I 

119TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 471 

To expedite under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and improve forest management activities on National Forest System lands, 

on public lands under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management, and on Tribal lands to return resilience to overgrown, fire-prone 

forested lands, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 16, 2025 

Mr. WESTERMAN (for himself, Mr. PETERS, Mr. TIFFANY, Mr. PANETTA, Mr. 

STAUBER, Mr. WHITESIDES, Mr. COLLINS, Mr. VASQUEZ, Mrs. KIM, Mr. 

COSTA, Mr. ZINKE, Mr. HARDER of California, Mr. JOHNSON of South 

Dakota, Mr. BERA, Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia, Mr. GARAMENDI, Ms. 

MALOY, Mr. THOMPSON of California, Mr. BEGICH, Mr. CORREA, Mr. 

CRANK, Mr. GOLDEN of Maine, Mr. EZELL, Mr. MULLIN, Mr. HURD of 

Colorado, Ms. LEE of Nevada, Mr. VALADAO, Mr. GRAY, Mr. BARR, Mr. 

HOYER, Mr. CARTER of Georgia, Ms. PETTERSEN, Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania, Mr. OBERNOLTE, Mr. WALBERG, Mr. LAMALFA, Mr. GOSAR, 

Ms. BOEBERT, Mr. MCCLINTOCK, Mr. ISSA, Mr. FONG, Ms. HAGEMAN, 

Mr. FRY, and Mr. AMODEI of Nevada) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, and Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 

each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To expedite under the National Environmental Policy Act 

of 1969 and improve forest management activities on 

National Forest System lands, on public lands under 

the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management, 


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and on Tribal lands to return resilience to overgrown, 

fire-prone forested lands, 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 ‘‘Fix Our Forests Act’’. 

6 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

7 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Definitions. 

TITLE I—LANDSCAPE-SCALE RESTORATION 

Subtitle A—Addressing Emergency Wildfire Risks in High Priority Firesheds 

Sec. 101. Designation of fireshed management areas. 

Sec. 102. Fireshed center. 

Sec. 103. Fireshed registry. 

Sec. 104. Shared stewardship. 

Sec. 105. Fireshed assessments. 

Sec. 106. Emergency fireshed management. 

Sec. 107. Sunset. 

Subtitle B—Expanding Collaborative Tools to Reduce Wildfire Risk and 

Improve Forest Health 

Sec. 111. Modification of the treatment of certain revenue and payments under 

good neighbor agreements. 

Sec. 112. Fixing stewardship end result contracting. 

Sec. 113. Intra-agency strike teams. 

Sec. 114. Locally-led restoration. 

Sec. 115. Joint Chiefs landscape restoration partnership program. 

Sec. 116. Collaborative forest landscape restoration program. 

Sec. 117. Utilizing grazing for wildfire risk reduction. 

Sec. 118. Water source protection program. 

Sec. 119. Watershed condition framework technical corrections. 

Subtitle C—Litigation Reform 

Sec. 121. Commonsense litigation reform. 

Sec. 122. Consultation on forest plans. 

TITLE II—PROTECTING COMMUNITIES IN THE WILDLAND-URBAN 

INTERFACE 

Sec. 201. Community wildfire risk reduction program. 


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Sec. 202. Community wildfire defense research program. 

Sec. 203. Vegetation management, facility inspection, and operation and maintenance relating to electric transmission and distribution facility rights-of-way. 

Sec. 204. Categorical exclusion for electric utility lines rights-of-way. 

Sec. 205. Seeds of success. 

Sec. 206. Program to support priority reforestation and restoration projects of 

Department of the Interior. 

Sec. 207. Fire department repayment. 

TITLE III—TRANSPARENCY, TECHNOLOGY, AND PARTNERSHIPS 

Subtitle A—Transparency and Technology 

Sec. 301. Biochar innovations and opportunities for conservation, health, and 

advancements in research. 

Sec. 302. Accurate hazardous fuels reduction reports. 

Sec. 303. Public-private wildfire technology deployment and demonstration 

partnership. 

Sec. 304. GAO study on Forest Service policies. 

Sec. 305. Forest Service Western headquarters study. 

Sec. 306. Keeping forest plans current and monitored. 

Sec. 307. Container Aerial Firefighting System (CAFFS). 

Sec. 308. Study on pine beetle infestation. 

Subtitle B—White Oak Resilience 

Sec. 311. White Oak Restoration Initiative Coalition. 

Sec. 312. Forest Service pilot program. 

Sec. 313. Department of the Interior white oak review and restoration. 

Sec. 314. White oak regeneration and upland oak habitat. 

Sec. 315. Tree nursery shortages. 

Sec. 316. White oak research. 

Sec. 317. USDA formal initiative. 

Sec. 318. Authorities. 

TITLE IV—ENSURING CASUALTY ASSISTANCE FOR OUR 

FIREFIGHTERS 

Sec. 401. Wildland Fire Management Casualty Assistance Program. 

1 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

3 (1) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 

4 the Director of the Fireshed Center appointed under 

5 section 102. 

6 (2) FIRESHED.—The term ‘‘fireshed’’ means a 

7 landscape-scale area that faces similar wildfire 


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1 threat where a response strategy could influence the 

2 wildfire outcome. 

3 (3) FIRESHED MANAGEMENT PROJECT.—The 

4 term ‘‘fireshed management project’’ means a 

5 project under section 106. 

6 (4) FIRESHED REGISTRY.—The term ‘‘Fireshed 

7 Registry’’ means the fireshed registry established 

8 under section 103. 

9 (5) FOREST PLAN.—The term ‘‘forest plan’’ 

10 means— 

11 (A) a land use plan prepared by the Bu12 reau of Land Management for public lands pur13 suant to section 202 of the Federal Land Policy 

14 and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 

15 1712); 

16 (B) a land and resource management plan 

17 prepared by the Forest Service for a unit of the 

18 National Forest System pursuant to section 6 

19 of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Re20 sources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 

21 1604); or 

22 (C) a forest management plan (as defined 

23 in section 304 of the National Indian Forests 

24 Resources Management Act (25 U.S.C. 3104)) 

25 with respect to Indian forest land or rangeland. 


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1 (6) GOVERNOR.—The term ‘‘Governor’’ means 

2 the Governor or any other appropriate executive offi3 cial of an affected State or Indian Tribe or the Com4 monwealth of Puerto Rico. 

5 (7) HAZARDOUS FUELS MANAGEMENT ACTIVI6 TIES.—The term ‘‘hazardous fuels management ac7 tivities’’ means any vegetation management activities 

8 (or combination thereof) that reduce the risk of 

9 wildfire, including mechanical thinning, mastication, 

10 prescribed burning, cultural burning (as determined 

11 by the applicable Indian Tribe), timber harvest, and 

12 grazing. 

13 (8) HFRA TERMS.—The terms ‘‘at-risk com14 munity’’, ‘‘community wildfire protection plan’’, and 

15 ‘‘wildland-urban interface’’ have the meanings given 

16 such terms, respectively, in section 101 of the 

17 Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 

18 6511). 

19 (9) INDIAN FOREST LAND OR RANGELAND.— 

20 The term ‘‘Indian forest land or rangeland’’ means 

21 land that— 

22 (A) is held in trust by, or with a restriction 

23 against alienation by, the United States for an 

24 Indian Tribe or a member of an Indian Tribe; 

25 and 


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1 (B)(i)(I) is Indian forest land (as defined 

2 in section 304 of the National Indian Forest 

3 Resources Management Act (25 U.S.C. 3103)); 

4 or 

5 (II) has a cover of grasses, 

6 brush, or any similar vegetation; or 

7 (ii) formerly had a forest cover or veg8 etative cover that is capable of restoration. 

9 (10) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 

10 has the meaning given that term in section 4 of the 

11 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

12 Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 

13 (11) NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM LANDS.—The 

14 term ‘‘National Forest System lands’’ has the mean15 ing given the term in section 11(a) of the Forest 

16 and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act 

17 of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1609). 

18 (12) PUBLIC LANDS.—The term ‘‘public lands’’ 

19 has the meaning given that term in section 103 of 

20 the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 

21 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1702), except that the term in22 cludes Coos Bay Wagon Road Grant lands and Or23 egon and California Railroad Grant lands. 


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1 (13) RELEVANT CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT2 TEES.—The term ‘‘relevant Congressional Commit3 tees’’ means— 

4 (A) the Committees on Natural Resources 

5 and Agriculture of the House of Representa6 tives; and 

7 (B) the Committees on Energy and Nat8 ural Resources and Agriculture, Nutrition, and 

9 Forestry of the Senate. 

10 (14) RESPONSIBLE OFFICIAL.—The term ‘‘re11 sponsible official’’ means an employee of the Depart12 ment of the Interior or Forest Service who has the 

13 authority to make and implement a decision on a 

14 proposed action. 

15 (15) SECRETARIES.—The term ‘‘Secretaries’’ 

16 means each of— 

17 (A) the Secretary of the Interior; and 

18 (B) the Secretary of Agriculture. 

19 (16) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ 

20 means the Secretary of Agriculture. 

21 (17) SECRETARY CONCERNED.—The term 

22 ‘‘Secretary concerned’’ means— 

23 (A) the Secretary of Agriculture, with re24 spect to National Forest System lands; and 


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1 (B) the Secretary of the Interior, with re2 spect to public lands. 

3 (18) SPECIAL DISTRICT.—The term ‘‘special 

4 district’’ means a political subdivision of a State 

5 that— 

6 (A) has significant budgetary autonomy or 

7 control; 

8 (B) was created by or pursuant to the laws 

9 of the State for the purpose of performing a 

10 limited and specific governmental or proprietary 

11 function; and 

12 (C) is distinct from any other local govern13 ment unit within the State. 

14 (19) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 

15 the several States, the District of Columbia, and 

16 each territory of the United States. 

17 TITLE I—LANDSCAPE-SCALE 

18 RESTORATION 

19 Subtitle A—Addressing Emergency 

20 Wildfire Risks in High Priority 

21 Firesheds 

22 SEC. 101. DESIGNATION OF FIRESHED MANAGEMENT 

23 AREAS. 

24 (a) DESIGNATION OF FIRESHED MANAGEMENT

25 AREAS.— 


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1 (1) INITIAL DESIGNATIONS.—For the period be2 ginning on the date of enactment of this Act and 

3 ending on the date that is 5 years after the date of 

4 enactment of this Act, there are designated fireshed 

5 management areas, which— 

6 (A) shall be comprised of individual land7 scape-scale firesheds identified as being a high 

8 risk fireshed in the ‘‘Wildfire Crisis Strategy’’ 

9 published by the Forest Service in January 

10 2022; 

11 (B) shall be comprised of individual land12 scape-scale firesheds identified by the Secretary, 

13 in consultation with the Secretary of the Inte14 rior, as being in the top 20 percent of the 7,688 

15 firesheds published by the Rocky Mountain Re16 search Station of the Forest Service in 2019 for 

17 wildfire exposure based on the following cri18 teria— 

19 (i) wildfire exposure and cor20 responding risk to communities, including 

21 risk to life and structures; 

22 (ii) wildfire exposure and cor23 responding risk to municipal watersheds, 

24 including tribal water supplies and sys25 tems; and 


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1 (iii) risk of forest conversion due to 

2 wildfire; 

3 (C) shall not overlap with any other 

4 fireshed management areas; 

5 (D) may contain Federal and non-Federal 

6 land, including Indian forest lands or range7 lands; and 

8 (E) where the Secretary concerned shall 

9 carry out fireshed management projects. 

10 (2) FURTHER FIRESHED MANAGEMENT AREA

11 DESIGNATIONS.— 

12 (A) IN GENERAL.—On the date that is 5 

13 years after the date of the enactment of this 

14 Act and every 5 years thereafter, the Secretary, 

15 in consultation with the Secretary of the Inte16 rior, shall submit to the relevant Congressional 

17 Committees an updated map of firesheds based 

18 on the Fireshed Registry maintained under sec19 tion 103. 

20 (B) DESIGNATION.—Not later than 60 

21 days after submitting an updated fireshed map 

22 under subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall, 

23 based on such map, designate additional 

24 fireshed management areas that are identified 

25 as being in the top 20 percent of firesheds at 


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1 risk of wildfire exposure based on the criteria 

2 specified in subparagraphs (B), (C), (D), and 

3 (E) of paragraph (1). 

4 (b) APPLICABILITY OF NEPA.—The designation of 

5 fireshed management areas under this section shall not 

6 be subject to the requirements of the National Environ7 mental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). 

8 SEC. 102. FIRESHED CENTER. 

9 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 

11 through the Chief of the Forest Service, and the 

12 Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Direc13 tor of the U.S. Geological Survey, shall jointly estab14 lish an interagency center, to be known as the 

15 Fireshed Center (hereinafter referred to as the 

16 ‘‘Center’’) to carry out the purposes in subsection 

17 (b). 

18 (2) COMPOSITION.— 

19 (A) DIVISIONS.—The Center shall be com20 prised of the following divisions: 

21 (i) Technology and Engineering. 

22 (ii) Data Services. 

23 (iii) Analysis and Prediction. 

24 (iv) Education and Consultation. 


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1 (B) REPRESENTATIVES.—The Center shall 

2 be comprised of at least one career representa3 tive from each of the following: 

4 (i) The Forest Service. 

5 (ii) The Bureau of Land Manage6 ment. 

7 (iii) The National Park Service. 

8 (iv) The Bureau of Indian Affairs. 

9 (v) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serv10 ice. 

11 (vi) The U.S. Geological Survey. 

12 (vii) The Department of Defense. 

13 (viii) The Department of Homeland 

14 Security. 

15 (ix) The Department of Energy. 

16 (x) The Federal Emergency Manage17 ment Agency. 

18 (xi) The National Science Foundation. 

19 (xii) The National Oceanic and At20 mospheric Administration. 

21 (xiii) The National Aeronautics and 

22 Space Administration. 

23 (xiv) The National Institute of Stand24 ards and Technology. 


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1 (xv) The United States Fire Adminis2 tration. 

3 (C) APPOINTMENTS.—Each representative 

4 of a Department, Agency, or other entity speci5 fied in subparagraph (B) shall be appointed by 

6 the head of that Department, Agency, or other 

7 entity, as applicable. 

8 (3) DIRECTOR.—The representatives appointed 

9 under paragraph (2) shall, by majority vote, appoint 

10 a Director of the Center, who— 

11 (A) shall be an employee of the U.S. Geo12 logical Survey or the Forest Service; 

13 (B) shall serve an initial term of not more 

14 than 7 years; 

15 (C) may serve one additional term of not 

16 more than 7 years after the initial term de17 scribed in subparagraph (B); and 

18 (D) shall be responsible for the manage19 ment and operation of the Center. 

20 (4) ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS.—In consultation 

21 with the representatives appointed under paragraph 

22 (2), the Director may appoint such Associate Direc23 tors as the Director determines necessary. 

24 (5) ADDITIONAL REPRESENTATION.—The Sec25 retary, acting through the Chief of the Forest ServVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:37 Jan 17, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H471.IH H471

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1 ice, and the Secretary of the Interior, acting through 

2 the Director of the U.S. Geological Survey, may 

3 jointly appoint additional representatives of Federal 

4 agencies, States, Indian Tribes, or local governments 

5 to the Center, as the Secretaries determine nec6 essary. 

