(A) potential locations for a Western head-
quarters for the Forest Service, including po-
tential locations in at least 3 different States lo-
cated west of the Mississippi river; and 
(B) the potential benefits of creating a 
Western headquarters for the Forest Service, 
including expected— 
(i) improvements to customer service; 
(ii) improvements to employee recruit-
ment and retention; and 
(iii) operational efficiencies and cost 
savings; and 
(2) submit to Congress a report that describes 
the results of the study required under paragraph 
(1). 
SEC. 306. KEEPING FOREST PLANS CURRENT AND MON-
ITORED. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary— 
(1) to the greatest extent practicable and sub-
ject to the availability of appropriations made in ad-
vance for such purpose— 
(A) ensure forest plans comply with the re-
quirements of section 6(f)(5)(A) of the Forest 
and Rangeland Resources Planning Act of 1974 
(16 U.S.C. 1604(f)(5)(A)); and
(B) prioritize revising any forest plan not 
in compliance with such section 6(f)(5)(A); 
(2) not be considered to be in violation of sec-
tion 6(f)(5)(A) of the Forest and Rangeland Renew-
able Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 
1604(f)(5)(A)) solely because more than 15 years 
have passed without revision of the plan for a unit 
of the National Forest System; 
(3) not later than 120 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, submit to the relevant 
Congressional Committees the date on which each 
forest plan required by such section 6 was most re-
cently revised, amended, or modified; 
(4) seek to publish a new, complete version of 
a forest plan that the Secretary has been directed to 
amend, revise, or modify by a court order within 60 
days of such amendment, revision, or modification, 
subject to the availability of appropriations made in 
advance for such purpose; and 
(5) maintain a central, publicly accessible 
website with links to— 
(A) the most recently available forest plan 
adopted, amended, or modified by a court order 
as a single document; and
(B) the most recently published forest plan 
monitoring report for each unit of the National 
Forest System. 
(b) GOOD FAITH UPDATES.—If the Secretary is not 
acting expeditiously and in good faith, within the funding 
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 of Agri-
culture 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 as-
sess 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 of Agriculture 
and the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the 
National Interagency Aviation Committee and the Inter-
agency Airtanker Board, shall jointly submit to the appro-
priate committees a report that includes the results of the 
evaluation required under subsection (a). 
(c) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES DEFINED.—In this 
section, the term ‘‘appropriate committees’’ means— 
(1) the Committees on Agriculture and Natural 
Resources of the House of Representatives; and 
(2) the Committees on Agriculture, Nutrition, 
and Forestry and Energy and Natural Resources of 
the Senate. 
SEC. 308. STUDY ON PINE BEETLE INFESTATION. 
Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture, 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 North Eastern 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).
TITLE IV—ENSURING CASUALTY 
ASSISTANCE FOR OUR FIRE-
FIGHTERS 
SEC. 401. WILDLAND FIRE MANAGEMENT CASUALTY AS-
SISTANCE PROGRAM. 
(a) DEVELOPMENT OF PROGRAM.—Not later than 6 
months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of the Interior shall develop a Wildland Fire 
Management Casualty Assistance Program (referred to in 
this section as the ‘‘Program’’) to provide assistance to 
the next-of-kin of— 
(1) firefighters who, while in the line of duty, 
suffer illness or are critically injured or killed; and 
(2) wildland fire support personnel critically in-
jured or killed in the line of duty. 
(b) ASPECTS OF PROGRAM.—The Program shall ad-
dress the following: 
(1) The initial and any subsequent notifications 
to the next-of-kin of a firefighter or wildland fire 
support personnel who— 
(A) is killed in the line of duty; or 
(B) requires hospitalization or treatment 
at a medical facility due to a line-of-duty injury 
or illness.
(2) The reimbursement of next-of-kin for ex-
penses associated with travel to visit a firefighter or 
wildland fire support personnel who— 
(A) is killed in the line of duty; or 
(B) requires hospitalization or treatment 
at a medical facility due to a line-of-duty injury 
or illness. 
(3) The qualifications, assignment, training, du-
ties, supervision, and accountability for the perform-
ance of casualty assistance responsibilities. 
(4) The relief or transfer of casualty assistance 
officers, including notification to survivors of critical 
injury or illness in the line of duty and next-of-kin 
of the reassignment of such officers to other duties. 
(5) Centralized, short-term and long-term case 
management procedures for casualty assistance, in-
cluding rapid access by survivors of firefighters or 
wildland fire support personnel and casualty assist-
ance officers to expert case managers and coun-
selors. 
(6) The provision, through a computer acces-
sible website and other means and at no cost to sur-
vivors and next-of-kin of firefighters or wildland fire 
support personnel, of personalized, integrated infor-
mation on the benefits and financial assistance avail-
able to such survivors from the Federal Government. 
(7) The provision of information to survivors 
and next-of-kin of firefighters or wildland fire sup-
port personnel on mechanisms for registering com-
plaints about, or requests for, additional assistance 
related to casualty assistance. 
(8) Liaison with the Department of the Inte-
rior, the Department of Justice, and the Social Se-
curity Administration to ensure prompt and accurate 
resolution of issues relating to benefits administered 
by those agencies for survivors of firefighters or 
wildland fire support personnel. 
(9) Data collection, in consultation with the 
United States Fire Administration and the National 
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, re-
garding the incidence and quality of casualty assist-
ance provided to survivors of firefighters or wildland 
fire support personnel. 
(c) LINE OF DUTY DEATH BENEFITS.—The Pro-
gram shall not affect existing authorities for Line of Duty 
Death benefits for Federal firefighters and wildland fire 
support personnel. 
(d) NEXT-OF-KIN DEFINED.—In this section, the 
term ‘‘next-of-kin’’ means person or persons in the highest
category of priority as determined by the following list 
(categories appear in descending order of priority): 
(1) Surviving legal spouse. 
(2) Children (whether by current or prior mar-
riage) age 18 years or older in descending prece-
dence by age. 
(3) Father or mother, unless by court order 
custody has been vested in another (adoptive parent 
takes precedence over natural parent). 
(4) Siblings (whole or half) age 18 years or 
older in descending precedence by age. 
(5) Grandfather or grandmother. 
(6) Any other relative (precedence to be deter-
mined in accordance with the civil law of descent of 
the deceased former member’s State of domicile at 
time of death). 
TITLE V—WHITE OAK 
RESILIENCE 
SEC. 501. 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— 
(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 
(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 of Agriculture shall make such per-
sonnel available to the White Oak Restoration Initiative 
Coalition for administrative support, technical services, 
and development and dissemination of educational mate-
rials as the Secretaries 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 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. 502. FOREST SERVICE PILOT PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Agriculture, act-
ing 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. 
(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 of Agriculture 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. 503. 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. 
(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.
100 
(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. 
SEC. 504. 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 of 
Agriculture (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) 
shall establish a non-regulatory program to be known as 
the ‘‘White Oak and Upland Oak Habitat Regeneration 
Program’’ (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;