall ensure diverse and equitable geographic rep16 resentation among the grant recipients. 

17 (5) COST-SHARE.— 

18 (A) FEDERAL SHARE.—Subject to sub19 paragraph (C), the Federal share of the cost of 

20 a tree planting project carried out using a grant 

21 under the program shall be not more than 50 

22 percent. 

23 (B) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—The non-Fed24 eral share of the cost of a tree planting project 


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•S 2991 IS

1 carried out using a grant under the program 

2 may be in the form of— 

3 (i) cash or donations received directly 

4 from non-Federal sources; or 

5 (ii) in-kind contributions. 

6 (C) WAIVER.—The Secretary may, on a 

7 case-by-case basis, increase the Federal share 

8 described in subparagraph (A) if a tree planting 

9 project carried out using a grant under the pro10 gram is located wholly in an economically dis11 tressed community. 

12 SEC. 106. REVEGETATION ON ABANDONED MINE LAND. 

13 (a) PILOT PROGRAM.— 

14 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Using funding available 

15 to the Secretary, including funding provided under 

16 section 40804(b)(8) of the Infrastructure Investment 

17 and Jobs Act (16 U.S.C. 6592a(b)(8)), the Sec18 retary shall establish a pilot program to establish 

19 native trees, shrubs, or grasses (referred to in this 

20 section as ‘‘vegetation’’) on eligible mined land de21 scribed in paragraph (6). 

22 (2) FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.—In carrying out 

23 the pilot program established under paragraph (1), 

24 the Secretary shall— 


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1 (A) in coordination with the Secretary of 

2 Agriculture, establish vegetation on eligible 

3 mined land located on Federal land; 

4 (B) offer financial assistance to States to 

5 establish native vegetation on eligible mined 

6 land located on State land; 

7 (C) offer financial assistance to Indian 

8 Tribes to establish native vegetation on eligible 

9 mined land located on Tribal land or land held 

10 in Trust for an Indian Tribe; and 

11 (D) establish vegetation or offer financial 

12 assistance to States or other entities to estab13 lish native vegetation on eligible mined land lo14 cated on private land. 

15 (3) COMPATIBILITY WITH EXISTING OPER16 ATIONS.— 

17 (A) CONSULTATION.—Prior to selecting a 

18 project for funding under the pilot program es19 tablished under paragraph (1), the Secretary 

20 shall consult with, as applicable, the relevant 

21 Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and En22 forcement abandoned mine land program office 

23 to confirm that the proposed project is compat24 ible with any current mining, exploration, or 

25 reclamation activities. 


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1 (B) RESTRICTION.—The Secretary shall 

2 not provide financial assistance under para3 graph (2) to a person or entity with an ongoing 

4 legal obligation to revegetate the land in a 

5 project area. 

6 (4) ACTIVITIES.—The following activities asso7 ciated with a project to establish vegetation on eligi8 ble mined land shall be eligible for financial assist9 ance under paragraph (2): 

10 (A) Site preparation, including ripping 

11 compacted soils and incorporating soil amend12 ments. 

13 (B) Vegetation planting. 

14 (C) Maintenance, including watering, to 

15 the extent necessary to establish vegetation 

16 under this section. 

17 (D) Managing competing vegetation. 

18 (5) PREFERENCE.—Under the pilot program 

19 established under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall, 

20 to the maximum extent practicable, seek to establish 

21 vegetation that— 

22 (A) is ecologically appropriate; and 

23 (B)(i) has a high capacity to sequester and 

24 store carbon; 


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1 (ii) serves to reconnect established land2 scapes or enhance habitat connectivity; or 

3 (iii) would establish wildlife habitat that is 

4 underrepresented in the State in which the 

5 project is located. 

6 (6) ELIGIBLE MINED LAND.—To be eligible for 

7 financial assistance under paragraph (2), a tree 

8 planting project shall be located on— 

9 (A) land that was mined prior to the date 

10 of enactment of this Act; 

11 (B) in the case of State land or private 

12 land, land that is accessible to the public for 

13 not less than 1 day per year; and 

14 (C) in the case of private land, land owned 

15 by a person, or a nongovernmental organiza16 tion, that has submitted to the Secretary or the 

17 State in which the land is located a request 

18 seeking to participate in the pilot program 

19 under this section. 

20 (7) TERMINATION.—The pilot program estab21 lished under paragraph (1) shall be in effect for the 

22 8-year period beginning on the date of enactment of 

23 this Act. 