7 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the Center are to— 

8 (1) comprehensively assess and predict, using 

9 data tools (including artificial intelligence) and other 

10 decision support products, fire and smoke in the 

11 wildland and built environment interface across ju12 risdictions to inform— 

13 (A) land and fuels management; 

14 (B) community (including at-risk commu15 nities identified in fireshed assessments con16 ducted under section 105) and built environ17 ment risk reduction, including the support and 

18 development of community wildfire protection 

19 plans and evacuation decisions; and 

20 (C) public health risk reduction related to 

21 wildland fire and smoke, including air quality 

22 monitoring and forecasting and smoke pre23 diction models; 

24 (D) fire response and management, includ25 ing the pre-positioning of wildfire suppression 


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1 personnel and assets based on real-time risk; 

2 and 

3 (E) post-fire recovery activities, including 

4 activities related to vegetation recovery, debris 

5 flows and flooding, watershed recovery and pro6 tection, and ecosystem health; 

7 (2) provide data aggregation, real-time land 

8 and fuels management services, and science-based 

9 decision support services to inform the purposes 

10 specified in subparagraph (A) through (E) of para11 graph (1); 

12 (3) reduce fragmentation and duplication across 

13 Federal land management agencies with respect to 

14 predictive service and decision support functions re15 lated to wildland fire and smoke, including through 

16 the provision of data aggregation described in para17 graph (2); 

18 (4) promote coordination and sharing of data 

19 regarding wildland fire and smoke decision making 

20 (including through the provision of data aggregation 

21 described in paragraph (2)) to each of the entities 

22 specified in subparagraphs (A) through (F) of para23 graph (8); 

24 (5) streamline procurement processes for tech25 nologies (including technologies identified under the 


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1 pilot program established under section 303) and cy2 bersecurity systems related to addressing wildland 

3 fire and smoke for the purposes of scaling such tech4 nologies and systems across Federal agencies; 

5 (6) amplify and distribute existing, and develop 

6 as necessary, publicly accessible data, models, tech7 nologies (including mapping technologies), assess8 ments, and National Weather Service fire weather 

9 forecasts to support short- and long-term planning 

10 regarding wildland fire and smoke risk reduction 

11 and post-fire recovery while avoiding duplicative ef12 forts, as determined by the Director; 

13 (7) maintain the Fireshed Registry established 

14 under section 103; and 

15 (8) disseminate data tools (including artificial 

16 intelligence) and other decision support products, for 

17 use in manners consistent with the purposes de18 scribed paragraphs (1) through (7), to the following: 

19 (A) Federal agencies. 

20 (B) Indian Tribes. 

21 (C) State and local governments. 

22 (D) Academic or research institutions. 

23 (E) Wildland firefighting entities, includ24 ing applicable incident management teams and 

25 geographic coordination centers. 


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1 (F) Other entities, including public, pri2 vate, and nonprofit entities, with expertise in 

3 land management, air quality, water manage4 ment, or public health, as determined appro5 priate by the Director. 

6 (c) MEMORANDA OF UNDERSTANDING.—The Center 

7 may enter into memoranda of understanding, contracts, 

8 or other agreements with State governments, Indian 

9 Tribes, local governments, academic or research institu10 tions, and private entities to improve the information and 

11 operations of the Center. 

12 (d) ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT, TECHNICAL SERV13 ICES, AND STAFF SUPPORT.— 

14 (1) USGS SUPPORT.—The Secretary of the In15 terior shall make personnel of the U.S. Geological 

16 Survey available to the Center for such administra17 tive support, technical services, and development and 

18 dissemination of data as the Secretary determines 

19 necessary to carry out this section. 

20 (2) USFS SUPPORT.—The Secretary shall 

21 make personnel of the Forest Service available to 

22 the Center for such administrative support, technical 

23 services, and the development and dissemination of 

24 information related to fireshed management and the 


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1 Fireshed Registry as the Secretary determines nec2 essary to carry out this section. 

3 (3) FUNDING.—Notwithstanding section 708 of 

4 title VII of division E of the Consolidated Appro5 priations Act, 2023 (Public Law 117–328), the Sec6 retary of the Interior and Secretary may enter into 

7 agreements to share the management and oper8 ational costs of the Center. 

9 (e) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec10 tion shall be construed to affect the ownership of any data 

11 sources. 

12 SEC. 103. FIRESHED REGISTRY. 

13 (a) FIRESHED REGISTRY.—The Secretary, acting 

14 through the Director of the Fireshed Center appointed 

15 under section 102, shall maintain a Fireshed Registry on 

16 a publicly accessible website that provides interactive 

17 geospatial data on individual firesheds, including informa18 tion on— 

19 (1) wildfire exposure delineated by ownership, 

20 including rights-of-way for utilities and other public 

21 or private purposes; 

22 (2) any hazardous fuels management activities 

23 that have occurred within an individual fireshed in 

24 the past 10 years; 


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1 (3) wildfire exposure with respect to such 

2 fireshed delineated by— 

3 (A) wildfire exposure and corresponding 

4 risk to communities, including risk to life and 

5 structures; 

6 (B) wildfire exposure and corresponding 

7 risk to municipal watersheds, including tribal 

8 water supplies and systems; and 

9 (C) risk of forest conversion due to wild10 fire; 

11 (4) the percentage of the fireshed that has 

12 burned in wildfires in the past 10 years, including, 

13 to the extent practicable, delineations of acres that 

14 have burned at a high severity; 

15 (5) spatial patterns of wildfire exposure, includ16 ing plausible extreme fire events; and 

17 (6) any hazardous fuels management activities 

18 planned for the fireshed, including fireshed manage19 ment projects. 

20 (b) COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLANS.— 

21 The Director shall make data from the Fireshed Registry 

22 available to local communities developing or updating com23 munity wildfire protection plans. 


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1 (c) REQUIREMENT TO MAINTAIN.—As part of the 

2 website containing the Fireshed Registry, the Director 

3 shall— 

4 (1) publish fireshed assessments created under 

5 section 105; and 

6 (2) maintain a searchable database to track— 

7 (A) the status of Federal environmental re8 views, permits, and authorizations for fireshed 

9 management projects, including— 

10 (i) a comprehensive permitting time11 table; 

12 (ii) the status of the compliance of 

13 each lead agency, cooperating agency, and 

14 participating agency with the permitting 

15 timetable with respect to such fireshed 

16 management projects; 

17 (iii) any modifications of the permit18 ting timetable required under clause (i), in19 cluding an explanation as to why the per20 mitting timetable was modified; and 

21 (iv) information about project-related 

22 public meetings, public hearings, and pub23 lic comment periods, which shall be pre24 sented in English and the predominant 

25 language of the community or communities 


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1 most affected by the project, as that infor2 mation becomes available; 

3 (B) the projected cost of such fireshed 

4 management projects; and 

5 (C) in the case of completed fireshed man6 agement projects, the effectiveness of such 

7 projects in reducing the wildfire exposure within 

8 an applicable fireshed, including wildfire expo9 sure described in subparagraphs (A) through 

10 (C) of subsection (a)(3). 

11 (d) RELIANCE ON EXISTING ASSESSMENTS.—In car12 rying out this section, the Director may rely on assess13 ments completed or data gather through existing partner14 ships, to the extent practicable. 

15 SEC. 104. SHARED STEWARDSHIP. 

16 (a) JOINT AGREEMENTS.—Not later than 90 days 

17 after receiving a written request from a Governor of a 

18 State or an Indian Tribe, the Secretary concerned shall 

19 enter into a shared stewardship agreement (or similar 

20 agreement) with such Governor or Indian Tribe to joint21 ly— 

22 (1) promote the reduction of wildfire exposure, 

23 based on the criteria in section 101(a)(1)(B), in 

24 fireshed management areas across jurisdictional 

25 boundaries; and 


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1 (2) conduct fireshed assessments under section 

2 105. 

3 (b) ADDITIONAL FIRESHED MANAGEMENT AREAS.— 

4 With respect to a shared stewardship agreement (or simi5 lar agreement) with a Governor of a State or an Indian 

6 Tribe entered into under subsection (a), the Secretary con7 cerned, if requested by such Governor or Indian Tribe, 

8 may— 

9 (1) designate additional fireshed management 

10 areas under such agreement; and 

11 (2) update such agreement to address new wild12 fire threats. 

13 SEC. 105. FIRESHED ASSESSMENTS. 

14 (a) FIRESHED ASSESSMENTS.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 

16 the date on which the Secretary concerned enters 

17 into an agreement with a Governor of a State or an 

18 Indian Tribe under section 104, the Secretary con19 cerned and such Governor or Indian Tribe shall, 

20 with respect to the fireshed management areas des21 ignated in such State, jointly conduct a fireshed as22 sessment that— 

23 (A) identifies— 

24 (i) using the best available science, 

25 wildfire exposure risks within each such 


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1 fireshed management area, including sce2 nario planning and wildfire hazard map3 ping and models; and 

4 (ii) each at-risk community within 

5 each fireshed management area; 

6 (B) identifies potential fireshed manage7 ment projects to be carried out in such fireshed 

8 management areas, giving priority— 

9 (i) primarily, to projects with the pur10 pose of reducing— 

11 (I) wildfire exposure and cor12 responding risk to communities, in13 cluding risk to life and structures; 

14 (II) wildfire exposure and cor15 responding risk to municipal water16 sheds, including tribal water supplies 

17 and systems; 

18 (III) risk of forest conversion due 

19 to wildfire; or 

20 (IV) any combination of purposes 

21 described in subclauses (I) through 

22 (III); and 

23 (ii) secondarily, to projects with the 

24 purpose of protecting— 


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1 (I) critical infrastructure, includ2 ing utility infrastructure; 

3 (II) wildlife habitats, including 

4 habitat for species listed under the 

5 Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 

6 1531 et seq.); 

7 (III) the built environment, in8 cluding residential and commercial 

9 buildings; 

10 (IV) resources of an Indian 

11 Tribe, as defined by the Indian Tribe; 

12 or 

13 (V) any combination of purposes 

14 described in subclauses (I) through 

15 (IV); 

16 (C) includes— 

17 (i) a strategy for reducing the threat 

18 of wildfire to at-risk communities in the 

19 wildland-urban interface on both Federal 

20 and non-Federal land; 

21 (ii) a timeline for the implementation 

22 of fireshed management projects; 

23 (iii) long-term benchmark goals for 

24 the completion of fireshed management 

25 projects in the highest wildfire exposure 


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1 areas so that such projects contribute to 

2 the development and maintenance of 

3 healthy and resilient landscapes; 

4 (iv) policies to ensure fireshed man5 agement projects comply with applicable 

6 forest plans and incorporate the best avail7 able science; and 

8 (v) a strategy for reducing the threat 

9 of wildfire to improve the effectiveness of 

10 wildland firefighting, particularly the effec11 tiveness of fuels treatments that would im12 prove wildland firefighter safety during 

13 wildfires; 

14 (D) shall be regularly updated based on 

15 the best available science, as determined by the 

16 Secretary concerned; and 

17 (E) shall be publicly available on a website 

18 maintained by the Secretary concerned. 

19 (2) LOCAL GOVERNMENT PARTICIPATION.— 

20 Upon the written request of a local government, the 

21 Secretary concerned and the Governor of the State 

22 in which the local government is located may allow 

23 such local government to participate in producing 

24 the fireshed assessment under paragraph (1) for 

25 such State. 


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1 (3) INFORMATION IMPROVEMENT.— 

2 (A) MEMORANDA OF UNDERSTANDING.— 

3 In carrying out a fireshed assessment under 

4 this subsection, the Secretary concerned may 

5 enter into memoranda of understanding with 

6 other Federal agencies or departments (includ7 ing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad8 ministration), States, Indian Tribes, private en9 tities, or research or educational institutions to 

10 improve, with respect to such assessment, the 

11 use and integration of— 

12 (i) advanced remote sensing and 

13 geospatial technologies; 

14 (ii) statistical modeling and analysis; 

15 or 

16 (iii) any other technology or combina17 tion of technologies and analyses that the 

18 Secretary concerned determines will benefit 

19 the quality of information of such an as20 sessment. 

21 (B) BEST AVAILABLE SCIENCE.—In using 

22 the best available science for the fireshed as23 sessments completed under subsection (a)(1), 

24 the Secretary concerned and Governor shall, to 

25 the maximum extent practicable, incorporate— 


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1 (i) traditional ecological knowledge 

2 from Indian Tribes; 

3 (ii) data from State forest action 

4 plans and State wildfire risk assessments; 

5 (iii) data from the Fireshed Registry 

6 maintained under section 103; and 

7 (iv) data from other Federal, State, 

8 Tribal, and local governments or agencies. 

9 (b) APPLICABILITY OF NEPA.—Fireshed assess10 ments conducted under this section shall not be subject 

11 to the requirements of the National Environmental Policy 

12 Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). 

13 SEC. 106. EMERGENCY FIRESHED MANAGEMENT. 

14 (a) FIRESHED MANAGEMENT PROJECTS.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary concerned, 

16 acting through a responsible official, shall carry out 

17 fireshed management projects in fireshed manage18 ment areas designated under section 101 in accord19 ance with this section. 

20 (2) FIRESHED MANAGEMENT PROJECTS.—The 

21 responsible official shall carry out the following for22 est and vegetation management activities as fireshed 

23 management projects under this section: 

24 (A) Conducting hazardous fuels manage25 ment activities. 


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1 (B) Creating fuel breaks and fire breaks. 

2 (C) Removing hazard trees, dead trees, 

3 dying trees, or trees at risk of dying, as deter4 mined by the responsible official. 

5 (D) Developing, approving, or conducting 

6 routine maintenance under a vegetation man7 agement, facility inspection, and operation and 

8 maintenance plan submitted under section 

9 512(c)(1) of the Federal Land Policy and Man10 agement Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1772(c)(1)). 

11 (E) Removing trees to address over12 stocking or crowding in a forest stand, con13 sistent with the appropriate basal area of the 

14 forest stand as determined by the responsible 

15 official. 

16 (F) Using chemical or re-seeding and 

17 planting treatments to address insects and dis18 ease and control vegetation competition or 

19 invasive species. 

20 (G) Any activities recommended by an ap21 plicable fireshed assessment carried out under 

22 section 105. 

23 (H) Any activities recommended by an ap24 plicable community wildfire protection plan. 


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1 (I) Any combination of activities described 

2 in this paragraph. 

3 (3) EMERGENCY FIRESHED MANAGEMENT.— 

4 (A) IN GENERAL.—For any fireshed man5 agement area designated under section 101, the 

6 following shall have the force and effect of law: 

7 (i) Section 220.4(b) of title 36, Code 

8 of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the 

9 date of enactment of this Act), with re10 spect to lands under the jurisdiction of the 

11 Secretary. 

12 (ii) Section 46.150 of title 43, Code of 

13 Federal Regulations (as in effect on the 

14 date of enactment of this Act), with re15 spect to lands under the jurisdiction of the 

16 Secretary of the Interior. 

17 (iii) Section 402.05 of title 50, Code 

18 of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the 

19 date of enactment of this Act). 

