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(7) there is an urgent need for local govern-
mental entities to be able to leverage financial re-
sources in order to purchase important parcels of pri-
vately-owned forest land as the parcels are offered for
sale.
(b) COMMUNITY FOREST AND OPEN SPACE CONSERVA-
TION PROGRAM.—The Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act
of 1978 is amended by inserting after section 7 (16 U.S.C.
2103c) the following:
‘‘SEC. 7A. COMMUNITY FOREST AND OPEN SPACE CON-
SERVATION PROGRAM.
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible enti-
ty’ means a local governmental entity, Indian tribe,
or nonprofit organization that owns or acquires a
parcel under the program.
‘‘(2) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘Indian tribe’ has
the meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian
Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25
U.S.C. 450b).
‘‘(3) LOCAL GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY.—The term
‘local governmental entity’ includes any municipal
government, county government, or other local govern-
ment body with jurisdiction over local land use deci-
sions.
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‘‘(4) 
NONPROFIT
ORGANIZATION.—The 
term
‘nonprofit organization’ means any organization
that—
‘‘(A) is described in section 170(h)(3) of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986; and
‘‘(B) operates in accordance with 1 or more
of the purposes specified in section 170(h)(4)(A)
of that Code.
‘‘(5) PROGRAM.—The term ‘Program’ means the
community forest and open space conservation pro-
gram established under subsection (b).
‘‘(6) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means
the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief
of the Forest Service.
‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall establish
a program, to be known as the ‘community forest and open
space conservation program’.
‘‘(c) GRANT PROGRAM.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may award
grants to eligible entities to acquire private forest
land, to be owned in fee simple, that—
‘‘(A) are threatened by conversion to non-
forest uses; and
‘‘(B) provide public benefits to communities,
including—
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‘‘(i) economic benefits through sustain-
able forest management;
‘‘(ii) environmental benefits, including
clean water and wildlife habitat;
‘‘(iii) benefits from forest-based edu-
cational programs, including vocational
education programs in forestry;
‘‘(iv) benefits from serving as models of
effectively-managed effective forest steward-
ship for private landowners; and
‘‘(v) recreational benefits, including
hunting and fishing.
‘‘(2) FEDERAL COST SHARE.—An eligible entity
may receive a grant under the Program in an
amount equal to not more than 50 percent of the cost
of acquiring 1 or more parcels, as determined by the
Secretary.
‘‘(3) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—As a condition of
receipt of the grant, an eligible entity that receives a
grant under the Program shall provide, in cash, do-
nation, or in kind, a non-Federal matching share in
an amount that is at least equal to the amount of the
grant received.
‘‘(4) APPRAISAL OF PARCELS.—To determine the
non-Federal share of the cost of a parcel of privately-
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owned forest land under paragraph (2), an eligible
entity shall require appraisals of the land that com-
ply with the Uniform Appraisal Standards for Fed-
eral Land Acquisitions developed by the Interagency
Land Acquisition Conference.
‘‘(5) APPLICATION.—An eligible entity that seeks
to receive a grant under the Program shall submit to
the State forester or equivalent official (or in the case
of an eligible entity that is an Indian tribe, an equiv-
alent official of the Indian tribe) an application that
includes—
‘‘(A) a description of the land to be ac-
quired;
‘‘(B) a forest plan that provides—
‘‘(i) a description of community bene-
fits to be achieved from the acquisition of
the private forest land; and
‘‘(ii) an explanation of the manner in
which any private forest land to be acquired
using funds from the grant will be man-
aged; and
‘‘(C) such other relevant information as the
Secretary may require.
‘‘(6) EFFECT ON TRUST LAND.—
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‘‘(A) INELIGIBILITY.—The Secretary shall
not provide a grant under the Program for any
project on land held in trust by the United
States (including Indian reservations and allot-
ment land).
‘‘(B) ACQUIRED LAND.—No land acquired
using a grant provided under the Program shall
be converted to land held in trust by the United
States on behalf of any Indian tribe.
‘‘(7) APPLICATIONS TO SECRETARY.—The State
forester or equivalent official (or in the case of an eli-
gible entity that is an Indian tribe, an equivalent of-
ficial of the Indian tribe) shall submit to the Sec-
retary a list that includes a description of each
project submitted by an eligible entity at such times
and in such form as the Secretary shall prescribe.
‘‘(d) DUTIES
OF
ELIGIBLE
ENTITY.—An eligible
entity—
‘‘(1) shall provide public access to, and manage,
forest land acquired with a grant under this section
in a manner that is consistent with the purposes for
which the land was acquired under the Program; and
‘‘(2) shall not convert the property to other uses.
‘‘(e) PROHIBITED USES.—
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‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraphs (2)
and (3), an eligible entity that acquires a parcel
under the Program shall not sell the parcel or convert
the parcel to nonforest use.
‘‘(2) REIMBURSEMENT OF FUNDS.—An eligible
entity that sells or converts to nonforest use a parcel
acquired under the Program shall pay to the Federal
Government an amount equal to the greater of the
current sale price, or current appraised value, of the
parcel.
‘‘(3) LOSS OF ELIGIBILITY.—An eligible entity
that sells or converts a parcel acquired under the Pro-
gram shall not be eligible for additional grants under
the Program.
‘‘(f) STATE ADMINISTRATION AND TECHNICAL ASSIST-
ANCE.—To assist model stewardship of parcels acquired
under the Program, the Secretary may allocate not more
than 10 percent of all funds made available to carry out
the Program for each fiscal year to State foresters or equiva-
lent officials (including an equivalent official of an Indian
tribe) for Program administration and technical assistance.
‘‘(g) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are nec-
essary to carry out this section.’’.