Union Calendar No. 77

105TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 858

[Report No. 105–136, Part I]

A BILL

To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a

these resource management activities.national forests to consider the incorporation ofland and resource management plans for thesethe Quincy Library Group and to amend currentthe resource management activities proposed byof California to demonstrate the effectiveness ofLassen, and Tahoe National Forests in the Statepilot project on designated lands within Plumas,

JUNE 18, 1997

Reported from the Committee on Resources with an

amendment

Referral to the Committee on Agriculture extended for a

period ending not later than June 18, 1997

Committee on Agriculture discharged; committed to the

Union and ordered to be printedCommittee of the Whole House on the State of the
IB

Union Calendar No. 77

105TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 858

[Report No. 105–136, Part I]

To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a pilot project on designated

lands within Plumas, Lassen, and Tahoe National Forests in the State

of California to demonstrate the effectiveness of the resource management activities proposed by the Quincy Library Group and to amend

current land and resource management plans for these national forests

to consider the incorporation of these resource management activities.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

FEBRUARY 27, 1997

Mr. HERGER (for himself, Mr. FAZIO of California, Mr. SMITH of Oregon, and

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA) introduced the following bill; which was referred to

the Committee on Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, 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

JUNE 18, 1997

Reported from the Committee on Resources with an amendment

JUNE 18, 1997

Referral to the Committee on Agriculture extended for a period ending not

later than June 18, 1997

JUNE 18, 1997

Additional sponsors: Mr. CANADY of Florida, Mr. HEFLEY, Mr. HILLIARD,

Mr. RADANOVICH, Mr. RIGGS, Mr. POMBO, Mr. PARKER, Mr. LEWIS of

California, and Mr. CANNON

JUNE 18, 1997

Committee on Agriculture discharged; committed to the Committee of the

Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed
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[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic]

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on February 27, 1997]

A BILL

To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a pilot

project on designated lands within Plumas, Lassen, and

Tahoe National Forests in the State of California to

demonstrate the effectiveness of the resource management activities proposed by the Quincy Library Group

and to amend current land and resource management

plans for these national forests to consider the incorporation of these resource management activities.

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.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Quincy Library Group

5 Forest Recovery and Economic Stability Act of 1997’’.

6 SEC. 2. PILOT PROJECT FOR PLUMAS, LASSEN, AND TAHOE

7 NATIONAL FORESTS TO IMPLEMENT QUINCY

8 LIBRARY GROUP PROPOSAL.

9 (a) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this section, the

10 term ‘‘Quincy Library Group-Community Stability Pro11 posal’’ means the agreement of July 1993 by a coalition

12 of representatives of fisheries, timber, environmental, coun13 ty government, citizen groups, and local communities that

14 formed in northern California to develop a resource man-
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1 agement program for certain Federal lands in the Sierra

2 Nevada area. Such proposal includes the map entitled

3 ‘‘QUINCY LIBRARY GROUP Community Stability Pro4 posal’’, dated June 1993, and prepared by VESTRA Re5 sources of Redding, California.

6 (b) PILOT PROJECT REQUIRED.—

7 (1) PILOT PROJECT AND PURPOSE.—The Sec8 retary of Agriculture, acting through the Forest Serv9 ice, shall conduct a pilot project on the Federal lands

10 described in paragraph (2) to implement and dem11 onstrate the effectiveness of the resource management

12 activities described in subsection (d), as recommended

13 in the Quincy Library Group-Community Stability

14 Proposal.

15 (2) PILOT PROJECT AREA.—The Secretary shall

16 conduct the pilot project on the Federal lands within

17 Plumas National Forest, Lassen National Forest, and

18 the Sierraville Ranger District of Tahoe National

19 Forest in the State of California designated as

20 ‘‘Available for Group Selection’’ on the map entitled

21 ‘‘QUINCY LIBRARY GROUP Community Stability

22 Proposal’’, dated June 1993. Such lands shall be re23 ferred to as the ‘‘pilot project area’’ for purposes of

24 this Act. Such map shall be on file and available for
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1 inspection in the appropriate offices of the Forest

2 Service.

3 (c) EXCLUSION OF CERTAIN LANDS AND RIPARIAN

4 PROTECTION.—

5 (1) EXCLUSION.—All spotted owl habitat areas

6 and protected activity centers located within the pilot

7 project area designated under subsection (b)(2) will be

8 deferred from resource management activities required

9 under subsection (d) and timber harvesting during

10 the term of the pilot project.

11 (2) RIPARIAN PROTECTION.—

12 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Scientific Analysis

13 Team guidelines for riparian system protection

14 described in subparagraph (B) shall apply to all

15 resource management activities conducted under

16 subsection (d) and all timber harvesting activi17 ties that occur in the pilot project area during

18 the term of the pilot project.

19 (B) GUIDELINES DESCRIBED.—The guide20 lines referred to in subparagraph (A) are those

21 in the document entitled ‘‘Viability Assessments

22 and Management Considerations for Species As23 sociated with Late-Successional and Old-Growth

24 Forests of the Pacific Northwest’’, a Forest Serv25 ice research document dated March 1993 and co-
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1 authored by the Scientific Analysis Team, in2 cluding Dr. Jack Ward Thomas.

3 (d) RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES.—During

4 the term of the pilot project, the Secretary shall implement

5 and carry out the following resource management activities

6 on an acreage basis on the Federal lands included within

7 the pilot project area designated under subsection (b)(2):

8 (1) FUELBREAK CONSTRUCTION.—Construction

9 of a strategic system of defensible fuel profile zones,

10 including shaded fuelbreaks, utilizing thinning, indi11 vidual tree selection, and other methods of vegetation

12 management consistent with the Quincy Library

13 Group-Community Stability Proposal, on not less

14 than 40,000, but not more than 60,000, acres per

15 year.