20 (iv) Section 800.12 of title 36, Code 

21 of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the 

22 date of enactment of this Act). 

23 (B) UTILIZATION OF EXISTING STREAM24 LINED AUTHORITIES IN FIRESHED MANAGE25 MENT AREAS.— 


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1 (i) IN GENERAL.—Fireshed manage2 ment projects carried out under this sec3 tion shall be considered authorized projects 

4 under the following categorical exclusions: 

5 (I) Section 603(a) of the Healthy 

6 Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 

7 U.S.C. 6591b(a)). 

8 (II) Section 605(a) of the 

9 Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 

10 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6591d(a)). 

11 (III) Section 606(b) of the 

12 Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 

13 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6591e(b)). 

14 (IV) Section 40806(b) of the In15 frastructure Investment and Jobs Act 

16 (16 U.S.C. 6592b(b)). 

17 (V) Section 4(c)(4) of the Lake 

18 Tahoe Restoration Act (Public Law 

19 106–506; 114 Stat. 2353). 

20 (ii) ADDITIONAL EMERGENCY AC21 TIONS.—Subsection (d) of section 40807 of 

22 the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs 

23 Act (16 U.S.C. 6592c) shall apply to 

24 fireshed management projects under this 

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1 section applies to authorized emergency ac2 tions (as defined in subsection (a) of such 

3 section 40807) under such section 40807. 

4 (iii) USE OF EXPEDITED AUTHORI5 TIES.—In carrying out a fireshed manage6 ment project, the Secretary shall apply a 

7 categorical exclusion under clause (i)— 

8 (I) in a manner consistent with 

9 the statute establishing such categor10 ical exclusion; and 

11 (II) in any area— 

12 (aa) designated as suitable 

13 for timber production within the 

14 applicable forest plan; or 

15 (bb) where timber harvest 

16 activities are not prohibited. 

17 (iv) FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT RE18 QUIREMENTS.—In carrying out this sec19 tion, the Secretary concerned shall ensure 

20 compliance with the amendments made to 

21 the National Environmental Policy Act (42 

22 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) by the Fiscal Respon23 sibility Act of 2023 (Public Law 118–5). 

24 (v) USE OF OTHER AUTHORITIES.— 

25 To the maximum extent practicable, the 


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1 Secretary concerned shall use the authori2 ties provided under this section in com3 bination with other authorities to carry out 

4 fireshed management projects, including— 

5 (I) good neighbor agreements en6 tered into under section 8206 of the 

7 Agricultural Act of 2014 (16 U.S.C. 

8 2113a) (as amended by this Act); 

9 (II) stewardship contracting 

10 projects entered into under section 

11 604 of the Healthy Forests Restora12 tion Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6591c) 

13 (as amended by this Act); 

14 (III) self-determination contracts 

15 and self-governance compact agree16 ments entered into under the Indian 

17 Self-Determination and Education As18 sistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.); 

19 and 

20 (IV) agreements entered into 

21 under the Tribal Forest Protection 

22 Act of 2004 (25 U.S.C. 3115a et 

23 seq.). 

24 (b) EXPANSION.— 


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1 (1) HFRA AMENDMENTS.—The Healthy For2 ests Restoration Act of 2003 is amended— 

3 (A) in section 3 (16 U.S.C. 6502), by in4 serting at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(3) LOCAL GOVERNMENT.—The term ‘local 

6 government’ means a county, municipality, or special 

7 district. 

8 ‘‘(4) SPECIAL DISTRICT.—The term ‘special dis9 trict’ means a political subdivision of a State that— 

10 ‘‘(A) has significant budgetary autonomy 

11 or control; 

12 ‘‘(B) was created by or pursuant to the 

13 laws of the State for the purpose of performing 

14 a limited and specific governmental or propri15 etary function; and 

16 ‘‘(C) is distinct from any other local gov17 ernment unit within the State.’’. 

18 (B) in section 603(c)(1) (16 U.S.C. 

19 6591b(c)(1)), by striking ‘‘3000 acres’’ and in20 serting ‘‘10,000 acres’’; 

21 (C) in section 603(c)(2)(B) (16 U.S.C. 

22 6591b(c)(2)(B)), by striking ‘‘Fire Regime 

23 Groups I, II, or III’’ and inserting ‘‘Fire Re24 gime I, Fire Regime II, Fire Regime III, Fire 

25 Regime IV, or Fire Regime V’’; 


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1 (D) in section 605(c)(1) (16 U.S.C. 

2 6591d(c)(1)), by striking ‘‘3000 acres’’ and in3 serting ‘‘10,000 acres’’; and 

4 (E) in section 606(g) (16 U.S.C. 

5 6591e(g)), by striking ‘‘4,500 acres’’ and in6 serting ‘‘10,000 acres’’. 

7 (2) INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AND JOBS

8 ACT AMENDMENT.—Section 40806(d)(1) of the In9 frastructure Investment and Jobs Act (16 U.S.C. 

10 6592b(d)(1)), by striking ‘‘3,000 acres’’ and insert11 ing ‘‘10,000 acres’’. 

12 (3) LAKE TAHOE RESTORATION ACT AMEND13 MENTS.—Section 4(c)(4)(C) of the Lake Tahoe Res14 toration Act (Public Law 106–506; 114 Stat. 2353) 

15 is amended— 

16 (A) by striking ‘‘Lake Tahoe Basin Man17 agement Unit’’; and 

18 (B) by inserting ‘‘applicable to the area’’ 

19 before the period at the end. 

20 SEC. 107. SUNSET. 

21 The authority under this subtitle shall terminate on 

22 the date that is 7 years after the date of enactment of 

23 this Act. 


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1 Subtitle B—Expanding Collabo2 rative Tools to Reduce Wildfire 

3 Risk and Improve Forest Health 

4 SEC. 111. MODIFICATION OF THE TREATMENT OF CERTAIN 

5 REVENUE AND PAYMENTS UNDER GOOD 

6 NEIGHBOR AGREEMENTS. 

7 (a) GOOD NEIGHBOR AUTHORITY.—Section 8206 of 

8 the Agricultural Act of 2014 (16 U.S.C. 2113a) is amend9 ed— 

10 (1) in subsection (a)(6), by striking ‘‘or Indian 

11 tribe’’; 

12 (2) in subsection (a), by inserting the following: 

13 ‘‘(11) SPECIAL DISTRICT.—The term ‘special 

14 district’ means a political subdivision of a State 

15 that— 

16 ‘‘(A) has significant budgetary autonomy 

17 or control; 

18 ‘‘(B) was created by or pursuant to the 

19 laws of the State for the purpose of performing 

20 a limited and specific governmental or propri21 etary function; and 

22 ‘‘(C) is distinct from any other local gov23 ernment unit within the State.’’. 

24 (3) in subsection (b)— 


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1 (A) in paragraph (1)(A), by inserting ‘‘, 

2 Indian Tribe, special district,’’ after ‘‘Gov3 ernor’’; 

4 (B) in paragraph (2)(C)— 

5 (i) in clause (i)— 

6 (I) by inserting ‘‘special district,’’ 

7 after ‘‘Indian Tribe,’’ each place it ap8 pears; 

9 (II) in subclause (I)— 

10 (aa) by striking ‘‘on’’; and 

11 (bb) by striking ‘‘; and’’ and 

12 inserting a semicolon; 

13 (III) in subclause (II)(bb), by 

14 striking the period at the end and in15 serting a semicolon; and 

16 (IV) by adding at the end the fol17 lowing: 

18 ‘‘(III) to construct new perma19 nent roads on Federal lands that 

20 are— 

21 ‘‘(aa) necessary to imple22 ment authorized restoration ac23 tivities; and 

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1 mental analysis or categorical ex2 clusion decision; 

3 ‘‘(IV) to complete new permanent 

4 road construction to replace and de5 commission an existing permanent 

6 road that is adversely impacting for7 est, rangeland, or watershed health; 

8 and 

9 ‘‘(V) if there are funds remaining 

10 after carrying out subclauses (I) 

11 through (IV), to carry out authorized 

12 restoration services under other good 

13 neighbor agreements and for the ad14 ministration of a good neighbor au15 thority program by a Governor, In16 dian tribe, special district, or coun17 ty.’’; and 

18 (ii) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘2028’’ 

19 and inserting ‘‘2030’’; and 

20 (C) in paragraph (3), by inserting ‘‘, In21 dian Tribe, special district,’’ after ‘‘Governor’’; 

22 and 

23 (D) by striking paragraph (4). 


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1 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 8206(a) 

2 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (16 U.S.C. 2113a(a)) is 

3 amended— 

4 (1) in paragraph (1)(B), by inserting ‘‘, Indian 

5 Tribe, special district,’’ after ‘‘Governor’’; and 

6 (2) in paragraph (5), by inserting ‘‘, Indian 

7 Tribe, special district,’’ after ‘‘Governor’’. 

8 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

9 this section apply to any project initiated pursuant to a 

10 good neighbor agreement (as defined in section 8206(a) 

11 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (16 U.S.C. 2113a(a)))— 

12 (1) before the date of enactment of this Act, if 

13 the project was initiated after the date of enactment 

14 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Public 

15 Law 115–334; 132 Stat. 4490); or 

16 (2) on or after the date of enactment of this 

17 Act. 

18 SEC. 112. FIXING STEWARDSHIP END RESULT CON19 TRACTING. 

20 Section 604 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act 

21 of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6591c) is amended— 

22 (1) in subsection (b), by inserting ‘‘, including 

23 retaining and expanding existing forest products in24 frastructure’’ before the period at the end; 


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1 (2) in subsection (d)(3)(B), by striking ‘‘10 

2 years’’ and inserting ‘‘20 years’’; and 

3 (3) in subsection (h), by adding at the end the 

4 following: 

5 ‘‘(4) SPECIAL RULE FOR LONG-TERM STEWARD6 SHIP CONTRACTS.— 

7 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A long-term agree8 ment or contract entered into with an entity 

9 under subsection (b) by the Chief or the Direc10 tor shall provide that in the case of the can11 cellation or termination by the Chief or the Di12 rector of such long-term agreement or contract, 

13 the Chief or the Director, as applicable, shall 

14 provide 10 percent of the agreement or contract 

15 amount to such entity as cancellation or termi16 nation costs. 

17 ‘‘(B) DEFINITION OF LONG-TERM AGREE18 MENT OR CONTRACT.—In this paragraph, the 

19 term ‘long-term agreement or contract’ means 

20 an agreement or contract under subsection 

21 (b)— 

22 ‘‘(i) with a term of more than 5 years; 

23 and 

24 ‘‘(ii) entered into on or after the date 

25 of the enactment of this paragraph.’’. 


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1 SEC. 113. INTRA-AGENCY STRIKE TEAMS. 

2 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary concerned 

3 shall establish intra-agency strike teams to assist the Sec4 retary concerned with— 

5 (1) any reviews, including analysis under the 

6 National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 

7 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), consultations under the Na8 tional Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 

9 470 et seq.), and consultations under the Endan10 gered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), 

11 with the intent to accelerate and streamline inter12 agency consultation processes; 

13 (2) the implementation of any necessary site 

14 preparation work in advance of or as part of a 

15 fireshed management project; 

16 (3) the implementation of fireshed management 

17 projects under such section; and 

18 (4) any combination of purposes under para19 graphs (1) through (3). 

20 (b) MEMBERS.—The Secretary concerned may ap21 point not more than 10 individuals to serve on an intra22 agency strike team comprised of— 

23 (1) employees of the Department under the ju24 risdiction of the Secretary concerned; 

25 (2) employees of a different Federal agency, 

26 with the consent of that agency’s Secretary; 


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1 (3) private contractors from any nonprofit orga2 nization, State government, Indian Tribe, local gov3 ernment, quasi-governmental agency, academic insti4 tution, or private organization; and 

5 (4) volunteers from any nonprofit organization, 

6 State government, Indian Tribe, local government, 

7 quasi-governmental agency, academic institution, or 

8 private organization. 

9 (c) SUNSET.—The authority provided under this sec10 tion shall terminate on the date that is 7 years after the 

11 date of enactment of this Act. 

12 SEC. 114. LOCALLY-LED RESTORATION. 

13 (a) THRESHOLD ADJUSTMENT.—Section 14(d) of the 

14 National Forest Management Act of 1976 (16 U.S.C. 

15 472a(d)) is amended by— 

16 (1) striking ‘‘$10,000’’ and inserting 

17 ‘‘$55,000’’; and 

18 (2) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘Begin19 ning on January 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, 

20 the amount in the first sentence of this subsection 

21 shall be adjusted by the Secretary for changes in the 

22 Consumer Price Index of All Urban Consumers pub23 lished by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the De24 partment of Labor.’’. 


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1 (b) FIRESHED MANAGEMENT PROJECTS.—Begin2 ning on the date that is 30 days after the date of enact3 ment of this Act, the Secretary shall solicit bids under sec4 tion 14 of the National Forest Management Act of 1976 

5 (16 U.S.C. 472a(d)) for fireshed management projects 

6 under section 106. 

7 SEC. 115. JOINT CHIEFS LANDSCAPE RESTORATION PART8 NERSHIP PROGRAM. 

9 Section 40808 of the Infrastructure Investment and 

10 Jobs Act (16 U.S.C. 6592d) is amended— 

11 (1) in subsection (a)(2)— 

12 (A) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘or’’ 

13 at the end; 

14 (B) in subparagraph (C), by striking the 

15 period at the end and inserting a semicolon; 

16 and 

17 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(D) to recover from wildfires; or 

19 ‘‘(E) to enhance soil, water, and related 

20 natural resources.’’; 

21 (2) in subsection (d)(1)— 

22 (A) in subparagraph (A), by inserting 

23 ‘‘and post-wildfire impacts’’ after ‘‘wildfire 

24 risk’’; and 


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1 (B) in subparagraph (F), by inserting ‘‘, 

2 as identified in the corresponding State forest 

3 action plan or similar priority plan (such as a 

4 State wildlife or water plan)’’ before the semi5 colon; 

6 (3) in subsection (g)(2), by inserting ‘‘and at 

7 least once every 2 fiscal years thereafter’’ after ‘‘and 

8 2023’’; and 

9 (4) in subsection (h)(1), by striking ‘‘and 

10 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘through 2030’’. 