24 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 5 years after the date 

25 of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to 


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1 the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the 

2 Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of the 

3 House of Representatives a report describing the accom4 plishments of the pilot program established under sub5 section (a)(1), including— 

6 (1) jobs created or supported in rural areas; 

7 (2) increases in the abundance of wildlife spe8 cies, including game species and song birds; 

9 (3) opportunities for hunting and other compat10 ible outdoor recreation; and 

11 (4) an estimate of— 

12 (A) carbon sequestered during the 5-year 

13 period beginning on the date on which the pilot 

14 program is established; and 

15 (B) projected additional carbon sequestra16 tion and storage during the 15-year period be17 ginning on the last day of the period described 

18 in subparagraph (A). 

19 SEC. 107. INTERNATIONAL REFORESTATION. 

20 The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the 

21 Chief of the Forest Service, may— 

22 (1) evaluate a request from another country for 

23 technical assistance for tree planting activities; 

24 (2) subject to the evaluation under paragraph 

25 (1) and the availability of Forest Service personnel 


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1 and funding, provide to another country technical 

2 assistance for tree planting activities, including shar3 ing— 

4 (A) personnel; and 

5 (B) knowledge through communications 

6 and technical on-site instruction; and 

7 (3) enter into a partnership with a nongovern8 mental entity that is located outside the United 

9 States or that is located in the United States and 

10 operates internationally— 

11 (A) to engage in activities that restore 

12 vegetation; and 

13 (B) to promote and improve global carbon 

14 sequestration through revegetation activities. 

15 TITLE II—CARBON SEQUESTRA16 TION THROUGH FOREST MAN17 AGEMENT AND INNOVATION 

18 SEC. 201. FOREST MANAGEMENT FROM CARBON CREDITS. 

19 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

20 (1) CARBON CREDIT.—The term ‘‘carbon cred21 it’’ means a carbon or greenhouse gas credit, offset, 

22 or other defined unit— 

23 (A) approved by a credible, third-party en24 tity; and 

25 (B) as determined by the Secretary. 


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1 (2) CARBON CREDIT PROGRAM.—The term 

2 ‘‘carbon credit program’’ means a voluntary program 

3 or market that issues, assigns, trades, or sells car4 bon credits. 

5 (3) COVERED ACTIVITY.—The term ‘‘covered 

6 activity’’ means an improved forest management ac7 tivity, including a hazardous fuel treatment, mechan8 ical thinning, or timber harvesting project, that is— 

9 (A) ecologically appropriate; 

10 (B) carried out on National Forest System 

11 land; 

12 (C) designed— 

13 (i) to increase rates of carbon seques14 tration; 

15 (ii) to increase long-term carbon stor16 age in durable wood products; or 

17 (iii) to mitigate or avoid carbon emis18 sions; 

19 (D) carried out by— 

20 (i) the Secretary; or 

21 (ii) a non-Federal entity under any 

22 existing authority available to the Sec23 retary; and 


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1 (E) not in competition with or adverse to 

2 the issuance, assignment, trading, or selling of 

3 forest carbon in the private sector. 

4 (4) NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM.—The term 

5 ‘‘National Forest System’’ does not include— 

6 (A) the national grasslands and land utili7 zation projects administered under title III of 

8 the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act (7 

9 U.S.C. 1010 et seq.); or 

10 (B) National Forest System land east of 

11 the 100th meridian. 

12 (5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

13 the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the 

14 Chief of the Forest Service. 

15 (b) FUNDS ASSOCIATED WITH CARBON CREDITS

16 FOR FOREST MANAGEMENT.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may use to 

18 support the implementation of covered activities, 

19 without further appropriation or fiscal year limita20 tion, funds received from a non-Federal entity— 

21 (A) through a carbon credit program; or 

22 (B) for a carbon credit generated from Na23 tional Forest System land. 

24 (2) SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUPPLANT.—Amounts 

25 made available under paragraph (1) shall suppleVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:53 Oct 01, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00033 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2991.IS S2991

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1 ment, and not supplant, any other amounts made 

2 available for covered activities. 

3 (c) MANAGEMENT OF CARBON CREDIT TRANS4 ACTIONS BY NATIONAL FOREST FOUNDATION.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—The National Forest Foun6 dation shall receive and distribute any funds received 

7 under subsection (b)(1). 

