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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5582 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5582

     To provide for white oak restoration, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 20, 2023

  Mr. Barr (for himself, Mr. Bera, Mr. DesJarlais, Mr. Cohen, and Mr. 
  McGarvey) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committees on Natural 
    Resources, and Education and the Workforce, 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 provide for white oak restoration, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``White Oak Resilience Act''.

SEC. 2. WHITE OAK RESTORATION INITIATIVE COALITION.

    (a) In General.--The White Oak Restoration Initiative Coalition 
shall be established--
            (1) as a voluntary collaborative group of public, State, 
        private and non-governmental organizations to carry out the 
        purposes described in subsection (b); and
            (2) in accordance with the charter titled ``White Oak 
        Initiative Coalition Charter'' adopted by the White Oak 
        Initiative Board of Directors on March 21, 2023 (or a successor 
        charter).
    (b) Duties.--In addition to the duties specified in the charter 
described in subsection (a)(2), the duties of the White Oak Restoration 
Initiative Coalition are--
            (1) to coordinate public, State, local, private and non-
        governmental restoration of white oak in the United States; and
            (2) to make program and policy recommendations with respect 
        to--
                    (A) changes necessary to address Federal and State 
                policies that impede activities to improve the health, 
                resiliency, and natural regeneration of white oak;
                    (B) adopting or modifying Federal and State 
                policies to increase the pace and scale of white oak 
                regeneration and resiliency of white oak;
                    (C) options to enhance communication, coordination, 
                and collaboration between forest land owners, 
                particularly for cross-boundary projects, to improve 
                the health, resiliency, and natural regeneration of 
                white oak;
                    (D) research gaps that should be addressed to 
                improve the best available science on white oak;
                    (E) outreach to forest landowners with white oak or 
                white oak regeneration potential; and
                    (F) options and policies necessary to improve the 
                quality and quantity of white oak in tree nurseries.
    (c) Administrative Support, Technical Services, and Staff 
Support.--The Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of 
Agriculture shall make such personnel available to the White Oak 
Restoration Initiative Coalition for administrative support, technical 
services, and development and dissemination of educational materials as 
the Secretaries determine necessary to carry out this section.
    (d) Nonapplicability of Federal Advisory Committee Act.--Chapter 10 
of part I of title 5, United States Code, shall not apply to the White 
Oak Restoration Initiative Coalition.
    (e) Private Funding of White Oak Restoration Projects.--The 
Secretary of Agriculture may make funds available to the White Oak 
Restoration Initiative Coalition to carry out this section from the 
account established pursuant to section 1241(f) of the Food Security 
Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3841(f)).

SEC. 3. FOREST SERVICE PILOT PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the 
Chief of the Forest Service, shall establish and carry out 5 pilot 
projects in national forests to restore white oak in such forests 
through white oak restoration and natural regeneration practices.
    (b) National Forests Reserved or Withdrawn From the Public 
Domain.--At least 3 pilot projects required under subsection (a) shall 
be carried out on national forests reserved or withdrawn from the 
public domain.
    (c) Authority To Enter Into Cooperative Agreements.--The Secretary 
of Agriculture may enter into cooperative agreements to carry out the 
pilot projects required under subsection (a).

SEC. 4. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR WHITE OAK REVIEW AND RESTORATION.

    (a) Assessment.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of the Interior shall carry 
        out an assessment of land under the administrative jurisdiction 
        of the Department of the Interior, including fish and wildlife 
        refuges and abandoned mine land, to evaluate--
                    (A) whether white oak is present on such land; and
                    (B) the potential to restore white oak forests on 
                such land.
            (2) Use of information.--In carrying out the assessment 
        under paragraph (1), the Secretary may use information from 
        sources other than the Department of the Interior, including 
        from the White Oak Initiative and the Forest Service.
            (3) Report.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
        enactment of this section, the Secretary shall submit to 
        Congress, and make publicly available on the website of the 
        Department of the Interior, a report regarding the results of 
        the assessment carried out under this subsection.
    (b) Pilot Projects.--After the date on which the report required 
under subsection (a)(3) is submitted, the Secretary shall establish and 
carry out 5 pilot projects in different areas of land described in 
subsection (a)(1) to restore and naturally regenerate white oak.
    (c) Authority To Enter Into Cooperative Agreements.--The Secretary 
of the Interior may enter into cooperative agreements to carry out the 
pilot projects required under subsection (b).

SEC. 5. WHITE OAK RESTORATION FUND.