11 SEC. 116. COLLABORATIVE FOREST LANDSCAPE RESTORA12 TION PROGRAM. 

13 Section 4003 of the Omnibus Public Land Manage14 ment Act of 2009 (16 U.S.C. 7303) is amended— 

15 (1) in subsection (b)(3)— 

16 (A) in subparagraph (D), by striking ‘‘spe17 cies;’’ and inserting ‘‘species or pathogens;’’; 

18 (B) in subparagraph (G), by striking 

19 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

20 (C) in subparagraph (H), by adding ‘‘and’’ 

21 after the semicolon at the end; and 

22 (D) by adding at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(I) address standardized monitoring ques24 tions and indicators;’’; 

25 (2) in subsection (c)(3)(A)— 


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1 (A) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

2 end; 

3 (B) in clause (ii), by adding ‘‘and’’ at the 

4 end; and 

5 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(iii) include a plan to provide sup7 port to collaborative processes established 

8 pursuant to subsection (b)(2);’’; 

9 (3) in subsection (d)— 

10 (A) in paragraph (2)— 

11 (i) in subparagraph (E), by striking 

12 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

13 (ii) in subparagraph (F), by striking 

14 the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; 

15 and’’; and 

16 (iii) by adding at the end the fol17 lowing: 

18 ‘‘(G) proposals that seek to use innovative 

19 implementation mechanisms, including good 

20 neighbor agreements entered into under section 

21 8206 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (16 

22 U.S.C. 2113a); 

23 ‘‘(H) proposals that seek to remove or 

24 treat insects or diseases, including the removal 

25 of trees killed by, or infested with, bark beetles 


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1 in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Mon2 tana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, 

3 South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyo4 ming; 

5 ‘‘(I) proposals that seek to facilitate the 

6 sale of firewood and Christmas trees on lands 

7 under the jurisdiction of the Secretary or the 

8 Secretary of the Interior; 

9 ‘‘(J) proposals that seek to reduce the risk 

10 of uncharacteristic wildfire or increase ecologi11 cal restoration activities— 

12 ‘‘(i) within areas across land owner13 ships, including State, Tribal, and private 

14 land; and 

15 ‘‘(ii) within the wildland-urban inter16 face (as defined in section 101 of the 

17 Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 

18 (16 U.S.C. 6511)); and 

19 ‘‘(K) proposals that seek to enhance water20 shed health and drinking water sources.’’; and 

21 (B) in paragraph (3)— 

22 (i) by amending subparagraph (A) to 

23 read as follows: 


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1 ‘‘(A) 4 proposals in any 1 region of the 

2 National Forest System to be funded during 

3 any fiscal year; and’’; 

4 (ii) by striking subparagraph (B); and 

5 (iii) by redesignating subparagraph 

6 (C) as subparagraph (B); and 

7 (4) in subsection (f)(6), by striking ‘‘2019 

8 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2025 through 2030’’. 

9 SEC. 117. UTILIZING GRAZING FOR WILDFIRE RISK REDUC10 TION. 

11 The Secretary, acting through the Chief of the Forest 

12 Service, in coordination with holders of permits to graze 

13 livestock on Federal land, shall develop a strategy to in14 crease opportunities to utilize livestock grazing as a wild15 fire risk reduction strategy, including— 

16 (1) completion of reviews (as required under the 

17 National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (U.S.C. 

18 4321 et seq.)) to allow permitted grazing on vacant 

19 grazing allotments during instances of drought, wild20 fire, or other natural disasters that disrupt grazing 

21 on allotments already permitted; 

22 (2) use of targeted grazing; 

23 (3) increased use of temporary permits to pro24 mote targeted fuels reduction and reduction of 

25 invasive annual grasses; 


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1 (4) increased use of grazing as a postfire recov2 ery and restoration strategy, where appropriate; and 

3 (5) use of all applicable authorities under the 

4 law. 

5 SEC. 118. WATER SOURCE PROTECTION PROGRAM. 

6 Section 303 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act 

7 of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6542(g)(4)(B)) is amended— 

8 (1) in subsection (a)— 

9 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (1) 

10 through (7) as paragraphs (2) through (8), re11 spectively; 

12 (B) by inserting before paragraph (2), as 

13 so redesignated, the following: 

14 ‘‘(1) ADJACENT LAND.—The term ‘adjacent 

15 land’ means non-Federal land, including State, local, 

16 and private land, that is adjacent to, and within the 

17 same watershed as, National Forest System land on 

18 which a watershed protection and restoration project 

19 is carried out under this section.’’; and 

20 (C) in paragraph (2), as so redesignated— 

21 (i) by redesignating subparagraphs 

22 (G) and (H) as subparagraphs (K) and 

23 (L), respectively; and 

24 (ii) by inserting after subparagraph 

25 (F) the following: 


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1 ‘‘(G) an acequia association; 

2 ‘‘(H) a local, regional, or other public enti3 ty that manages stormwater or wastewater re4 sources or other related water infrastructure; 

5 ‘‘(I) a land-grant mercedes; 

6 ‘‘(J) a local, regional, or other private enti7 ty that has water delivery authority;’’; 

8 (2) in subsection (b)— 

9 (A) by striking ‘‘The Secretary shall’’ and 

10 inserting the following: 

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall’’; and 

12 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

13 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.—A watershed protection 

14 and restoration project under the Program shall be 

15 designed to— 

16 ‘‘(A) protect and restore watershed health, 

17 water supply and quality, a municipal or agri18 cultural water supply system, and water-related 

19 infrastructure; 

20 ‘‘(B) protect and restore forest health from 

21 insect infestation and disease or wildfire; or 

22 ‘‘(C) advance any combination of the pur23 poses described in subparagraphs (A) and (B). 

24 ‘‘(3) PRIORITIES.—In selecting watershed pro25 tection and restoration projects under the Program, 


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1 the Secretary shall give priority to projects that 

2 would— 

3 ‘‘(A) provide risk management benefits as4 sociated with: drought; wildfire; post-wildfire 

5 conditions; extreme weather; flooding; resilience 

6 to climate change; and watershed and fire resil7 ience, including minimizing risks to watershed 

8 health, water supply and quality, and water-re9 lated infrastructure, including municipal and 

10 agricultural water supply systems; 

11 ‘‘(B) support aquatic restoration and con12 servation efforts that complement existing or 

13 planned forest restoration or wildfire risk re14 duction efforts; or 

15 ‘‘(C) provide quantifiable benefits to water 

16 supply or quality and include the use of nature17 based solutions, such as restoring wetland and 

18 riparian ecosystems. 

19 ‘‘(4) CONDITIONS FOR PROJECTS ON ADJACENT

20 LAND.— 

21 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—No project or activity 

22 may be carried out under this section on adja23 cent land unless the owner of the adjacent land 

24 agrees in writing that the owner is a willing and 


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1 engaged partner in carrying out that project or 

2 activity. 

3 ‘‘(B) EFFECT.—Nothing in this section 

4 shall be construed to authorize any change in— 

5 ‘‘(i) the ownership of adjacent land on 

6 which a project or activity is carried out 

7 under this section; or 

8 ‘‘(ii) the management of adjacent land 

9 on which a project or activity is carried out 

10 under this section, except during the car11 rying out of that project or activity.’’; 

12 (3) in subsection (c)— 

13 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘with 

14 end water users’’ and inserting ‘‘with end water 

15 users to protect and restore the condition of 

16 National Forest watersheds and adjacent land 

17 that provide water— 

18 ‘‘(A) to the end water users subject to the 

19 agreement; or 

20 ‘‘(B) for the benefit of another end water 

21 user.’’; 

22 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

23 (i) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

24 ‘‘or’’ at the end; 


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1 (ii) by redesignating subparagraph 

2 (D) as subparagraph (E); and 

3 (iii) by inserting after subparagraph 

4 (C) the following: 

5 ‘‘(D) a good neighbor agreement entered 

6 into under section 8206 of the Agricultural Act 

7 of 2014 (16 U.S.C. 2113a); or’’; and 

8 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘(3) COOPERATION WITH NON-FEDERAL PART10 NERS.—The Secretary shall cooperate with non-Fed11 eral partners in carrying out assessments, planning, 

12 project design, and project implementation under 

13 this section.’’; 

14 (4) in subsection (d)— 

15 (A) by amending paragraph (2) to read as 

16 follows: 

17 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENT.—A water source manage18 ment plan shall be— 

19 ‘‘(A) designed to protect and restore eco20 logical integrity (as defined in section 219.19 of 

21 title 36, Code of Federal Regulations (as in ef22 fect on the date of enactment of this subpara23 graph)); 

24 ‘‘(B) based on the best available scientific 

25 information; and 


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1 ‘‘(C) conducted in a manner consistent 

2 with the forest plan applicable to the National 

3 Forest System land on which the watershed 

4 protection and restoration project is carried 

5 out.’’; and 

6 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(4) REDUCING REDUNDANCY.—An existing 

8 watershed plan, such as a watershed protection and 

9 restoration action plan developed under section 

10 304(a)(3), or other applicable watershed planning 

11 documents as approved by the Secretary may be 

12 used as the basis for a water source management 

13 plan under this subsection.’’; and 

14 (5) in subsection (e)(1), by striking ‘‘primary 

15 purpose of’’ and all that follows through the period 

16 at the end and inserting ‘‘primary purpose of ad17 vancing any of the purposes described in subsection 

18 (b)(2).’’. 

19 SEC. 119. WATERSHED CONDITION FRAMEWORK TECH20 NICAL CORRECTIONS. 

21 Section 304(a) of the Healthy Forests Restoration 

22 Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6543(a)) is amended in para23 graphs (3) and (5) by striking ‘‘protection and’’. 


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1 Subtitle C—Litigation Reform 

2 SEC. 121. COMMONSENSE LITIGATION REFORM. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—A court shall not enjoin a covered 

4 agency action if the court determines that the plaintiff is 

5 unable to demonstrate that the claim of the plaintiff is 

6 likely to succeed on the merits. 

7 (b) BALANCING SHORT- AND LONG-TERM EFFECTS

8 OF COVERED AGENCY ACTION IN CONSIDERING INJUNC9 TIVE RELIEF.—As part of its weighing the equities while 

10 considering any request for an injunction that applies to 

11 a covered agency action, the court reviewing such action 

12 shall balance the impact to the ecosystem likely affected 

13 by such action of— 

14 (1) the short- and long-term effects of under15 taking such action; against 

16 (2) the short- and long-term effects of not un17 dertaking such action. 

18 (c) LIMITATIONS ON JUDICIAL REVIEW.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other 

20 provision of law (except this section), in the case of 

21 a claim arising under Federal law seeking judicial 

22 review of a covered agency action— 

23 (A) a court shall not hold unlawful, set 

24 aside, or otherwise limit, delay, stay, vacate, or 


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1 enjoin such agency action unless the court de2 termines that— 

3 (i) such action poses or will pose a 

4 risk of a proximate and substantial envi5 ronmental harm; and 

6 (ii) there is no other equitable remedy 

7 available as a matter of law; and 

8 (B) if a court determines that subpara9 graph (A) does not apply to the covered agency 

10 action the only remedy the court may order 

11 with regard to such agency action is to remand 

12 the matter to the agency with instructions to, 

13 during the 180-day period beginning on the 

14 date of the order, take such additional actions 

15 as may be necessary to redress any legal wrong 

16 suffered by, or adverse effect on, the plaintiff, 

17 except such additional actions may not include 

18 the preparation of a new agency document un19 less the court finds the agency was required 

20 and failed to prepare such agency document. 

21 (2) EFFECT OF REMAND.—In the case of a cov22 ered agency action to which paragraph (1)(B) ap23 plies, the agency may— 

24 (A) continue to carry out such agency ac25 tion to the extent the action does not impact 


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1 the additional actions required pursuant to such 

2 paragraph; and 

3 (B) if the agency action relates to an agen4 cy document, use any format to correct such 

5 document (including a supplemental environ6 mental document, memorandum, or errata 

7 sheet). 

8 (d) LIMITATIONS ON CLAIMS.—Notwithstanding any 

9 other provision of law (except this section), a claim arising 

10 under Federal law seeking judicial review of a covered 

11 agency action shall be barred unless— 

12 (1) with respect to an agency document or the 

13 application of a categorical exclusion noticed in the 

14 Federal Register, such claim is filed not later than 

15 120 days after the date of publication of a notice in 

16 the Federal Register of agency intent to carry out 

17 the fireshed management project relating to such 

18 agency document or application, unless a shorter pe19 riod is specified in such Federal law; 

20 (2) in the case of an agency document or the 

21 application of a categorical exclusion not described 

22 in paragraph (1), such claim is filed not later than 

23 120 days after the date that is the earlier of— 

24 (A) the date on which such agency docu25 ment or application is published; and 


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1 (B) the date on which such agency docu2 ment or application is noticed; and 

3 (3) in the case of a covered agency action for 

4 which there was a public comment period, such 

5 claim— 

6 (A) is filed by a party that— 

7 (i) participated in the administrative 

8 proceedings regarding the fireshed man9 agement project relating to such action; 

10 and 

11 (ii) submitted a comment during such 

12 public comment period and such comment 

13 was sufficiently detailed to put the applica14 ble agency on notice of the issue upon 

15 which the party seeks judicial review; and 

16 (B) is related to such comment. 

17 (e) DEFINITIONS.—ln this section: 

18 (1) AGENCY DOCUMENT.—The term ‘‘agency 

19 document’’ means, with respect to a fireshed man20 agement project, a record of decision, environmental 

21 document, or programmatic environmental docu22 ment. 

23 (2) COVERED AGENCY ACTION.—The term 

24 ‘‘covered agency action’’ means— 


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1 (A) the establishment of a fireshed man2 agement project by an agency; 

3 (B) the application of a categorical exclu4 sion to a fireshed management project; 

5 (C) the preparation of any agency docu6 ment for a fireshed management project; or 

7 (D) any other agency action as part of a 

8 fireshed management project. 

9 (3) NEPA TERMS.—The terms ‘‘categorical ex10 clusion’’, ‘‘environmental document’’, and ‘‘pro11 grammatic environmental document’’ have the mean12 ings given such terms, respectively, in section 111 of 

13 the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 

14 U.S.C. 4336e). 

15 SEC. 122. CONSULTATION ON FOREST PLANS. 

16 (a) FOREST SERVICE PLANS.—Section 6(d)(2) of the 

17 Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act 

18 of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1604(d)(2)) is amended to read as 

19 follows: 

20 ‘‘(2) NO ADDITIONAL CONSULTATION RE21 QUIRED UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES.—Not22 withstanding any other provision of law, the Sec23 retary shall not be required to reinitiate consultation 

24 under section 7(a)(2) of the Endangered Species Act 

25 of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1536(a)(2)) or section 402.16 of 


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1 title 50, Code of Federal Regulations (or a successor 

2 regulation), on a land management plan approved, 

3 amended, or revised under this section when— 

4 ‘‘(A) a new species is listed or critical habi5 tat is designated under the Endangered Species 

6 Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.); or 

7 ‘‘(B) new information reveals effects of the 

8 land management plan that may affect a spe9 cies listed or critical habitat designated under 

10 that Act in a manner or to an extent not pre11 viously considered.’’. 

12 (b) BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT PLANS.—Sec13 tion 202 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 

14 of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1712) is amended by adding at the 

15 end the following: 

16 ‘‘(g) NO ADDITIONAL CONSULTATION REQUIRED

17 UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES.—Notwithstanding 

18 any other provision of law, the Secretary shall not be re19 quired to reinitiate consultation under section 7(a)(2) of 

20 the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 

21 1536(a)(2)) or section 402.16 of title 50, Code of Federal 

22 Regulations (or a successor regulation), on a land use plan 

23 approved, amended, or revised under this section when— 


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1 ‘‘(1) a new species is listed or critical habitat 

2 is designated under the Endangered Species Act of 

3 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.); or 

4 ‘‘(2) new information reveals effects of the land 

5 use plan that may affect a species listed or critical 

6 habitat designated under that Act in a manner or to 

7 an extent not previously considered.’’. 