8 (2) OTHER PARTNERS.—The National Forest 

9 Foundation may work with other entities that use 

10 funds received through a carbon credit program or 

11 for a carbon credit generated from National Forest 

12 System land to design, manage, account for, or im13 plement a covered activity. 

14 (3) METHODOLOGY.—For the management of 

15 transactions described in this section, the National 

16 Forest Foundation, in collaboration with the Sec17 retary, shall develop and use a methodology that cal18 culates the predicted increase in carbon sequestra19 tion or in the longevity of long-term carbon storage 

20 for a project or the avoided release of carbon due to 

21 reduction of the risk of high-severity fire and other 

22 disturbances, by considering— 

23 (A) retention of forest cover; 

24 (B) carbon sequestration rates before and 

25 after the implementation of a covered activity; 


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1 (C) reduction in the risk of tree mortality; 

2 (D) restoration of historic fire regimes; 

3 and 

4 (E) the long-term storage of carbon in 

5 long-lasting wood products. 

6 (d) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—The Secretary, in col7 laboration with the National Forest Foundation, shall an8 nually submit to Congress a report describing the status 

9 of the program under this section, including— 

10 (1) the extent to which additional covered ac11 tivities that were implemented with funding received 

12 under subsection (b)(1) have been carried out; and 

13 (2) any recommendations to improve or expand 

14 the program, including expansion of the authorities 

15 under this section to land managed by the Secretary 

16 of the Interior. 

17 (e) EFFECT.—Nothing in this section authorizes any 

18 activity that is inconsistent with— 

19 (1) any applicable forest plan; or 

20 (2) any other provision of law (including regula21 tions). 


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1 SEC. 202. RECOVERY AND RESTORATION TREATMENTS 

2 FOLLOWING STAND-REPLACING DISTURB3 ANCES. 

4 (a) DEFINITION OF STAND-REPLACING DISTURB5 ANCE.—In this section, the term ‘‘stand-replacing disturb6 ance’’ means a natural disturbance event, including a 

7 wildland fire or other event, that kills all or most of the 

8 living overstory trees in a stand and initiates forest succes9 sion or regrowth on a unit of the National Forest System. 

10 (b) PILOT NATIONAL FORESTS.—Not later than 1 

11 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

12 of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest 

13 Service (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Secretary’’), 

14 shall identify units of the National Forest System that the 

15 Secretary determines to be at high or very high risk of 

16 experiencing a stand-replacing disturbance during the 10- 

17 year period following the date of enactment of this Act. 

18 (c) INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAMS.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after 

20 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

21 shall establish an interdisciplinary post-disturbance 

22 planning team (referred to in this section as the 

23 ‘‘team’’) to assist in carrying out the requirements 

24 of this section. 

25 (2) TEAMS ENTERPRISE.—The Secretary may 

26 employ a Forest Service enterprise team or a reVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:51 Oct 06, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00036 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2991.IS S2991

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1 gional planning center to meet the requirement of 

2 this subsection. 

3 (d) MODEL LAND AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

4 PLAN AMENDMENT.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after 

6 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in 

7 cooperation with the team, shall develop a model 

8 land and resource management plan amendment es9 tablishing plan content for future site-specific 

10 project-level decisions if a stand-replacing disturb11 ance occurs on units of the National Forest System 

12 identified under subsection (b). 

13 (2) CONTENT.—The model amendment required 

14 under paragraph (1) shall include direction regard15 ing post-disturbance management, including salvage 

16 logging and reforestation activities, to achieve de17 sired conditions, objectives, standards, guidelines, 

18 suitability of lands, and other plan content, includ19 ing goals and monitoring provisions, of the existing 

20 land and resource management plan on the applica21 ble unit of the National Forest System, if a stand22 replacing disturbance occurs. 

23 (3) USE OF MODEL LAND AND RESOURCE MAN24 AGEMENT PLAN AMENDMENT.—The Secretary shall 

25 utilize the Model Land and Resource Management 


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1 Plan Amendment, as adapted to the unique ecologi2 cal and socioeconomic setting for each unit of the 

3 National Forest System identified under subsection 

4 (b), in carrying out subsection (e). 

5 (e) LAND AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN

6 AMENDMENTS.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—As soon as practicable, but 

8 not later than 10 years, after the date of enactment 

9 of this Act, the Secretary, assisted by the team, shall 

10 amend the applicable land and resource management 

11 plan of each unit of the National Forest System 

12 identified under subsection (b). 

13 (2) PROCESS.—The Secretary shall comply with 

14 all relevant laws in carrying out this section. 