16 (2) GROUP SELECTION AND INDIVIDUAL TREE

17 SELECTION.—Utilization of group selection and indi18 vidual tree selection uneven-aged forest management

19 prescriptions described in the Quincy Library Group20 Community Stability Proposal to achieve a desired

21 future condition of all-age, multistory, fire resilient

22 forests as follows:

23 (A) GROUP SELECTION.—Group selection on

24 an average acreage of .57 percent of the pilot

25 project area land each year of the pilot project.
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1 (B) INDIVIDUAL TREE SELECTION.—Indi2 vidual tree selection may also be utilized within

3 the pilot project area.

4 (3) TOTAL ACREAGE.—The total acreage on

5 which resource management activities are imple6 mented under this subsection shall not exceed 70,000

7 acres each year.

8 (e) COST-EFFECTIVENESS.—In conducting the pilot

9 project, the Secretary shall use the most cost-effective means

10 available, as determined by the Secretary, to implement re11 source management activities described in subsection (d).

12 (f) EFFECT ON MULTIPLE USE ACTIVITIES.—The Sec13 retary shall not rely on the resource management activities

14 described in subsection (d) as a basis for administrative ac15 tion limiting other multiple use activities on Federal lands

16 included within the pilot project area designated under sub17 section (b)(2).

18 (g) FUNDING.—

19 (1) SOURCE OF FUNDS.—In conducting the pilot

20 project, the Secretary shall use—

21 (A) those funds specifically provided to the

22 Forest Service by the Secretary to begin imple23 menting resource management activities accord24 ing to the Quincy Library Group-Community

25 Stability Proposal; and
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1 (B) other funds as are allocated for the ad2 ministration of Plumas National Forest, Lassen

3 National Forest, and the Sierraville Ranger Dis4 trict of Tahoe National Forest.

5 (2) PROHIBITION ON USE OF CERTAIN FUNDS.—

6 The Secretary may not conduct the pilot project using

7 funds appropriated for any other unit of the National

8 Forest System.

9 (3) FLEXIBILITY.—During the term of the pilot

10 project, the forest supervisors of Plumas National For11 est, Lassen National Forest, and Tahoe National For12 est may allocate and use all accounts available for the

13 administration of Plumas National Forest, Lassen

14 National Forest, and the Sierraville Ranger District

15 of Tahoe National Forest to perform the resource

16 management activities described in subsection (d).

17 (h) TERM OF PILOT PROJECT.—The Secretary shall

18 conduct the pilot project during the period beginning on

19 the date of the enactment of this Act and ending on the

20 later of the following:

21 (1) The date on which the Secretary completes

22 amendment or revision of the land and resource man23 agement plans for Plumas National Forest, Lassen

24 National Forest, and Tahoe National Forest pursuant

25 to subsection (i).
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1 (2) The date that is five years after the date of

2 the commencement of the pilot project.

3 (i) CORRESPONDING FOREST PLAN AMENDMENTS.—

4 Within 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act,

5 the Regional Forester for Region 5 shall initiate the process

6 to amend or revise the land and resource management plans

7 for Plumas National Forest, Lassen National Forest, and

8 Tahoe National Forest. The process shall include prepara9 tion of at least one alternative that—

10 (1) incorporates the pilot project and area des11 ignations made by subsection (b) and the resource

12 management activities described in subsection (d);

13 and

14 (2) makes other changes warranted by the analy15 ses conducted in compliance with section 102(2) of the

16 National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42

17 U.S.C. 4332(2)), section 6 of the Forest and Range18 land Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16

19 U.S.C. 1604), and other applicable laws.

20 (j) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than February 28 of

22 each year during the term of the pilot project, the Sec23 retary after consultation with the Quincy Library

24 Group, shall submit to Congress a report on the status
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1 of the pilot project. The report shall include at least

2 the following:

3 (A) A complete accounting of the use of

4 funds made available under subsection (g)(1)(A)

5 until such funds are fully expended.

6 (B) A complete accounting of the use of

7 funds and accounts made available under sub8 section (g)(1) for the previous fiscal year, includ9 ing a schedule of the amounts drawn from each

10 account used to perform resource management

11 activities described in subsection (d).

12 (C) A description of total acres treated for

13 each of the resource management activities re14 quired under subsection (d), forest health im15 provements, fire risk reductions, water yield in16 creases, and other natural resources-related bene17 fits achieved by the implementation of the re18 source management activities described in sub19 section (d).

20 (D) A description of the economic benefits to

21 local communities achieved by the implementa22 tion of the pilot project.

23 (E) A comparison of the revenues generated

24 by, and costs incurred in, the implementation of

25 the resource management activities described in
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1 subsection (d) on the Federal lands included in

2 the pilot project area with the revenues and costs

3 during each of the fiscal years 1992 through

4 1997 of timber management of such lands before

5 their inclusion in the pilot project.

6 (F) A schedule for the resource management

7 activities to be undertaken in the pilot project

8 area during the calendar year.

9 (2) LIMITATION ON EXPENDITURES.—The

10 amount expended on each annual report under this

11 subsection shall not exceed $30,000.

12 (k) FINAL REPORT.—

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—Beginning after completion of

14 the fourth year of the pilot project, the Secretary shall

15 compile a science-based assessment of, and report on,

16 the effectiveness of the pilot project in meeting the

17 stated goals of this pilot project. Such assessment

18 shall be compiled in consultation with the Quincy Li19 brary Group and shall be submitted to the Congress

20 by February 28, 2003.

21 (2) LIMITATION ON EXPENDITURES.—The

22 amount expended for each report under this sub23 section shall not exceed $100,000.