8 TITLE II—PROTECTING COMMU9 NITIES IN THE WILDLAND10 URBAN INTERFACE 

11 SEC. 201. COMMUNITY WILDFIRE RISK REDUCTION PRO12 GRAM. 

13 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 30 days after 

14 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall 

15 jointly establish an interagency program to be known as 

16 the ‘‘Community Wildfire Risk Reduction Program’’ that 

17 shall consist of at least one representative from each of 

18 the following: 

19 (1) The Office of Wildland Fire of the Depart20 ment of the Interior. 

21 (2) The National Park Service. 

22 (3) The Bureau of Land Management. 

23 (4) The United States Fish and Wildlife Serv24 ice. 

25 (5) The Bureau of Indian Affairs. 


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1 (6) The Forest Service. 

2 (7) The Federal Emergency Management Agen3 cy. 

4 (8) The United States Fire Administration. 

5 (9) The National Institute of Standards and 

6 Technology. 

7 (10) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

8 Administration. 

9 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the program estab10 lished under subsection (a) is to support interagency co11 ordination in reducing the risk of, and the damages result12 ing from, wildfires in communities (including tribal com13 munities) in the wildland-urban interface through— 

14 (1) advancing research and science in wildfire 

15 resilience and land management, including support 

16 for non-Federal research partnerships; 

17 (2) supporting adoption by Indian Tribes and 

18 local governmental entities of fire-resistant building 

19 methods, codes, and standards; 

20 (3) supporting efforts by Indian Tribes or local 

21 governmental entities to address the effects of 

22 wildland fire on such communities, including prop23 erty damages, air quality, and water quality; 


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1 (4) encouraging public-private partnerships to 

2 conduct hazardous fuels management activities in 

3 the wildland-urban interface; 

4 (5) providing technical and financial assistance 

5 targeted towards communities, including tribal com6 munities, through streamlined and unified technical 

7 assistance and grant management mechanisms, in8 cluding the portal and grant application established 

9 under subsection (c), to— 

10 (A) encourage critical risk reduction meas11 ures on private property with high wildfire risk 

12 exposure in such communities; and 

13 (B) mitigate costs for and improve capac14 ity among such communities. 

15 (c) PORTAL AND UNIFORM GRANT APPLICATION.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—As part of the program es17 tablished under subsection (a), the Secretaries and 

18 the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Man19 agement Agency shall establish a portal through 

20 which a person may submit a single, uniform appli21 cation for any of the following: 

22 (A) A community wildfire defense grant 

23 under section 40803(f) of the Infrastructure In24 vestment and Jobs Act (16 U.S.C. 6592(f)). 


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1 (B) An emergency management perform2 ance grant under section 662 of the Post3 Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 

4 2006 (6 U.S.C. 761). 

5 (C) A grant under section 33 of the Fed6 eral Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 

7 (15 U.S.C. 2229). 

8 (D) A grant under section 34 of the Fed9 eral Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 

10 (15 U.S.C. 2229a). 

11 (E) Financial or technical assistance or a 

12 grant under sections 203, 205, 404, 406, or 

13 420 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 

14 and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 

15 5133, 5135, 5170c, 5172, 5187). 

16 (2) SIMPLIFICATION OF APPLICATION.—In es17 tablishing the portal and application under para18 graph (1), the Secretaries and the Administrator 

19 shall seek to reduce the complexity and length of the 

20 application process for the grants described in para21 graph (1). 

22 (3) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretaries 

23 shall provide technical assistance to communities or 

24 persons seeking to apply for financial assistance 


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1 through the portal using the application established 

2 under paragraph (1). 

3 (d) SUNSET.—The program established under this 

4 section shall terminate on the date that is 7 years after 

5 the date of enactment of this Act. 

6 SEC. 202. COMMUNITY WILDFIRE DEFENSE RESEARCH PRO7 GRAM. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretaries shall, acting 

9 jointly, expand the Joint Fire Science Program to include 

10 a performance-driven research and development program 

11 known as the ‘‘Community Wildfire Defense Research 

12 Program’’ for the purpose of testing and advancing inno13 vative designs to create or improve the wildfire-resistance 

14 of structures and communities. 

15 (b) PROGRAM PRIORITIES.—In carrying out the pro16 gram established under subsection (a), the Secretaries 

17 shall evaluate opportunities to create wildfire-resistant 

18 structures and communities through— 

19 (1) different affordable building materials, in20 cluding mass timber; 

21 (2) home hardening, including policies to 

22 incentivize and incorporate defensible space; 

23 (3) subdivision design and other land use plan24 ning and design; 

25 (4) landscape architecture; and 


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1 (5) other wildfire-resistant designs, as deter2 mined by the Secretary. 

3 (c) COMMUNITY WILDFIRE DEFENSE INNOVATION

4 PRIZE.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the program 

6 established under subsection (a), the Secretaries 

7 shall carry out a competition through which a person 

8 may submit to the Secretaries innovative designs for 

9 the creation or improvement of an ignition-resistant 

10 structure or fire-adapted communities. 

11 (2) PRIZE.—Subject to the availability of ap12 propriations made in advance for such purpose, the 

13 Secretaries may award a prize under the competition 

14 described in paragraph (1), based on criteria estab15 lished by the Secretaries and in accordance with 

16 paragraph (3). 

17 (3) SCALE.—In awarding a prize under para18 graph (2), the Secretaries shall prioritize for an 

19 award designs with the most potential to scale to ex20 isting infrastructure. 

21 (d) COLLABORATION AND NONDUPLICATION.—In 

22 carrying out the program established under subsection (a), 

23 the Secretaries shall ensure collaboration and nonduplica24 tion of activities with the Building Technologies Office of 

25 the Department of Energy. 


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1 (e) SUNSET.—The program established under sub2 section (a) shall terminate on the date that is 7 years after 

3 the date of enactment of this Act. 

4 SEC. 203. VEGETATION MANAGEMENT, FACILITY INSPEC5 TION, AND OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE 

6 RELATING TO ELECTRIC TRANSMISSION AND 

7 DISTRIBUTION FACILITY RIGHTS-OF-WAY. 

8 (a) HAZARD TREES WITHIN 150 FEET OF ELECTRIC

9 POWER LINE.—Section 512(a)(1)(B)(ii) of the Federal 

10 Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 

11 1772(a)(1)(B)(ii)) is amended by striking ‘‘10’’ and in12 serting ‘‘150’’. 

13 (b) CONSULTATION WITH PRIVATE LANDOWNERS.— 

14 Section 512(c)(3)(E) of such Act (43 U.S.C. 

15 1772(c)(3)(E)) is amended— 

16 (1) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

17 (2) in clause (ii), by striking the period and in18 serting ‘‘; and’’; and 

19 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(iii) consulting with a private land21 owner with respect to any hazard trees 

22 identified for removal from land owned by 

23 the private landowner.’’. 


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1 (c) REVIEW AND APPROVAL PROCESS.—Section 

2 512(c)(4)(A)(iv) of such Act (43 U.S.C. 

3 1772(c)(4)(A)(iv)) is amended to read as follows: 

4 ‘‘(iv) ensures that— 

5 ‘‘(I) a plan submitted without a 

6 modification under clause (iii) shall be 

7 automatically approved 120 days after 

8 being submitted; and 

9 ‘‘(II) with respect to a plan sub10 mitted with a modification under 

11 clause (iii), if not approved within 120 

12 days after being submitted, the Sec13 retary concerned shall develop and 

14 submit a letter to the owner and oper15 ator describing— 

16 ‘‘(aa) a detailed timeline (to 

17 conclude within 165 days after 

18 the submission of the plan) for 

19 completing review of the plan; 

20 ‘‘(bb) any identified defi21 ciencies with the plan and spe22 cific opportunities for the owner 

23 and operator to address such de24 ficiencies; and 


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1 ‘‘(cc) any other relevant in2 formation, as determined by the 

3 Secretary concerned.’’. 

4 SEC. 204. CATEGORICAL EXCLUSION FOR ELECTRIC UTIL5 ITY LINES RIGHTS-OF-WAY. 

6 (a) CATEGORICAL EXCLUSION ESTABLISHED.—For7 est management activities described in subsection (b) are 

8 a category of activities hereby designated as being cat9 egorically excluded from the preparation of an environ10 mental assessment or an environmental impact statement 

11 under section 102 of the National Environmental Policy 

12 Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332). 

13 (b) FOREST MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES DESIGNATED

14 FOR CATEGORICAL EXCLUSION.—The forest management 

15 activities designated under subsection (a) for a categorical 

16 exclusion are— 

17 (1) the development and approval of a vegeta18 tion management, facility inspection, and operation 

19 and maintenance plan submitted under section 

20 512(c)(1) of the Federal Land Policy and Manage21 ment Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1772(c)(1)) by the 

22 Secretary concerned; and 

23 (2) the implementation of routine activities con24 ducted under the plan referred to in paragraph (1). 


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1 (c) AVAILABILITY OF CATEGORICAL EXCLUSION.— 

2 On and after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec3 retary concerned may use the categorical exclusion estab4 lished under subsection (a) in accordance with this section. 

5 (d) EXCLUSION OF CERTAIN AREAS FROM CATEGOR6 ICAL EXCLUSION.—The categorical exclusion established 

7 under subsection (a) shall not apply to any forest manage8 ment activity conducted— 

9 (1) in a component of the National Wilderness 

10 Preservation System; or 

11 (2) on National Forest System lands on which 

12 the removal of vegetation is restricted or prohibited 

13 by an Act of Congress. 

14 (e) PERMANENT ROADS.— 

15 (1) PROHIBITION ON ESTABLISHMENT.—A for16 est management activity designated under subsection 

17 (b) shall not include the establishment of a perma18 nent road. 

19 (2) EXISTING ROADS.—The Secretary con20 cerned may carry out necessary maintenance and re21 pair on an existing permanent road for the purposes 

22 of conducting a forest management activity des23 ignated under subsection (b). 

24 (3) TEMPORARY ROADS.—The Secretary con25 cerned shall decommission any temporary road conVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:37 Jan 17, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00068 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H471.IH H471

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1 structed for carrying out a forest management activ2 ity designated under subsection (b) not later than 

3 the date that is 3 years after the date on which the 

4 forest management activity is completed. 

5 (f) APPLICABLE LAWS.—Clauses (iii) and (iv) of sec6 tion 106(a)(3) shall apply to forest management activities 

7 designated under subsection (b). 

8 SEC. 205. SEEDS OF SUCCESS. 

9 (a) STRATEGY ESTABLISHED.—Not later than 2 

10 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secre11 taries and the Secretary of Defense shall jointly develop 

12 and implement a strategy, to be known as the ‘‘Seeds of 

13 Success strategy’’, to enhance the domestic supply chain 

14 of seeds. 

15 (b) ELEMENTS.—The strategy required under sub16 section (a) shall include a plan for each of the following: 

17 (1) Facilitating sustained interagency coordina18 tion in, and a comprehensive approach to, native 

19 plant materials development and restoration. 

20 (2) Promoting the re-seeding of native or fire21 resistant vegetation post-wildfire, particularly in the 

22 wildland-urban interface. 

23 (3) Creating and consolidating information on 

24 native or fire-resistant vegetation and sharing such 


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1 information with State governments, Indian Tribes, 

2 and local governments. 

3 (4) Building regional programs and partner4 ships to promote the development of materials made 

5 from plants native to the United States and restore 

6 such plants to their respective, native habitats within 

7 the United States, giving priority to the building of 

8 such programs and partnerships in regions of the 

9 Bureau of Land Management where such partner10 ships and programs do not already exist as of the 

11 date of enactment of this Act. 

12 (5) Expanding seed storage and seed-cleaning 

13 infrastructure. 

14 (6) Expanding the Warehouse System of the 

15 Bureau of Land Management, particularly the cold 

16 storage capacity of the Warehouse System. 

17 (7) Shortening the timeline for the approval of 

18 permits to collect seeds on public lands managed by 

19 the Bureau of Land Management. 

20 (c) REPORT.—The Secretaries and the Secretary of 

21 Defense shall submit to the relevant Congressional Com22 mittees the strategy developed under paragraph (1). 


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1 SEC. 206. PROGRAM TO SUPPORT PRIORITY REFOREST2 ATION AND RESTORATION PROJECTS OF DE3 PARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 

5 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Inte6 rior, in coordination with the heads of covered Federal 

7 agencies, shall establish a program to provide support for 

8 priority projects identified under subsection (c)(2), in ac9 cordance with this section. 

10 (b) SUPPORT.—In carrying out the program under 

11 subsection (a), the Secretary may provide support 

12 through— 

13 (1) cooperative agreements entered into in ac14 cordance with processes established by the Sec15 retary; and 

16 (2) contracts, including contracts established 

17 pursuant to the Indian Self-Determination and Edu18 cation Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.). 

19 (c) ANNUAL IDENTIFICATION OF PRIORITY

20 PROJECTS.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enact21 ment of this Act and annually thereafter, the Secretary 

22 of the Interior, in consultation with the heads of covered 

23 Federal agencies, shall— 

24 (1) identify lands of the United States adminis25 tered by, or under the jurisdiction of, the Secretary 

26 of the Interior that require reforestation and resVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:37 Jan 17, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00071 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H471.IH H471

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1 toration due to unplanned disturbances and that are 

2 unlikely to experience natural regeneration without 

3 assistance; and 

4 (2) establish a list of priority projects for refor5 estation and restoration for the upcoming year, 

6 which may include activities to ensure adequate and 

7 appropriate seed and seedling availability to further 

8 the objectives of other priority projects. 

9 (d) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out the program 

10 under subsection (a) and the requirements under sub11 section (c), the Secretary shall consult or collaborate with, 

12 as appropriate, and inform the following: 

13 (1) State and local governments. 

14 (2) Indian Tribes. 

15 (3) Covered institutions of higher education. 

16 (4) Federal agencies that administer lands of 

17 the United States that adjoin or are proximal to 

18 lands that are the subject of priority projects and 

19 potential priority projects. 

20 (5) Other stakeholders, as determined by the 

21 Secretary. 

22 (e) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after 

23 the date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, 

24 the Secretary of the Interior shall submit to the relevant 


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1 Congressional Committees a report that includes the fol2 lowing: 

3 (1) An accounting of all lands identified under 

4 subsection (c)(1) for the period covered by the re5 port. 

6 (2) A list of priority projects identified under 

7 subsection (c)(2) for the period covered by the re8 port and, with respect to each such priority project, 

9 any support issued under the program under sub10 section (a) and any progress made towards reforest11 ation and restoration. 

12 (3) An accounting of each contract and cooper13 ative agreement established under the program 

14 under subsection (a). 

15 (4) A description of the actions taken in accord16 ance with subsection (d). 