15 (3) ELECTION.—The Secretary may comply 

16 with the provisions of this section by incorporating 

17 the requirements of this section into an ongoing land 

18 and resource management plan revision or amend19 ment process. 

20 SEC. 203. BIOCHAR AND WOOD WASTE. 

21 (a) FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION BIOCHAR

22 PILOT PROGRAM.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Commissioner of Food 

24 and Drugs (referred to in this subsection as the 

25 ‘‘Commissioner’’), in consultation with the Secretary 


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1 of Agriculture and in coordination with States, shall 

2 establish a pilot program to grant a nationwide food 

3 use authorization of biochar as a feed additive for 

4 cattle. 

5 (2) TERMS.—The pilot program described in 

6 this subsection shall be— 

7 (A) for a period of not more than 5 years; 

8 and 

9 (B) subject to any conditions that the 

10 Commissioner determines appropriate. 

11 (3) SAVINGS CLAUSE.—The Commissioner shall 

12 ensure that participation in the pilot program under 

13 this subsection is voluntary. 

14 (b) USGS COMMERCIALIZATION PLAN.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

16 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, act17 ing through the Director of the United States Geo18 logical Survey, in coordination with any relevant 

19 non-Federal entities, shall develop and publish a na20 tional commercialization plan for the production, 

21 sale, and use of biochar as a soil amendment for 

22 plant growth improvement, including for commercial, 

23 agricultural, and residential use. 


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1 (2) REQUIREMENT.—The commercialization 

2 plan required under paragraph (1) shall, at a min3 imum— 

4 (A) identify— 

5 (i) impediments to producing large 

6 quantities of biochar for agricultural, for7 estry, or other commercial uses; and 

8 (ii) solutions for those impediments; 

9 and 

10 (B) propose a framework for demonstra11 tion efforts to increase consumer demand for 

12 biochar. 

13 SEC. 204. ERADICATION OF INVASIVE GRASSES. 

14 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

15 (1) ACTION PLAN.—The term ‘‘action plan’’ 

16 means the action plan developed under subsection 

17 (b). 

18 (2) FEDERAL LAND.—The term ‘‘Federal land’’ 

19 means— 

20 (A) National Forest System land, except— 

21 (i) the national grasslands and land 

22 utilization projects administered under title 

23 III of the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant 

24 Act (7 U.S.C. 1010 et seq.); and 


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1 (ii) National Forest System land east 

2 of the 100th meridian; and 

3 (B) land under the jurisdiction of the Sec4 retary. 

5 (3) INVASIVE GRASS.—The term ‘‘invasive 

6 grass’’ means— 

7 (A) cheatgrass; 

8 (B) ventenata; 

9 (C) medusahead; and 

10 (D) any additional invasive, nonnative an11 nual grass species that the Secretaries deter12 mine pose a risk by— 

13 (i) increasing fire vulnerability and 

14 fire spread; and 

15 (ii) altering fire regimes. 

16 (4) TARGET TREATMENT AREA.—The term 

17 ‘‘target treatment area’’ means a target treatment 

18 area described in subsection (b)(2)(D). 

19 (b) ACTION PLAN.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretaries shall jointly 

21 develop and implement an action plan to map, treat, 

22 and control invasive grass— 

23 (A) to promote the resiliency, biodiversity, 

24 and carbon sequestration capacity of forests, 

25 rangelands, and grasslands; 


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1 (B) to minimize risks from wildfire; and 

2 (C) to enhance the quality of forage for 

3 wildlife and livestock. 

4 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—The action plan shall— 

5 (A) consider or incorporate existing efforts; 

6 (B) take into account— 

7 (i) the latest science; 

8 (ii) best practices; and 

9 (iii) available deployment tools; 

10 (C) be prepared in coordination with State 

11 and local governmental entities and the heads 

12 of other Federal agencies, including the Chief 

13 of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, 

14 that are engaged in activities to control invasive 

15 grass to leverage and maximize funding and re16 sources; 

17 (D) identify and depict on a map target 

18 treatment areas that focus on— 

19 (i) areas with a large quantity of 

20 invasive grass where revegetation with na21 tive species is most likely to succeed; 

22 (ii) areas at high risk of wildfire; 

23 (iii) areas in which invasive grass neg24 atively impacts livestock grazing or other 

25 uses; 


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1 (iv) wildlife habitat and forage needs, 

2 particularly sagebrush habitat; 

