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106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1524
To authorize the continued use on public lands of the expedited processes
successfully used for windstorm-damaged national forests and grasslands
in Texas.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APRIL 22, 1999
Mrs. CHENOWETH (for herself, Mr. HERGER, and Mr. DOOLITTLE) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Resources
A BILL
To authorize the continued use on public lands of the expe-
dited processes successfully used for windstorm-damaged
national forests and grasslands in Texas.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Public Forests Emer-
gency Act of 1999’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) Natural catastrophic events in February
1998 created potentially dangerous fire and insect
infestation conditions in areas of national forests
and national grasslands in Texas, and the removal
of ‘‘dead, down, and severely root-sprung trees
where mortality is expected’’ in these areas was ex-
pedited by the approval of alternative arrangements
for that removal.
(2) The Administration should be commended
for approving those alternative arrangements, which
helped prevent the wildfires and insect and disease
infestations often associated with dead and dying
trees on land, administered by the Secretary of the
Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture.
(3) Numerous catastrophic forest conditions
similar to, equal to, or worse than the conditions in
Texas described in paragraph (1) exist on public
lands, including National Forest System lands,
throughout the United States, and treatment equiva-
lent to that expedited under the alternative arrange-
ments is warranted and needed on these public
lands.
SEC. 3. REQUEST FOR EXPEDITED TREATMENT OF DEAD,
DOWNED, 
AND 
SEVERELY 
ROOT-SPRUNG
TREES.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Interior or
the Secretary of Agriculture, as the case may be, shall re-
quest from the appropriate officials in the executive
branch the authority to remove dead, downed, or severely
root-sprung trees in the areas described in subsection (b)
in a manner similar to the alternative arrangements ap-
proved for national forests and national grasslands in
Texas in March 1998.
(b) AREAS DESCRIBED.—The areas referred to in
subsection (a) are the following:
(1) Approximately 3,900 acres of spruce beetle
infested lands administered by the Bureau of Land
Management within the Kenai Quadrangle in the
State of Alaska.
(2) Approximately 30,000 acres of spruce beetle
infested lands in the Chugach National Forest in the
State of Alaska.
(3) Approximately 100,000 acres of ice storm
damaged and Douglas Fir bark beetle infested lands
in the Colville National Forest in the State of Wash-
ington and the Idaho-Panhandle National Forests in
the State of Idaho.
(4) Approximately 50,000 acres of fire damaged
and spruce budworm infested lands in the Malheur
National Forest in the State of Oregon.
(5) Approximately 20,000 acres of mountain
pine beetle infested lands in the Black Hills National
Forest in the State of South Dakota.
(6) Approximately 20,000 acres of National
Forest System lands in the Tahoe Basin of Cali-
fornia with insect infestation and fuel-loading condi-
tions.
(7) Approximately 10,000 acres of gypsy moth
infested lands in the Allegheny National Forest in
the State of Pennsylvania.
(8) National Forest System lands in Region 8
of the Forest Service, including the following:
(A) Approximately 3,000 acres of wind
damaged lands in the Desoto, Homochito, and
Tombigbee National Forests in the State of
Mississippi.
(B) Approximately 500 acres of ice storm
damaged and gypsy moth infested lands in the
George Washington and Jefferson National
Forests in the State of Virginia.
(C) Approximately 3,000 acres of tornado
damaged lands in the Ouachita National Forest
in the State of Arkansas and the Kisatchie Na-
tional Forest in the State of Louisiana.
(D) Approximately 500 acres of southern
pine beetle infested lands in the Croatan Na-
tional Forest in the State of North Carolina.
(E) Approximately 3,500 acres of ice
storm and wind damaged lands in the Daniel
Boone National Forest in the State of Ken-
tucky.
(F) Approximately 1,500 acres of ice storm
damaged lands in the Bankhead National For-
est in the State of Alabama and the Cherokee
National Forest in the State of Tennessee.
(G) Approximately 1,000 acres of southern
pine beetle infested National Forest System
lands in Florida.
(c) CONSIDERATION OF REQUESTS.—Upon receipt of
a request under subsection (a), the official in the executive
branch responsible for considering the request shall
promptly consider and either approve or disapprove the
request. Not later than 90 days after receiving each re-
quest, the responsible official shall submit to the Com-
mittee on Resources of the House of Representatives and
the Committee on Energy and National Resources in the
Senate a report describing the specific reasons for approv-
ing or disapproving the request.
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