17 (5) Assessments with respect to— 

18 (A) gaps in— 

19 (i) the implementation of the program 

20 under subsection (a); and 

21 (ii) the progress made under the pro22 gram with respect to priority projects; and 

23 (B) opportunities to procure funding nec24 essary to address any such gaps. 


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1 (f) NONDUPLICATION.—In carrying out this section, 

2 the Secretary of the Interior shall collaborate with the Sec3 retary and the Secretary of Defense to ensure the non4 duplication of activities carried out under section 205. 

5 (g) SUNSET.—The authority provided under this sec6 tion shall terminate on the date that is 7 years after the 

7 date of enactment of this Act. 

8 (h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

9 (1) COVERED FEDERAL AGENCY.—The term 

10 ‘‘covered Federal agency’’ means the National Park 

11 Service, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, 

12 the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of 

13 Reclamation, or the Bureau of Indian Affairs. 

14 (2) COVERED INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDU15 CATION.—The term ‘‘covered institution of higher 

16 education’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘eligible 

17 institution’’ in section 301(e)(3). 

18 (3) NATURAL REGENERATION; REFOREST19 ATION.—The terms ‘‘natural regeneration’’ and ‘‘re20 forestation’’ have the meanings given such terms in 

21 section 3(e)(4)(A) of the Forest and Rangeland Re22 newable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 

23 1601(3)(4)(A)). 

24 (4) RESTORATION.—The term ‘‘restoration’’ 

25 means activities that facilitate the recovery of an 


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1 ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or de2 stroyed, including the reestablishment of appropriate 

3 plant species composition and community structure. 

4 (5) UNPLANNED ECOSYSTEM DISTURBANCE.— 

5 The term ‘‘unplanned ecosystem disturbance’’ means 

6 any unplanned disturbance that disrupts the struc7 ture or composition of an ecosystem, including a 

8 wildfire, an infestation of insects or disease, and a 

9 weather event. 

10 SEC. 207. FIRE DEPARTMENT REPAYMENT. 

11 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF STANDARD OPERATING

12 PROCEDURES.—Not later than 1 year after the date of 

13 the enactment of this section, the Secretaries shall— 

14 (1) establish standard operating procedures re15 lating to payment timelines for fire suppression cost 

16 share agreements established under the Act of May 

17 27, 1955 (42 U.S.C. 1856a) (commonly known as 

18 the ‘‘Reciprocal Fire Protection Act’’); and 

19 (2) with respect to each fire suppression cost 

20 share agreement in operation on such date— 

21 (A) review each such agreement; and 

22 (B) modify each agreement as necessary to 

23 comply with the standard operating procedures 

24 required under paragraph (1). 


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1 (b) ALIGNMENT OF FIRE SUPPRESSION COST SHARE

2 AGREEMENTS WITH COOPERATIVE FIRE PROTECTION

3 AGREEMENTS.—The standard operating procedures re4 quired under subsection (a)(1) shall include a requirement 

5 that each fire suppression cost share agreement be aligned 

6 with each of the cooperative fire protection agreements ap7 plicable to the entity subject to such fire suppression cost 

8 share agreement. 

9 (c) PAYMENTS PURSUANT TO COST SHARE AGREE10 MENTS.—With respect to payments made pursuant to fire 

11 suppression cost share agreements, the standard operating 

12 procedures required under subsection (a)(1) shall require 

13 that the Federal paying entity reimburse a local fire de14 partment if such fire department submits an invoice in 

15 accordance with cost settlement procedures. 

16 (d) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con17 gress that the Secretaries should carry out reciprocal fire 

18 suppression cost share agreement repayments to local fire 

19 suppression organizations as soon as practicable after fire 

20 suppression occurs but not later than 1 year after fire sup21 pression occurs. 


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1 TITLE III—TRANSPARENCY, 

2 TECHNOLOGY, AND PARTNER3 SHIPS 

4 Subtitle A—Transparency and 

5 Technology 

6 SEC. 301. BIOCHAR INNOVATIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES 

7 FOR CONSERVATION, HEALTH, AND AD8 VANCEMENTS IN RESEARCH. 

9 (a) DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS.— 

10 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

11 (A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the avail12 ability of appropriations made in advance for 

13 such purpose, not later than 2 years after the 

14 date of enactment of this Act, the covered Sec15 retaries shall establish a program to enter into 

16 partnerships with eligible entities to carry out 

17 demonstration projects to support the develop18 ment and commercialization of biochar in ac19 cordance with this subsection. 

20 (B) LOCATION OF DEMONSTRATION

21 PROJECTS.—In carrying out the program estab22 lished under subparagraph (A), the covered 

23 Secretaries shall, to the maximum extent prac24 ticable, enter into partnerships with eligible en25 tities such that not fewer than one demonstraVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:37 Jan 17, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00077 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H471.IH H471

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1 tion project is carried out in each region of the 

2 Forest Service and each region of the Bureau 

3 of Land Management. 

4 (2) PROPOSALS.—To be eligible to enter into a 

5 partnership to carry out a biochar demonstration 

6 project under paragraph (1)(A), an eligible entity 

7 shall submit to the covered Secretaries a proposal at 

8 such time, in such manner, and containing such in9 formation as the covered Secretaries may require. 

10 (3) PRIORITY.—In selecting proposals under 

11 paragraph (2), the covered Secretaries shall give pri12 ority to entering into partnerships with eligible enti13 ties that submit proposals to carry out biochar dem14 onstration projects that— 

15 (A) have the most carbon sequestration po16 tential; 

17 (B) have the most potential to create new 

18 jobs and contribute to local economies, particu19 larly in rural areas; 

20 (C) have the most potential to dem21 onstrate— 

22 (i) new and innovative uses of biochar; 

23 (ii) market viability for cost effective 

24 biochar-based products; 


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1 (iii) the ecosystem services created or 

2 supported by the use of biochar; 

3 (iv) the restorative benefits of biochar 

4 with respect to forest heath and resiliency, 

5 including forest soils and watersheds; or 

6 (v) any combination of purposes speci7 fied in clauses (i) through (iv); 

8 (D) are located in areas that have a high 

9 need for biochar production, as determined by 

10 the covered Secretaries, due to— 

11 (i) nearby lands identified as having 

12 high or very high or extreme risk of wild13 fire; 

14 (ii) availability of sufficient quantities 

15 of feedstocks; or 

16 (iii) a high level of demand for 

17 biochar or other commercial byproducts of 

18 biochar; or 

19 (E) satisfy any combination of purposes 

20 specified in subparagraphs (A) through (D). 

21 (4) USE OF FUNDS.—In carrying out the pro22 gram established under paragraph (1)(A), the cov23 ered Secretaries may enter into partnerships and 

24 provide funding to such partnerships to carry out 

25 demonstration projects to— 


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1 (A) acquire and test various feedstocks and 

2 their efficacy; 

3 (B) develop and optimize commercially and 

4 technologically viable biochar production units, 

5 including mobile and permanent units; 

6 (C) demonstrate— 

7 (i) the production of biochar from for8 est residue; and 

9 (ii) the use of biochar to restore forest 

10 health and resiliency; 

11 (D) build, expand, or establish biochar fa12 cilities; 

13 (E) conduct research on new and innova14 tive uses of biochar; 

15 (F) demonstrate cost-effective market op16 portunities for biochar and biochar-based prod17 ucts; 

18 (G) carry out any other activities the cov19 ered Secretaries determine appropriate; or 

20 (H) any combination of the purposes speci21 fied in subparagraphs (A) through (F). 

22 (5) FEEDSTOCK REQUIREMENTS.—To the max23 imum extent practicable, an eligible entity that car24 ries out a biochar demonstration project under this 

25 subsection shall, with respect to the feedstock used 


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1 under such project, derive at least 50 percent of 

2 such feedstock from forest thinning and manage3 ment activities, including mill residues, conducted on 

4 National Forest System lands or public lands. 

5 (6) REVIEW OF BIOCHAR DEMONSTRATION.— 

6 (A) IN GENERAL.—The covered Secretaries 

7 shall conduct regionally-specific research, in8 cluding economic analyses and life-cycle assess9 ments, on any biochar produced from a dem10 onstration project carried out under the pro11 gram established in paragraph (1)(A), includ12 ing— 

13 (i) the effects of such biochar on— 

14 (I) forest health and resiliency; 

15 (II) carbon capture and seques16 tration, including increasing soil car17 bon in the short-term and long-term; 

18 (III) productivity, reduced input 

19 costs, and water retention in agricul20 tural practices; 

21 (IV) the health of soil and grass22 lands used for grazing activities, in23 cluding grazing activities on National 

24 Forest System land and public land; 


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1 (V) environmental remediation 

2 activities, including abandoned mine 

3 land remediation; and 

4 (VI) other ecosystem services cre5 ated or supported by the use of 

6 biochar; 

7 (ii) the effectiveness of biochar as a 

8 co-product of biofuels or in biochemicals; 

9 and 

10 (iii) the effectiveness of other poten11 tial uses of biochar to determine if any 

12 such use is technologically and commer13 cially viable. 

14 (B) COORDINATION.—The covered Secre15 taries shall, to the maximum extent practicable, 

16 provide data, analyses, and other relevant infor17 mation collected under subparagraph (A) with 

18 recipients of a grant under subsection (b). 

19 (7) LIMITATION ON FUNDING FOR ESTAB20 LISHING BIOCHAR FACILITIES.—If the covered Sec21 retaries provide to an eligible entity that enters into 

22 a partnership with the covered Secretaries under 

23 paragraph (1)(A) funding for establishing a biochar 

24 facility, such funding may not exceed 35 percent of 


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1 the total capital cost of establishing such biochar fa2 cility. 

3 (b) BIOCHAR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT GRANT

4 PROGRAM.— 

5 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of the In6 terior, in consultation with the Secretary of Energy, 

7 shall establish or expand an existing applied biochar 

8 research and development grant program to make 

9 competitive grants to eligible institutions to carry 

10 out the activities described in paragraph (3). 

11 (2) APPLICATIONS.—To be eligible to receive a 

12 grant under this subsection, an eligible institution 

13 shall submit to the Secretary a proposal at such 

14 time, in such manner, and containing such informa15 tion as the Secretary may require. 

16 (3) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible institution 

17 that receives a grant under this subsection shall use 

18 the grant funds to conduct applied research on— 

19 (A) the effect of biochar on forest health 

20 and resiliency, accounting for variations in 

21 biochar, soil, climate, and other factors; 

22 (B) the effect of biochar on soil health and 

23 water retention, accounting for variations in 

24 biochar, soil, climate, and other factors; 


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1 (C) the long-term carbon sequestration po2 tential of biochar; 

3 (D) the best management practices with 

4 respect to biochar and biochar-based products 

5 that maximize— 

6 (i) carbon sequestration benefits; and 

7 (ii) the commercial viability and appli8 cation of such products in forestry, agri9 culture, environmental remediation, water 

10 quality improvement, and any other similar 

11 uses, as determined by the Secretary; 

12 (E) the regional uses of biochar to increase 

13 productivity and profitability, including— 

14 (i) uses in agriculture and environ15 mental remediation; and 

16 (ii) use as a co-product in fuel produc17 tion; 

18 (F) new and innovative uses for biochar 

19 byproducts; and 

20 (G) opportunities to expand markets for 

21 biochar and create related jobs, particularly in 

22 rural areas. 

23 (c) REPORTS.— 

24 (1) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 2 

25 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the 


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1 covered Secretaries shall submit to Congress a re2 port that— 

3 (A) includes policy and program rec4 ommendations to improve the widespread use of 

5 biochar; 

6 (B) identifies any area of research needed 

7 to advance biochar commercialization; and 

8 (C) identifies barriers to further biochar 

9 commercialization, including permitting and 

10 siting considerations. 

11 (2) MATERIALS SUBMITTED IN SUPPORT OF

12 THE PRESIDENT’S BUDGET.—Beginning with the 

13 second fiscal year that begins after the date of en14 actment of this Act and annually thereafter until the 

15 date described in subsection (d), the covered Secre16 taries shall include in the materials submitted to 

17 Congress in support of the President’s budget pursu18 ant to section 1105 of title 31, United States Code, 

19 a report describing, for the fiscal year covered by the 

20 report, the status of each demonstration project car21 ried out under subsection (a) and each research and 

22 development grant carried out under subsection (b). 

23 (d) SUNSET.—The authority to carry out this section 

24 shall terminate on the date that is 7 years after the date 

25 of enactment of this Act. 


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1 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

2 (1) BIOCHAR.—The term ‘‘biochar’’ means car3 bonized biomass produced by converting feedstock 

4 through reductive thermal processing for non-fuel 

5 uses. 

6 (2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti7 ty’’ means— 

8 (A) a State, local, special district, or Tribal 

9 government; 

10 (B) an eligible institution; 

11 (C) a private, non-private, or cooperative 

12 entity or organization; 

13 (D) a National Laboratory (as such term 

14 is defined in section 2 of the Energy Policy Act 

15 of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15801)); or 

16 (E) a partnership or consortium of two or 

17 more entities described in subparagraphs (A) 

18 through (D). 

19 (3) ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION.—The term ‘‘eligi20 ble institution’’ means land-grant colleges and uni21 versities, including institutions eligible for funding 

22 under the— 

23 (A) Act of July 2, 1862 (12 Stat. 503, 

24 chapter 130; 7 U.S.C. 301 et seq.); 


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1 (B) Act of August 30, 1890 (26 Stat. 417, 

2 chapter 841; 7 U.S.C. 321 et seq.), including 

3 Tuskegee University; 

4 (C) Public Law 87–788 (commonly known 

5 as the ‘‘McIntire-Stennis Act of 1962’’); or 

6 (D) Equity in Educational Land-Grant 

7 Status Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 301 note; Public 

8 Law 103–382). 

9 (4) FEEDSTOCK.—The term ‘‘feedstock’’ means 

10 excess biomass in the form of plant matter or mate11 rials that serves as the raw material for the produc12 tion of biochar. 

13 (5) COVERED SECRETARIES.—The term ‘‘cov14 ered Secretaries’’ means— 

15 (A) the Secretary, acting through the Chief 

16 of the Forest Service; 

17 (B) the Secretary of the Interior, acting 

18 through the Director of the Bureau of Land 

19 Management; and 

20 (C) the Secretary of Energy, acting 

21 through the Director of the Office of Science. 


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1 SEC. 302. ACCURATE HAZARDOUS FUELS REDUCTION RE2 PORTS. 

3 (a) INCLUSION OF HAZARDOUS FUELS REDUCTION

4 REPORT IN MATERIALS SUBMITTED IN SUPPORT OF THE

5 PRESIDENT’S BUDGET.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—Beginning with the first fis7 cal year that begins after the date of enactment of 

8 this Act, and each fiscal year thereafter, the Sec9 retary concerned shall include in the materials sub10 mitted to Congress in support of the President’s 

11 budget pursuant to section 1105 of title 31, United 

12 States Code, a report on the number of acres of 

13 Federal land on which the Secretary concerned car14 ried out hazardous fuels reduction activities during 

15 the preceding fiscal year. 