3 (v) areas prone to infestations; or 

4 (vi) areas deemed important by the 

5 Secretaries; 

6 (E) establish— 

7 (i) specific goals; 

8 (ii) specific implementation actions 

9 that the Secretaries and partners of the 

10 Secretaries will conduct over a 5-year pe11 riod; and 

12 (iii) targets, including acres to be 

13 treated annually in the target treatment 

14 areas; 

15 (F) provide for a combination of treatment 

16 methods for the most effective control of an 

17 invasive grass, including— 

18 (i) mechanical treatment methods; 

19 (ii) cultural treatment methods; 

20 (iii) biological treatment methods, 

21 which may include livestock grazing; 

22 (iv) prescribed fire; or 

23 (v) chemical treatment methods; 

24 (G) identify and implement, to the extent 

25 practicable, best practices, such as the use of 


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1 spray washing stations, to reduce the spreading 

2 of invasive grass seed adjacent to infested areas 

3 or into noninfested areas; 

4 (H) identify methods and tools for the 

5 post-treatment monitoring of target treatment 

6 areas to determine the effectiveness of a treat7 ment and control efforts; 

8 (I) initiate and expedite environmental re9 views for treatments, as required by applicable 

10 law, including identifying— 

11 (i) methods for achieving timely deci12 sions and implementation for treatments, 

13 monitoring, and follow-up treatments 

14 based on monitoring; and 

15 (ii) maximizing opportunities to co16 operate with other Federal and State agen17 cies in analysis, assessments, and studies; 

18 and 

19 (J) establish guidelines that— 

20 (i) if native, intact grasses are absent 

21 within a target treatment area and the tar22 get treatment area is prone to high-risk 

23 vectors or pathways— 


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1 (I) identify geographically based 

2 desirable, native seed mix and seed re3 serves; 

4 (II) prioritize reseeding the area 

5 in the target treatment area; and 

6 (III) monitor for the presence of 

7 new invasive grass and promptly treat 

8 any invasive grass present; and 

9 (ii) if, after conducting a treatment, 

10 desirable native grasses are established and 

11 dominant in a target treatment area, pro12 vide for the natural restoration of native 

13 grasses. 

14 (3) DEADLINE TO FINALIZE ACTION PLAN.— 

15 Not later than 270 days after the date of enactment 

16 of this Act, the Secretaries shall finalize the action 

17 plan. 

18 (4) IMPLEMENTATION OF ACTION PLAN.— 

19 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days 

20 after the date on which the action plan is final21 ized under paragraph (3), the Secretaries shall 

22 begin implementing the action plan. 

23 (B) MEMORANDA OF UNDERSTANDING

24 AND AGREEMENTS.—In implementing the ac25 tion plan, the Secretary concerned may enter 


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1 into a memorandum of understanding or an 

2 agreement with non-Federal entities, as appro3 priate, to carry out activities under the action 

4 plan to control the spread of an invasive grass 

5 on Federal land or land adjacent to Federal 

6 land. 

7 (C) COOPERATING AGENCY COORDINA8 TION.—The Secretary concerned shall, to the 

9 extent practicable, offer to assist in the prepa10 ration of environmental reviews that may be 

11 necessary in implementing treatment and con12 trol activities on non-Federal land. 

13 (c) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 3 years 

14 after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually 

15 thereafter during the period in which the action plan is 

16 being implemented, the Secretaries shall submit to Con17 gress a report assessing the effectiveness of the action 

18 plan that includes a description of— 

19 (1) the location of the target treatment areas; 

20 (2) the number of acres within target treatment 

21 areas on which treatments were conducted; 

22 (3) the agreements or partnerships entered into 

23 under subsection (b)(4)(B) to advance the imple24 mentation of the action plan; 


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1 (4) monitoring information described in sub2 section (b)(2)(H); and 

3 (5) recommendations for studies to explore in4 novative methods and practices to treat and control 

5 invasive grass. 

6 (d) FUNDING.— 

7 (1) OUTSIDE FUNDING.—The Secretary con8 cerned may accept non-Federal funds to implement 

9 any provision of this section. 

10 (2) OTHER FUNDING.—In addition to any fund11 ing received under paragraph (1), the Secretaries 

12 may expend to carry out this section up to 

13 $30,000,000 of any funding made available to the 

14 Secretary concerned for invasive species control, in15 cluding funding provided under section 40804(b)(6) 

16 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (16 

17 U.S.C. 6592a(b)(6)). 

18 (3) LIMITATIONS.—Of the amounts made avail19 able to carry out this section, not more than 10 per20 cent shall be used for development of the action 

21 plan. 

