101 
available to revise, amend, or modify a plan for a unit 
of the National Forest System as required by law or a 
court order, subsection (a) shall be void with respect to 
such plan and a court of proper jurisdiction may order 
completion of the plan on an accelerated basis. 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit 
a report to the relevant Congressional Committees sum-
marizing the implementation of this section. 
SEC. 307. CONTAINER AERIAL FIREFIGHTING SYSTEM 
(CAFFS). 
(a) EVALUATION.—Not later than 90 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary and the 
Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the National 
Interagency Aviation Committee and the Interagency 
Airtanker Board, shall jointly conduct an evaluation of the 
container aerial firefighting system to assess the use of 
such system to mitigate and suppress wildfires. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 120 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary and the Sec-
retary of the Interior, in consultation with the National 
Interagency Aviation Committee and the Interagency 
Airtanker Board, shall jointly submit to the relevant Con-
gressional Committees a report that includes the results 
of the evaluation required under subsection (a). 
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SEC. 308. STUDY ON PINE BEETLE INFESTATION. 
Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary, acting through the Chief of the 
Forest Service, shall— 
(1) carry out a study on the causes and effects 
of, and solutions for, the infestation of pine beetles 
in the Northeastern region of the United States; and 
(2) submit to the relevant Congressional Com-
mittees a report that includes the results of the 
study required under paragraph (1). 
Subtitle B—White Oak Resilience 
SEC. 311. WHITE OAK RESTORATION INITIATIVE COALI-
TION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The White Oak Restoration Ini-
tiative Coalition shall be established— 
(1) as a voluntary collaborative group of Fed-
eral, State, Tribal, and local governments and pri-
vate and non-governmental organizations to carry 
out the duties 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— 
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(1) to coordinate Federal, State, Tribal, local, 
private, and non-governmental restoration of white 
oak in the United States; and 
(2) to make program and policy recommenda-
tions, consistent with applicable forest management 
plans, with respect to— 
(A) changes necessary to address Federal 
and State policies that impede activities to im-
prove the health, resiliency, and natural regen-
eration 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, co-
ordination, 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 ad-
dressed to improve the best available science on 
white oak; 
(E) outreach to forest landowners with 
white oak or white oak regeneration potential; 
and 
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(F) options and policies necessary to im-
prove the quality and quantity of white oak in 
tree nurseries. 
(c) ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT, TECHNICAL SERV-
ICES, AND STAFF SUPPORT.—The Secretary of the Inte-
rior and the Secretary shall make such personnel available 
to the White Oak Restoration Initiative Coalition for ad-
ministrative support, technical services, and development 
and dissemination of educational materials as the Secre-
taries determine necessary to carry out this section. 
(d) PRIVATE FUNDING OF WHITE OAK RESTORA-
TION PROJECTS.—Subject to the availability of appropria-
tions made in advance for such purpose, the Secretary 
may make funds available to the White Oak Restoration 
Initiative Coalition to carry out this section from the ac-
count established pursuant to section 1241(f) of the Food 
Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3841(f)). 
SEC. 312. FOREST SERVICE PILOT PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, 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 that are consistent with applicable 
forest management plans. 
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(b) NATIONAL FORESTS RESERVED OR WITHDRAWN 
FROM THE PUBLIC DOMAIN.—At least 3 pilot projects re-
quired under subsection (a) shall be carried out on na-
tional forests reserved or withdrawn from the public do-
main. 
(c) AUTHORITY TO ENTER INTO COOPERATIVE 
AGREEMENTS.—The Secretary may enter into cooperative 
agreements to carry out the pilot projects required under 
subsection (a). 
(d) SUNSET.—The authority under this section shall 
terminate on the date that is 7 years after the date of 
the enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 313. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR WHITE OAK RE-
VIEW AND RESTORATION. 
(a) ASSESSMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Inte-
rior 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 for-
ests on such land. 
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(2) USE OF INFORMATION.—In carrying out the 
assessment under paragraph (1), the Secretary may 
use information from sources other than the Depart-
ment 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 avail-
able on the website of the Department of the Inte-
rior, 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). 
(d) SUNSET.—The authority under this section shall 
terminate on the date that is 7 years after the date of 
the enactment of this Act. 