16 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—For purposes of the re17 port required under paragraph (1), the Secretary 

18 concerned shall— 

19 (A) in determining the number of acres of 

20 Federal land on which the Secretary concerned 

21 carried out hazardous fuels reduction activities 

22 during the period covered by the report— 

23 (i) record acres of Federal land on 

24 which hazardous fuels reduction activities 

25 were completed during such period; and 


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1 (ii) record each acre described in 

2 clause (i) once in the report, regardless of 

3 whether multiple hazardous fuels reduction 

4 activities were carried out on such acre 

5 during such period; and 

6 (B) with respect to the acres of Federal 

7 land recorded in the report, include information 

8 on— 

9 (i) which such acres are located in the 

10 wildland-urban interface; 

11 (ii) the level of wildfire risk (high, 

12 moderate, or low) on the first and last day 

13 of the period covered by the report; 

14 (iii) the types of hazardous fuels ac15 tivities completed for such acres, delin16 eating between whether such activities 

17 were conducted— 

18 (I) in a wildfire managed for re19 source benefits; or 

20 (II) through a planned project; 

21 (iv) the cost per acre of hazardous 

22 fuels activities carried out during the pe23 riod covered by the report; 

24 (v) the region or system unit in which 

25 the acres are located; and 


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1 (vi) the effectiveness of the hazardous 

2 fuels reduction activities on reducing the 

3 risk of wildfire. 

4 (3) TRANSPARENCY.—The Secretary concerned 

5 shall make each report submitted under paragraph 

6 (1) publicly available on the websites of the Depart7 ment of Agriculture and the Department of the Inte8 rior, as applicable. 

9 (b) ACCURATE DATA COLLECTION.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 

11 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary con12 cerned shall implement standardized procedures for 

13 tracking data related to hazardous fuels reduction 

14 activities carried out by the Secretary concerned. 

15 (2) ELEMENTS.—The standardized procedures 

16 required under paragraph (1) shall include— 

17 (A) regular, standardized data reviews of 

18 the accuracy and timely input of data used to 

19 track hazardous fuels reduction activities; 

20 (B) verification methods that validate 

21 whether such data accurately correlates to the 

22 hazardous fuels reduction activities carried out 

23 by the Secretary concerned; 


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1 (C) an analysis of the short- and long-term 

2 effectiveness of the hazardous fuels reduction 

3 activities on reducing the risk of wildfire; and 

4 (D) for hazardous fuels reduction activities 

5 that occur partially within the wildland-urban 

6 interface, methods to distinguish which acres 

7 are located within the wildland-urban interface 

8 and which acres are located outside the 

9 wildland-urban interface. 

10 (3) REPORT.—Not later than 2 weeks after im11 plementing the standardized procedures required 

12 under paragraph (1), the Secretary concerned shall 

13 submit to Congress a report that describes— 

14 (A) such standardized procedures; and 

15 (B) program and policy recommendations 

16 to Congress to address any limitations in track17 ing data related to hazardous fuels reduction 

18 activities under this subsection. 

19 (c) GAO STUDY.—Not later than 2 years after the 

20 date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 

21 of the United States shall— 

22 (1) conduct a study on the implementation of 

23 this section, including any limitations with respect 

24 to— 


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1 (A) reporting hazardous fuels reduction ac2 tivities under subsection (a); or 

3 (B) tracking data related to hazardous 

4 fuels reduction activities under subsection (b); 

5 and 

6 (2) submit to Congress a report that describes 

7 the results of the study under paragraph (1). 

8 (d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

9 (1) HAZARDOUS FUELS REDUCTION ACTIV10 ITY.—The term ‘‘hazardous fuels reduction activ11 ity’’— 

12 (A) means any vegetation management ac13 tivity to reduce the risk of wildfire, including 

14 mechanical treatments, grazing, and prescribed 

15 burning; and 

16 (B) does not include the awarding of con17 tracts to conduct hazardous fuels reduction ac18 tivities. 

19 (2) FEDERAL LANDS.—The term ‘‘Federal 

20 lands’’ means lands under the jurisdiction of the 

21 Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary. 

22 (e) NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS AUTHORIZED.—No addi23 tional funds are authorized to carry out the requirements 

24 of this section, and the activities authorized by this section 


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1 are subject to the availability of appropriations made in 

2 advance for such purposes. 

3 SEC. 303. PUBLIC-PRIVATE WILDFIRE TECHNOLOGY DE4 PLOYMENT AND DEMONSTRATION PARTNER5 SHIP. 

6 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

7 (1) COVERED AGENCY.—The term ‘‘covered 

8 agency’’ means— 

9 (A) each Federal land management agency 

10 (as such term is defined in the Federal Lands 

11 Recreation Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 

12 6801)); 

13 (B) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

14 Administration; 

15 (C) the United States Fire Administration; 

16 (D) the Federal Emergency Management 

17 Agency; 

18 (E) the National Aeronautics and Space 

19 Administration; 

20 (F) the Bureau of Indian Affairs; 

21 (G) the Department of Defense; 

22 (H) a State, Tribal, county, or municipal 

23 fire department or district operating through 

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1 suant to an agreement with a Federal agency; 

2 and 

3 (I) any other Federal agency involved in 

4 wildfire response. 

5 (2) COVERED ENTITY.—The term ‘‘covered en6 tity’’ means— 

7 (A) a private entity; 

8 (B) a nonprofit organization; or 

9 (C) an institution of higher education (as 

10 defined in section 101 of the Higher Education 

11 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)). 

12 (b) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 

13 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretaries, in coordina14 tion with the heads of the covered agencies, shall establish 

15 a deployment and demonstration pilot program (in this 

16 section referred to as ‘‘Pilot Program’’) for new and inno17 vative wildfire prevention, detection, communication, and 

18 mitigation technologies. 

19 (c) FUNCTIONS.—In carrying out the Pilot Program, 

20 the Secretaries shall— 

21 (1) incorporate the Pilot Program into the Na22 tional Wildfire Coordinating Group; 

23 (2) in consultation with the heads of covered 

24 agencies, identify and advance the demonstration 

25 and deployment of key technology priority areas with 


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1 respect to wildfire prevention, detection, communica2 tion, and mitigation technologies, including— 

3 (A) hazardous fuels reduction treatments 

4 or activities; 

5 (B) dispatch communications; 

6 (C) remote sensing, detection, and track7 ing; 

8 (D) safety equipment; 

9 (E) common operating pictures or oper10 ational dashboards; and 

11 (F) interoperable commercial data; and 

12 (3) connect each covered entity selected to par13 ticipate in the Pilot Program with the appropriate 

14 covered agency to coordinate real-time and on-the15 ground testing of technology during wildland fire 

16 mitigation activities and training. 

17 (d) APPLICATIONS.—To be eligible to be selected to 

18 participate in the Pilot Program, a covered entity shall 

19 submit to the Secretaries an application at such time, in 

20 such manner, and containing such information as the Sec21 retaries may require, including a proposal to demonstrate 

22 technologies specific to the key technology priority areas 

23 identified pursuant to subsection (c)(2). 

24 (e) PRIORITIZATION OF EMERGING TECH25 NOLOGIES.—In selecting covered entities to participate in 


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1 the Pilot Program, the Secretaries shall give priority to 

2 covered entities— 

3 (1) that have participated in the Fire Weather 

4 Testbed of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

5 Administration; or 

6 (2) developing and applying emerging tech7 nologies for wildfire mitigation, including artificial 

8 intelligence, quantum sensing, computing and quan9 tum-hybrid applications, thermal mid-wave infrared 

10 equipped low earth orbit satellites, augmented re11 ality, 5G private networks, and device-to-device com12 munications supporting nomadic mesh networks and 

13 detection. 

14 (f) OUTREACH.—The Secretaries, in coordination 

15 with the heads of covered agencies, shall make public the 

16 key technology priority areas identified pursuant to sub17 section (c)(2) and invite covered entities to apply under 

18 subsection (d) to deploy and demonstrate their tech19 nologies to address such priority areas. 

20 (g) REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.—Not later 

21 than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, and 

22 annually thereafter for the duration of the Pilot Program, 

23 the Secretaries shall submit to the relevant Congressional 

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1 mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 

2 Senate a report that includes, with respect to the Pilot 

3 Program, the following: 

4 (1) A list of participating covered entities. 

5 (2) A brief description of the technologies de6 ployed and demonstrated by each such covered enti7 ty. 

8 (3) An estimate of the cost of acquiring each 

9 such technology and applying the technology at 

10 scale. 

11 (4) Outreach efforts by Federal agencies to cov12 ered entities developing wildfire technologies. 

13 (5) Assessments of, and recommendations relat14 ing to, new technologies with potential adoption and 

15 application at-scale in Federal land management 

16 agencies’ wildfire prevention, detection, communica17 tion, and mitigation efforts. 

18 (6) A description of the relationship and coordi19 nation between the Pilot Program and the activities 

20 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis21 tration, including the Fire Weather Testbed. 

22 (h) SUNSET.—The authority to carry out this section 

23 shall terminate on the date that is 7 years after the date 

24 of enactment of this Act. 


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1 SEC. 304. GAO STUDY ON FOREST SERVICE POLICIES. 

2 Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment 

3 of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 

4 shall— 

5 (1) conduct a study evaluating— 

6 (A) the effectiveness of Forest Service 

7 wildland firefighting operations; 

8 (B) transparency and accountability meas9 ures in the Forest Service’s budget and ac10 counting process; and 

11 (C) the suitability and feasibility of estab12 lishing a new Federal agency with the responsi13 bility of responding and suppressing wildland 

14 fires on Federal lands; and 

15 (2) submit to Congress a report that describes 

16 the results of the study required under paragraph 

17 (1). 

18 SEC. 305. FOREST SERVICE WESTERN HEADQUARTERS 

19 STUDY. 

20 Not later than 5 years after the date of enactment 

21 of this Act, the Chief of the Forest Service shall— 

22 (1) conduct a study evaluating— 

23 (A) potential locations for a Western head24 quarters for the Forest Service, including po25 tential locations in at least 3 different States lo26 cated west of the Mississippi river; and 


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1 (B) the potential benefits of creating a 

2 Western headquarters for the Forest Service, 

3 including expected— 

4 (i) improvements to customer service; 

5 (ii) improvements to employee recruit6 ment and retention; and 

7 (iii) operational efficiencies and cost 

8 savings; and 

9 (2) submit to Congress a report that describes 

10 the results of the study required under paragraph 

11 (1). 

12 SEC. 306. KEEPING FOREST PLANS CURRENT AND MON13 ITORED. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary— 

15 (1) to the greatest extent practicable and sub16 ject to the availability of appropriations made in ad17 vance for such purpose— 

18 (A) ensure forest plans comply with the re19 quirements of section 6(f)(5)(A) of the Forest 

20 and Rangeland Resources Planning Act of 1974 

21 (16 U.S.C. 1604(f)(5)(A)); and 

22 (B) prioritize revising any forest plan not 

23 in compliance with such section 6(f)(5)(A); 

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1 able Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 

2 1604(f)(5)(A)) solely because more than 15 years 

3 have passed without revision of the plan for a unit 

4 of the National Forest System; 

5 (3) not later than 120 days after the date of 

6 the enactment of this Act, submit to the relevant 

7 Congressional Committees the date on which each 

8 forest plan required by such section 6 was most re9 cently revised, amended, or modified; 

10 (4) seek to publish a new, complete version of 

11 a forest plan that the Secretary has been directed to 

12 amend, revise, or modify by a court order within 60 

13 days of such amendment, revision, or modification, 

14 subject to the availability of appropriations made in 

15 advance for such purpose; and 

16 (5) maintain a central, publicly accessible 

17 website with links to— 

18 (A) the most recently available forest plan 

19 adopted, amended, or modified by a court order 

20 as a single document; and 

21 (B) the most recently published forest plan 

22 monitoring report for each unit of the National 

23 Forest System. 

24 (b) GOOD FAITH UPDATES.—If the Secretary is not 

25 acting expeditiously and in good faith, within the funding 


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1 available to revise, amend, or modify a plan for a unit 

2 of the National Forest System as required by law or a 

3 court order, subsection (a) shall be void with respect to 

4 such plan and a court of proper jurisdiction may order 

5 completion of the plan on an accelerated basis. 

6 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

7 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit 

8 a report to the relevant Congressional Committees sum9 marizing the implementation of this section. 

10 SEC. 307. CONTAINER AERIAL FIREFIGHTING SYSTEM 

11 (CAFFS). 

12 (a) EVALUATION.—Not later than 90 days after the 

13 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary and the 

14 Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the National 

15 Interagency Aviation Committee and the Interagency 

16 Airtanker Board, shall jointly conduct an evaluation of the 

17 container aerial firefighting system to assess the use of 

18 such system to mitigate and suppress wildfires. 

19 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 120 days after the date 

20 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary and the Sec21 retary of the Interior, in consultation with the National 

22 Interagency Aviation Committee and the Interagency 

23 Airtanker Board, shall jointly submit to the relevant Con24 gressional Committees a report that includes the results 

25 of the evaluation required under subsection (a). 


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1 SEC. 308. STUDY ON PINE BEETLE INFESTATION. 

2 Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 

3 of this Act, the Secretary, acting through the Chief of the 

4 Forest Service, shall— 

5 (1) carry out a study on the causes and effects 

6 of, and solutions for, the infestation of pine beetles 

7 in the Northeastern region of the United States; and 

8 (2) submit to the relevant Congressional Com9 mittees a report that includes the results of the 

10 study required under paragraph (1). 

11 Subtitle B—White Oak Resilience 

12 SEC. 311. WHITE OAK RESTORATION INITIATIVE COALI13 TION. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—The White Oak Restoration Ini15 tiative Coalition shall be established— 

16 (1) as a voluntary collaborative group of Fed17 eral, State, Tribal, and local governments and pri18 vate and non-governmental organizations to carry 

19 out the duties described in subsection (b); and 

20 (2) in accordance with the charter titled ‘‘White 

21 Oak Initiative Coalition Charter’’ adopted by the 

22 White Oak Initiative Board of Directors on March 

23 21, 2023 (or a successor charter). 

24 (b) DUTIES.—In addition to the duties specified in 

25 the charter described in subsection (a)(2), the duties of 

26 the White Oak Restoration Initiative Coalition are— 


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1 (1) to coordinate Federal, State, Tribal, local, 

2 private, and non-governmental restoration of white 

3 oak in the United States; and 

4 (2) to make program and policy recommenda5 tions, consistent with applicable forest management 

6 plans, with respect to— 

7 (A) changes necessary to address Federal 

8 and State policies that impede activities to im9 prove the health, resiliency, and natural regen10 eration of white oak; 

11 (B) adopting or modifying Federal and 

12 State policies to increase the pace and scale of 

13 white oak regeneration and resiliency of white 

14 oak; 

15 (C) options to enhance communication, co16 ordination, and collaboration between forest 

17 land owners, particularly for cross-boundary 

18 projects, to improve the health, resiliency, and 

19 natural regeneration of white oak; 

20 (D) research gaps that should be ad21 dressed to improve the best available science on 

22 white oak; 

23 (E) outreach to forest landowners with 

24 white oak or white oak regeneration potential; 

25 and 


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1 (F) options and policies necessary to im2 prove the quality and quantity of white oak in 

3 tree nurseries. 