22 TITLE III—MASS TIMBER 

23 SEC. 301. DEFINITIONS. 

24 In this title: 


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1 (1) LOCAL APPROVING AGENCY.—The term 

2 ‘‘local approving agency’’ means an agency or unit 

3 of a local government that is responsible for the 

4 issuance of permits for building construction. 

5 (2) MASS TIMBER.—The term ‘‘mass timber’’ 

6 includes— 

7 (A) cross-laminated timber; 

8 (B) nail laminated timber; 

9 (C) glue laminated timber; 

10 (D) dowel laminated timber; 

11 (E) laminated strand lumber; and 

12 (F) laminated veneer lumber. 

13 (3) PROCURING AGENCY.—The term ‘‘procuring 

14 agency’’ means the Department of the Interior, the 

15 Forest Service, or a person that is a party to a con16 tract with the Department of the Interior or the 

17 Forest Service, with respect to work performed 

18 under such a contract. 

19 (4) TALL WOOD BUILDING.—The term ‘‘tall 

20 wood building’’ means a building designed to be— 

21 (A) constructed with mass timber; and 

22 (B)(i) if a residential building, more than 

23 4 stories in height; and 

24 (ii) if a commercial building, more than 5 

25 stories in height. 


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1 SEC. 302. JOINT MASS TIMBER SCIENCE AND EDUCATION 

2 PROGRAM. 

3 (a) MASS TIMBER SCIENCE AND EDUCATION PRO4 GRAM WITH THE FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY.—The 

5 Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Director of 

6 the Forest Products Laboratory of the Forest Service (re7 ferred to in this section as the ‘‘Secretary’’), shall estab8 lish a mass timber science and education program to re9 spond to the emerging research needs of architects, devel10 opers, and the forest products industry. 

11 (b) COORDINATION.—The Secretary shall work close12 ly with research programs at colleges and universities in 

13 administering the mass timber science and education pro14 gram established under subsection (a) to supplement the 

15 current research and educational efforts of colleges and 

16 universities. 

17 (c) PURPOSES.—The mass timber science and edu18 cation program established under subsection (a) shall have 

19 the following principal purposes: 

20 (1) To provide practical research responsive to 

21 the needs of architects, developers, and the forest 

22 products industry, including assessments of carbon 

23 impacts in the originating forests and the end use of 

24 mass timber in the built environment. 

25 (2) To engage and listen to clients and then de26 velop focused, strategic lines of new research responVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:53 Oct 01, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00049 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2991.IS S2991

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1 sive to those needs, which may include research re2 lating to flammability and performance during a 

3 fire, structural characteristics, energy use and sav4 ings, acoustics, and slab construction composed of 

5 hybrid materials. 

6 (3) To solicit proposals from scientists who 

7 compete for funding through a rigorous peer-review 

8 process designed to ensure the best projects are 

9 funded. 

10 (4) To disseminate research findings using a 

11 suite of communication tools to ensure that archi12 tects, developers, and the forest products industry 

13 are aware of, understand, and can use the informa14 tion to make sound decisions and implement 

15 projects. 

16 (5) To develop and facilitate the adoption, on a 

17 voluntary basis, of a curriculum for building struc18 tures using mass timber for use in schools of engi19 neering and architecture that includes— 

20 (A) structural design; and 

21 (B) the possibilities, benefits, and limita22 tions of using mass timber in construction. 

23 (d) MASS TIMBER PLAN.—Not later than September 

24 30, 2024, the Secretary shall submit to the relevant com25 mittees of Congress a mass timber plan that includes— 


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1 (1) an assessment of the current state of knowl2 edge about mass timber and tall wood buildings; 

3 (2) an integrated approach to improve knowl4 edge sharing; 

5 (3) an approach for project monitoring and 

6 evaluation; and 

7 (4) an approach for setting research priorities. 

8 (e) STAKEHOLDER ADVISORY GROUP.— 

9 (1) MEMBERSHIP.—The Secretary shall appoint 

10 a stakeholder advisory group of technical experts 

11 that consists, at a minimum, of— 

12 (A) a Forest Service scientist; 

13 (B) a researcher from a college or univer14 sity; 

15 (C) a representative of a trade association; 

16 (D) an architect or developer; 

17 (E) a representative of a local approving 

18 agency; 

19 (F) a representative of a forest products 

20 company; and 

21 (G) a representative of a nongovernmental 

22 organization with experience— 

23 (i) designing or constructing tall wood 

24 buildings; or 


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1 (ii) complying with or revising related 

2 building codes. 