    Section 409 of the National Forest Foundation Act (16 U.S.C. 583j-
7) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``The activities'' and inserting the 
        following:
    ``(a) In General.--The activities''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(b) White Oak Restoration Fund.--
            ``(1) In general.--Funds described in paragraph (2) shall 
        be made available for activities--
                    ``(A) on national forests that are approved by the 
                Secretary, acting through the Chief of the Forest 
                Service; and
                    ``(B) to--
                            ``(i) re-establish white oak forests where 
                        appropriate;
                            ``(ii) improve management of existing white 
                        oak forests to foster natural regeneration of 
                        white oak;
                            ``(iii) improve and expand white oak 
                        nursery stock; and
                            ``(iv) adapt and improve white oak 
                        seedlings.
            ``(2) Fund.--The National Forest Foundation may accept 
        gifts, devises, or bequests for the purposes of carrying out 
        the activities specified in paragraph (1).
            ``(3) Summary.--Beginning 1 year after the date of the 
        enactment of this section, the National Forest Foundation shall 
        include in the budget justification materials submitted to 
        Congress in support of the budget of each such Foundation for 
        each fiscal year (as submitted with the budget of the President 
        under section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code) a 
        summary of the activities carried out under paragraph (1) and 
        the funds accepted under paragraph (2) that includes--
                    ``(A) the amount--
                            ``(i) accepted under paragraph (2) in the 
                        preceding fiscal year; and
                            ``(ii) described in clause (i) that is 
                        unobligated on the date of the report; and
                    ``(B) a description of the activities under 
                paragraph (1) funded during the preceding fiscal 
                year.''.

SEC. 6. CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CENTERS REFORESTATION ACTIVITIES.

    Section 147(d) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 
U.S.C. 3197(d)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(4) Reforestation activities.--Enrollees in Civilian 
        Conservation Centers may provide assistance in carrying out 
        reforestation of white oak and associated hardwood forest 
        reforestation projects on National Forest System land in 
        accordance with the land and resource management plan 
        applicable to such land pursuant to section 6 of the Forest and 
        Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 
        1604).''.

SEC. 7. TREE NURSERY SHORTAGES.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
enactment of this section, the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through 
the Chief of the Forest Service, shall develop and implement a national 
strategy to increase the capacity of Federal, State, Tribal, and 
private tree nurseries to address the nationwide shortage of tree 
seedlings.
    (b) Elements.--The strategy required under subsection (a) shall--
            (1) be based on the best available science and data; and
            (2) identify and address--
                    (A) regional seedling shortages of bareroot and 
                container tree seedlings;
                    (B) regional reforestation opportunities and the 
                seedling supply necessary to fulfill such 
                opportunities;
                    (C) opportunities to enhance seedling diversity and 
                close gaps in seed inventories; and
                    (D) barriers to expanding, enhancing, or creating 
                new infrastructure to increase nursery capacity.

SEC. 8. WHITE OAK RESEARCH.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Agriculture may enter into a 
memorandum of understanding with a covered land grant college to 
conduct research on--
            (1) white oak genes with resistance and stress tolerance;
            (2) white oak trees that exhibit vigor for the purpose of 
        increasing survival and growth;
            (3) establishing a diverse white oak seed bank capable of 
        responding to stressors;
            (4) providing a sustainable supply of white oak seedlings 
        and genetic resources;
            (5) reforestation of white oak through natural and 
        artificial regeneration; and
            (6) the best methods for reforesting abandoned mine land 
        sites.
    (b) Consult.--In carrying out the research under subsection (a), 
the covered land grant college that enters into the memorandum of 
understanding under such subsection may consult with such States, 
nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, and other 
scientific bodies, as the covered land grant college determines 
appropriate.
    (c) Covered Land Grant College Defined.--In this section, the term 
``covered land grant college'' means an 1862 Institution, an 1890 
Institution, or a 1994 Institution (as such terms are defined, 
respectively, in section 2 of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and 
Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7601)).

SEC. 9. USDA FORMAL INITIATIVE.

    The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the 
Natural Resources Conservation Service, shall establish a formal 
initiative on white oak to--
            (1) re-establish white oak forests where appropriate;
            (2) improve management of existing white oak forests to 
        foster natural regeneration of white oak;
            (3) provide technical assistance to private landowners to 
        re-establish, improve management of, and naturally regenerate 
        white oak;
            (4) improve and expand white oak nursery stock; and
            (5) adapt and improve white oak seedlings.

SEC. 10. AUTHORITIES.

    To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary of the Interior 
and the Secretary of Agriculture shall use the authorities provided 
under this Act and the amendment made by this Act in combination with 
other authorities to carry out projects, including--
            (1) good neighbor agreements entered into under section 
        8206 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (16 U.S.C. 2113); and
            (2) stewardship contracting projects entered into under 
        section 604 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 
        U.S.C. 6591).
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