4 (c) ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT, TECHNICAL SERV5 ICES, AND STAFF SUPPORT.—The Secretary of the Inte6 rior and the Secretary shall make such personnel available 

7 to the White Oak Restoration Initiative Coalition for ad8 ministrative support, technical services, and development 

9 and dissemination of educational materials as the Secre10 taries determine necessary to carry out this section. 

11 (d) PRIVATE FUNDING OF WHITE OAK RESTORA12 TION PROJECTS.—Subject to the availability of appropria13 tions made in advance for such purpose, the Secretary 

14 may make funds available to the White Oak Restoration 

15 Initiative Coalition to carry out this section from the ac16 count established pursuant to section 1241(f) of the Food 

17 Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3841(f)). 

18 SEC. 312. FOREST SERVICE PILOT PROGRAM. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through the 

20 Chief of the Forest Service, shall establish and carry out 

21 5 pilot projects in national forests to restore white oak 

22 in such forests through white oak restoration and natural 

23 regeneration practices that are consistent with applicable 

24 forest management plans. 


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1 (b) NATIONAL FORESTS RESERVED OR WITHDRAWN

2 FROM THE PUBLIC DOMAIN.—At least 3 pilot projects re3 quired under subsection (a) shall be carried out on na4 tional forests reserved or withdrawn from the public do5 main. 

6 (c) AUTHORITY TO ENTER INTO COOPERATIVE

7 AGREEMENTS.—The Secretary may enter into cooperative 

8 agreements to carry out the pilot projects required under 

9 subsection (a). 

10 (d) SUNSET.—The authority under this section shall 

11 terminate on the date that is 7 years after the date of 

12 the enactment of this Act. 

13 SEC. 313. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR WHITE OAK RE14 VIEW AND RESTORATION. 

15 (a) ASSESSMENT.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Inte17 rior shall carry out an assessment of land under the 

18 administrative jurisdiction of the Department of the 

19 Interior, including fish and wildlife refuges and 

20 abandoned mine land, to evaluate— 

21 (A) whether white oak is present on such 

22 land; and 

23 (B) the potential to restore white oak for24 ests on such land. 


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1 (2) USE OF INFORMATION.—In carrying out the 

2 assessment under paragraph (1), the Secretary may 

3 use information from sources other than the Depart4 ment of the Interior, including from the White Oak 

5 Initiative and the Forest Service. 

6 (3) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after the 

7 date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary 

8 shall submit to Congress, and make publicly avail9 able on the website of the Department of the Inte10 rior, a report regarding the results of the assessment 

11 carried out under this subsection. 

12 (b) PILOT PROJECTS.—After the date on which the 

13 report required under subsection (a)(3) is submitted, the 

14 Secretary shall establish and carry out 5 pilot projects in 

15 different areas of land described in subsection (a)(1) to 

16 restore and naturally regenerate white oak. 

17 (c) AUTHORITY TO ENTER INTO COOPERATIVE

18 AGREEMENTS.—The Secretary of the Interior may enter 

19 into cooperative agreements to carry out the pilot projects 

20 required under subsection (b). 

21 (d) SUNSET.—The authority under this section shall 

22 terminate on the date that is 7 years after the date of 

23 the enactment of this Act. 


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1 SEC. 314. WHITE OAK REGENERATION AND UPLAND OAK 

2 HABITAT. 

3 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days after 

4 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 

5 establish a non-regulatory program to be known as the 

6 ‘‘White Oak and Upland Oak Habitat Regeneration Pro7 gram’’ (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Program’’). 

8 (b) DUTIES.—In carrying out the Program, the Sec9 retary shall— 

10 (1) draw upon the best available science and 

11 management plans for species of white oak to iden12 tify, prioritize, and implement restoration and con13 servation activities that will improve the growth of 

14 white oak within the United States; 

15 (2) collaborate and coordinate with the White 

16 Oak Restoration Initiative Coalition to prioritize 

17 white oak restoration initiatives; 

18 (3) adopt a white oak restoration strategy 

19 that— 

20 (A) supports the implementation of a 

21 shared set of science-based restoration and con22 servation activities developed in accordance with 

23 paragraph (1); 

24 (B) targets cost effective projects with 

25 measurable results; and 


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1 (C) maximizes restoration outcomes with 

2 no net gain of Federal full-time equivalent em3 ployees; and 

4 (4) establish the voluntary grant and technical 

5 assistance programs in accordance with subsection 

6 (e). 

7 (c) COORDINATION.—In establishing the Program 

8 the Secretary, acting through the Chief of the Forest Serv9 ice, shall consult with— 

10 (1) the heads of Federal agencies, including— 

11 (A) the Director of the United States Fish 

12 and Wildlife Service; and 

13 (B) the Chief of the Natural Resources 

14 Conservation Service; and 

15 (2) the Governor of each State in which res16 toration efforts will be carried out pursuant to the 

17 Program. 

18 (d) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the Program in19 clude— 

20 (1) coordinating restoration and conservation 

21 activities among Federal, State, local, and Tribal en22 tities and conservation partners to address white oak 

23 restoration priorities; 


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1 (2) improving and regenerating white oak and 

2 upland oak forests and the wildlife habitat such for3 ests provide; 

4 (3) carrying out coordinated restoration and 

5 conservation activities that lead to the increased 

6 growth of species of white oak in native white oak 

7 regions on Federal, State, Tribal, and private land; 

8 (4) facilitating strategic planning to maximize 

9 the resilience of white oak systems and habitats 

10 under changing climate conditions; 

11 (5) engaging the public through outreach, edu12 cation, and citizen involvement to increase capacity 

13 and support for coordinated restoration and con14 servation activities for species of white oak; and 

15 (6) increasing scientific capacity to support the 

16 planning, monitoring, and research activities nec17 essary to carry out such coordinated restoration and 

18 conservation activities. 

19 (e) GRANTS AND ASSISTANCE.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—To the extent that funds are 

21 available to carry out this section, the Secretary 

22 shall establish a voluntary grant and technical as23 sistance program (in this section referred to as the 

24 ‘‘grant program’’) to achieve the purposes of the 

25 Program described in subsection (d). 


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1 (2) ADMINISTRATION.— 

2 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

3 enter into a cooperative agreement with the Na4 tional Fish and Wildlife Foundation (in this 

5 subsection referred to as the ‘‘Foundation’’) to 

6 manage and administer the grant program. 

7 (B) FUNDING.—Subject to the availability 

8 of appropriations made in advance for such 

9 purpose, after the Secretary enters into a coop10 erative agreement with the Foundation under 

11 subparagraph (A), the Foundation shall for 

12 each fiscal year, receive amounts to carry out 

13 this subsection in an advance payment of the 

14 entire amount on October 1, or as soon as prac15 ticable thereafter, of that fiscal year. 

16 (3) APPLICATION OF NATIONAL FISH AND

17 WILDLIFE FOUNDATION ESTABLISHMENT ACT.— 

18 Amounts received by the Foundation to carry out 

19 the grant program shall be subject to the National 

20 Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act (16 

21 U.S.C. 3701 et seq.), excluding section 10(a) of that 

22 Act (16 U.S.C. 3709(a)). 

23 (f) SUNSET.—The authority under this section shall 

24 terminate on the date that is 7 years after the date of 

25 the enactment of this Act. 


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1 SEC. 315. TREE NURSERY SHORTAGES. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 

3 date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary, acting 

4 through the Chief of the Forest Service, shall— 

5 (1) develop and implement a national strategy 

6 to increase the capacity of Federal, State, Tribal, 

7 and private tree nurseries to address the nationwide 

8 shortage of tree seedlings; and 

9 (2) coordinate such strategy with— 

10 (A) the national reforestation strategy of 

11 the Forest Service; and 

12 (B) each regional implementation plan for 

13 National Forests. 

14 (b) ELEMENTS.—The strategy required under sub15 section (a) shall— 

16 (1) be based on the best available science and 

17 data; and 

18 (2) identify and address— 

19 (A) regional seedling shortages of bareroot 

20 and container tree seedlings; 

21 (B) regional reforestation opportunities 

22 and the seedling supply necessary to fulfill such 

23 opportunities; 

24 (C) opportunities to enhance seedling di25 versity and close gaps in seed inventories; and 


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1 (D) barriers to expanding, enhancing, or 

2 creating new infrastructure to increase nursery 

3 capacity. 

4 SEC. 316. WHITE OAK RESEARCH. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may enter into a 

6 memorandum of understanding with an Indian Tribe or 

7 institution, including a covered land grant college, to col8 laboratively conduct research on— 

9 (1) white oak genes with resistance or tolerance 

10 to stress; 

11 (2) white oak trees that exhibit vigor for the 

12 purpose of increasing survival and growth; 

13 (3) establishing a genetically diverse white oak 

14 seeds bank capable of responding to stressors; 

15 (4) providing a sustainable supply of white oak 

16 seedlings and genetic resources; 

17 (5) improved methods for aligning seed sources 

18 with the future climate at planting sites; 

19 (6) reforestation of white oak through natural 

20 and artificial regeneration; 

21 (7) improved methods for retaining and increas22 ing white oak trees in forests; 

23 (8) improved methods for reforesting aban24 doned mine land sites; and 


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1 (9) economic and social aspects of white oak 

2 forest management across land ownerships. 

3 (b) CONSULT.—In carrying out the research under 

4 subsection (a), the Indian Tribe or institution, including 

5 a covered land grant college, that enters into the memo6 randum of understanding under such subsection may con7 sult with such States, nonprofit organizations, institutions 

8 of higher education, and other scientific bodies, as the en9 tity subject to such memorandum determines appropriate. 

10 (c) SUNSET.—The authority under this section shall 

11 terminate on the date that is 7 years after the date of 

12 the enactment of this Act. 

13 (d) COVERED LAND GRANT COLLEGE DEFINED.— 

14 In this section, the term ‘‘covered land grant college’’ 

15 means an 1862 Institution, an 1890 Institution, or a 1994 

16 Institution (as such terms are defined, respectively, in sec17 tion 2 of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Edu18 cation Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7601)). 

19 SEC. 317. USDA FORMAL INITIATIVE. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through the 

21 Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service and 

22 in coordination with the Chief of the Forest Service, shall 

23 establish a formal initiative on white oak to— 

24 (1) re-establish white oak forests where appro25 priate; 


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1 (2) improve management of existing white oak 

2 forests to foster natural regeneration of white oak; 

3 (3) provide technical assistance to private land4 owners to re-establish, improve management of, and 

5 naturally regenerate white oak; 

6 (4) improve and expand white oak nursery 

7 stock; and 

8 (5) adapt and improve white oak seedlings. 

9 (b) SUNSET.—The authority under this section shall 

10 terminate on the date that is 7 years after the date of 

11 the enactment of this Act. 

12 SEC. 318. AUTHORITIES. 

13 To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary of 

14 the Interior and the Secretary shall use the authorities 

15 provided under this title in combination with other au16 thorities to carry out projects, including— 

17 (1) good neighbor agreements entered into 

18 under section 8206 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 

19 (16 U.S.C. 2113) (as amended by this Act); and 

20 (2) stewardship contracting projects entered 

21 into under section 604 of the Healthy Forests Res22 toration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6591) (as amended 

23 by this Act). 


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1 TITLE IV—ENSURING CASUALTY 

2 ASSISTANCE FOR OUR FIRE3 FIGHTERS 

4 SEC. 401. WILDLAND FIRE MANAGEMENT CASUALTY AS5 SISTANCE PROGRAM. 

6 (a) DEVELOPMENT OF PROGRAM.—Not later than 6 

7 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

8 Secretary of the Interior shall develop a Wildland Fire 

9 Management Casualty Assistance Program (referred to in 

10 this section as the ‘‘Program’’) to provide assistance to 

11 the next-of-kin of— 

12 (1) firefighters who, while in the line of duty, 

13 suffer illness or are critically injured or killed; and 

14 (2) wildland fire support personnel critically in15 jured or killed in the line of duty. 

16 (b) ASPECTS OF PROGRAM.—The Program shall ad17 dress the following: 

18 (1) The initial and any subsequent notifications 

19 to the next-of-kin of firefighters or wildland fire sup20 port personnel who— 

21 (A) are killed in the line of duty; or 

22 (B) require hospitalization or treatment at 

23 a medical facility due to a line-of-duty injury or 

24 illness. 


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1 (2) The reimbursement of next-of-kin for ex2 penses associated with travel to visit firefighters or 

3 wildland fire support personnel who— 

4 (A) are killed in the line of duty; or 

5 (B) require hospitalization or treatment at 

6 a medical facility due to a line-of-duty injury or 

7 illness. 

8 (3) The qualifications, assignment, training, du9 ties, supervision, and accountability for the perform10 ance of casualty assistance responsibilities. 

11 (4) The relief or transfer of casualty assistance 

12 officers, including notification to survivors of critical 

13 injury or illness in the line of duty and next-of-kin 

14 of the reassignment of such officers to other duties. 

15 (5) Centralized, short-term and long-term case 

16 management procedures for casualty assistance, in17 cluding rapid access by survivors of firefighters or 

18 wildland fire support personnel and casualty assist19 ance officers to expert case managers and coun20 selors. 

21 (6) The provision, through a computer acces22 sible website and other means and at no cost to sur23 vivors and next-of-kin of firefighters or wildland fire 

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1 mation on the benefits and financial assistance avail2 able to such survivors from the Federal Government. 

3 (7) The provision of information to survivors 

4 and next-of-kin of firefighters or wildland fire sup5 port personnel on mechanisms for registering com6 plaints about, or requests for, additional assistance 

7 related to casualty assistance. 

8 (8) Liaison with the Department of the Inte9 rior, the Department of Justice, and the Social Se10 curity Administration to ensure prompt and accurate 

11 resolution of issues relating to benefits administered 

12 by those agencies for survivors of firefighters or 

13 wildland fire support personnel. 

14 (9) Data collection, in consultation with the 

15 United States Fire Administration and the National 

16 Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, re17 garding the incidence and quality of casualty assist18 ance provided to survivors of firefighters or wildland 

19 fire support personnel. 

20 (c) LINE-OF-DUTY DEATH BENEFITS.—The Pro21 gram shall not affect existing authorities for Line-of-Duty 

22 Death benefits for Federal firefighters and wildland fire 

23 support personnel. 

24 (d) NEXT-OF-KIN DEFINED.—In this section, the 

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1 est category of priority as determined by the following list 

2 (categories appear in descending order of priority): 

3 (1) Surviving legal spouse. 

4 (2) Children (whether by current or prior mar5 riage) age 18 years or older in descending order of 

6 precedence by age. 

7 (3) Father or mother, unless custody has been 

8 vested, by court order, in another (adoptive parent 

9 takes precedence over natural parent). 

10 (4) Siblings (whole or half) age 18 years or 

11 older in descending order of precedence by age. 

12 (5) Grandfather or grandmother. 

13 (6) Any other relative (order of precedence to 

14 be determined in accordance with the civil law of de15 scent of the deceased former member’s State of 

16 domicile at time of death). 

Æ 


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