3 (2) DUTIES.—The stakeholder advisory group 

4 shall meet at least annually— 

5 (A) to consider immediate and long-term 

6 science needs; 

7 (B) to suggest to the Secretary appropriate 

8 topic areas, specific issues within those topic 

9 areas, and information transfer needs for which 

10 the Secretary shall solicit proposals described in 

11 subsection (c)(3); and 

12 (C) to assist the Secretary in drafting the 

13 mass timber plan required under subsection (d). 

14 (f) ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary may provide to the 

15 Secretary of Transportation and to States technical assist16 ance relating to the use of wood in bridges when under17 going revisions to a State bridge design manual. 

18 (g) AVAILABILITY OF APPROPRIATIONS.—From 

19 amounts appropriated for Forest Service research, exclud20 ing funding made available for the Forest Inventory and 

21 Analysis program, the Secretary may use $4,000,000 to 

22 carry out the activities described in this section. 

23 SEC. 303. STORING CARBON IN FEDERAL BUILDINGS. 

24 (a) MASS TIMBER BUILDINGS DATABASE AND

25 PLAN.— 


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1 (1) DATABASE.—The Secretaries, in coordina2 tion with any other relevant agencies, shall develop 

3 and maintain a running database of mass timber 

4 buildings that are owned or leased by the Federal 

5 Government and are occupied primarily by employ6 ees of the Secretaries (referred to in this subsection 

7 as the ‘‘database’’). 

8 (2) ASSESSMENT.—The Secretary of Agri9 culture, acting through the Director of the Forest 

10 Products Laboratory of the Forest Service, shall 

11 conduct an assessment of each mass timber building 

12 included in the database, which shall include col13 lecting data on the embodied carbon of the materials 

14 used in the construction of the mass timber build15 ings included in the database. 

16 (3) PLAN.— 

17 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretaries shall 

18 prepare a plan to increase the quantity of car19 bon stored in buildings that are owned or leased 

20 by the Federal Government and are occupied 

21 primarily by employees of Secretaries. 

22 (B) PLAN SUBMISSION.—Not later than 1 

23 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the 

24 Secretaries shall submit the plan under sub25 paragraph (A) to the Committee on Energy and 


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1 Natural Resources of the Senate and the Com2 mittee on Natural Resources of the House of 

3 Representatives. 

4 (C) MATERIAL NEUTRALITY.—The plan 

5 submitted by the Secretaries shall be, to the 

6 maximum extent practicable, material neutral, 

7 and may include using mass timber, carbon 

8 concrete, and any other materials. 

9 (b) MINIMUM PURCHASES.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than September 

11 30, 2027, subject to the exceptions listed in para12 graph (2), the Secretaries shall procure facilities, 

13 buildings, or structures, including not fewer than 

14 100 single-occupancy restrooms, using domestic 

15 mass timber. 

16 (2) EXCEPTIONS.—The Secretaries may decide 

17 not to procure facilities, buildings, or structures 

18 using domestic mass timber if the Secretaries deter19 mine that the items— 

20 (A) are not reasonably available within a 

21 reasonable period of time; 

22 (B) fail to meet the reasonable perform23 ance standards of the procuring agencies; 

24 (C) are not necessary to support the mis25 sion of the applicable agency; or 


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1 (D) are available only at an unreasonable 

2 price. 

3 (c) COORDINATION AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.— 

4 The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Director 

5 of the Forest Products Laboratory of the Forest Service, 

6 may coordinate with other Federal agencies and non-Fed7 eral partners for the purpose of improving the manage8 ment and efficiency of constructing mass timber buildings 

9 and infrastructure. 

10 TITLE IV—RESEARCH 

11 SEC. 401. LONGEVITY OF FOREST PRODUCTS. 

12 The Secretary of Energy, in coordination with the 

13 Secretary of Agriculture, shall— 

14 (1) develop more accurate and efficient methods 

15 and technologies to measure and monitor the 

16 amount and average lifespan of carbon stored in 

17 woody biomass energy feedstocks and building mate18 rials; 

19 (2) by not later than 2 years after the date of 

20 enactment of this Act, publish estimates of the 

21 amount and average lifespan of carbon stored in dif22 ferent woody biomass energy feedstocks and building 

23 materials, including in short-lived forest products 

24 and long-lived wood products; and 


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1 (3) by not later than 3 years after the date of 

2 enactment of this Act, publish an estimate of the 

3 total amount of carbon stored in— 

4 (A) short-lived forest products; 

5 (B) building materials; and 

6 (C) other long-lived wood products. 