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SEC. 314. WHITE OAK REGENERATION AND UPLAND OAK 
HABITAT. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
establish a non-regulatory program to be known as the 
‘‘White Oak and Upland Oak Habitat Regeneration Pro-
gram’’ (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Program’’). 
(b) DUTIES.—In carrying out the Program, the Sec-
retary shall— 
(1) draw upon the best available science and 
management plans for species of white oak to iden-
tify, prioritize, and implement restoration and con-
servation activities that will improve the growth of 
white oak within the United States; 
(2) collaborate and coordinate with the White 
Oak Restoration Initiative Coalition to prioritize 
white oak restoration initiatives; 
(3) adopt a white oak restoration strategy 
that— 
(A) supports the implementation of a 
shared set of science-based restoration and con-
servation activities developed in accordance with 
paragraph (1); 
(B) targets cost effective projects with 
measurable results; and 
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(C) maximizes restoration outcomes with 
no net gain of Federal full-time equivalent em-
ployees; and 
(4) establish the voluntary grant and technical 
assistance programs in accordance with subsection 
(e). 
(c) COORDINATION.—In establishing the Program 
the Secretary, acting through the Chief of the Forest Serv-
ice, shall consult with— 
(1) the heads of Federal agencies, including— 
(A) the Director of the United States Fish 
and Wildlife Service; and 
(B) the Chief of the Natural Resources 
Conservation Service; and 
(2) the Governor of each State in which res-
toration efforts will be carried out pursuant to the 
Program. 
(d) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the Program in-
clude— 
(1) coordinating restoration and conservation 
activities among Federal, State, local, and Tribal en-
tities and conservation partners to address white oak 
restoration priorities; 
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(2) improving and regenerating white oak and 
upland oak forests and the wildlife habitat such for-
ests provide; 
(3) carrying out coordinated restoration and 
conservation activities that lead to the increased 
growth of species of white oak in native white oak 
regions on Federal, State, Tribal, and private land; 
(4) facilitating strategic planning to maximize 
the resilience of white oak systems and habitats 
under changing climate conditions; 
(5) engaging the public through outreach, edu-
cation, and citizen involvement to increase capacity 
and support for coordinated restoration and con-
servation activities for species of white oak; and 
(6) increasing scientific capacity to support the 
planning, monitoring, and research activities nec-
essary to carry out such coordinated restoration and 
conservation activities. 
(e) GRANTS AND ASSISTANCE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—To the extent that funds are 
available to carry out this section, the Secretary 
shall establish a voluntary grant and technical as-
sistance program (in this section referred to as the 
‘‘grant program’’) to achieve the purposes of the 
Program described in subsection (d). 
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(2) ADMINISTRATION.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 
enter into a cooperative agreement with the Na-
tional Fish and Wildlife Foundation (in this 
subsection referred to as the ‘‘Foundation’’) to 
manage and administer the grant program. 
(B) FUNDING.—Subject to the availability 
of appropriations made in advance for such 
purpose, after the Secretary enters into a coop-
erative agreement with the Foundation under 
subparagraph (A), the Foundation shall for 
each fiscal year, receive amounts to carry out 
this subsection in an advance payment of the 
entire amount on October 1, or as soon as prac-
ticable thereafter, of that fiscal year. 
(3) APPLICATION
OF
NATIONAL
FISH
AND 
WILDLIFE
FOUNDATION
ESTABLISHMENT
ACT.— 
Amounts received by the Foundation to carry out 
the grant program shall be subject to the National 
Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act (16 
U.S.C. 3701 et seq.), excluding section 10(a) of that 
Act (16 U.S.C. 3709(a)). 
(f) SUNSET.—The authority under this section shall 
terminate on the date that is 7 years after the date of 
the enactment of this Act. 
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SEC. 315. TREE NURSERY SHORTAGES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary, acting 
through the Chief of the Forest Service, shall— 
(1) 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; and 
(2) coordinate such strategy with— 
(A) the national reforestation strategy of 
the Forest Service; and 
(B) each regional implementation plan for 
National Forests. 
(b) ELEMENTS.—The strategy required under sub-
section (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 di-
versity and close gaps in seed inventories; and 
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