7 SEC. 402. FOREST INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—To bring more innovation and ef9 ficiency to climate-resilient forestry actions in the United 

10 States, the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the 

11 Chief of the Forest Service— 

12 (1) shall publish a report, or expand on a re13 port being published pursuant to another provision 

14 of law, that demonstrates the efforts of the Forest 

15 Service— 

16 (A) to measure a consistent historical se17 ries of field plots while using advanced tech18 nology, including remote sensing, to improve 

19 data and information; and 

20 (B) to use advanced geospatial tech21 nologies to improve area and volume estimates, 

22 especially for sub-State regions and smaller 

23 area estimates; 

24 (2) may use remote sensing technologies and 

25 other technologies to develop more accurate and effiVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:53 Oct 01, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00056 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2991.IS S2991

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1 cient methods and to reduce costs to facilitate the 

2 measuring and monitoring of forest carbon in the 

3 United States, in a manner that can— 

4 (A) assess landscape-scale or regional-scale 

5 carbon stocking; 

6 (B) improve the quantity and quality of 

7 the information available to policy makers and 

8 forest managers, including with regard to forest 

9 inventories and verification activities; 

10 (C) empower private forest owners to par11 ticipate in voluntary carbon crediting opportuni12 ties; and 

13 (D) enable— 

14 (i) a policy maker to compare the con15 sequences of policy options to increase cli16 mate benefits from forests; and 

17 (ii) an assessment of the effectiveness 

18 of a policy implemented to increase the cli19 mate benefits from forests; and 

20 (3) may accelerate, or increase the frequency of, 

21 current inventories and data collection activities 

22 across all forest types to ensure consistent nation23 wide estimates of forest carbon pools that can reflect 

24 short-term changes from disturbances, such as 

25 wildfires, and management activities. 


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1 (b) FUNDING.—The Secretary of Agriculture, acting 

2 through the Chief of the Forest Service, may annually use 

3 to carry out this section not more than $10,000,000 of 

4 any amount made available to the Forest Service for re5 search. 

6 SEC. 403. BIOECONOMY RESEARCH. 

7 The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Di8 rector of the Forest Products Laboratory of the Forest 

9 Service, shall expand research relating to the use of 

10 wood— 

11 (1) to facilitate the establishment of new mar12 kets, including nontraditional markets, for material 

13 produced from forest management projects that typi14 cally has little or no commercial value; 

15 (2) to increase the economic viability of manu16 facturing products using material described in para17 graph (1); and 

18 (3) including structural testing of hardwood 

19 species for use in mass timber. 

20 SEC. 404. INSURANCE PRODUCT TO REPLACE BUFFERS. 

21 The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the 

22 Chief of the Forest Service, may— 

23 (1) establish an intragovernmental revolving 

24 fund to maintain adequate buffer reserves for a 

25 project implementing a covered activity (as defined 


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1 in subsection (a) of section 201) under that section 

2 to cover unforeseen losses in carbon stocks to ad3 dress nonpermanence; and 

4 (2) transfer amounts into and out of the 

5 intragovernmental revolving fund established under 

6 paragraph (1) to serve as a buffer pool for covered 

7 activities referred to in paragraph (1). 

8 SEC. 405. FOREST HEALTH THREAT CENTERS. 

9 The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the 

10 Chief of the Forest Service, shall— 

11 (1) seek to expand the services provided by the 

12 Western Wildland Environmental Threat Assessment 

13 Center and the Eastern Forest Environmental 

14 Threat Assessment Center such that those Centers 

15 become centers of excellence to inform large-scale 

16 climate-resilient forest management; and 

17 (2) share the syntheses, models, and application 

18 tools developed by the Western Wildland Environ19 mental Threat Assessment Center and the Eastern 

20 Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center 

21 with— 

22 (A) the Department of Agriculture climate 

23 hubs; and 

24 (B) the Climate Adaptation Science Cen25 ters managed by the Secretary, acting through 


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1 the Director of the United States Geological 

2 Survey. 

Æ 


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