I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3700 
To provide for restoration, economic development, recreation, and conservation 
on Federal lands in Northern California, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 25, 2023 
Mr. HUFFMAN (for himself, Mr. CARBAJAL, and Ms. CHU) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To provide for restoration, economic development, recreation, 
and conservation on Federal lands in Northern Cali-
fornia, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Northwest California Wilderness, Recreation, and Work-
ing Forests Act’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Definitions. 
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TITLE I—RESTORATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 
Sec. 101. South Fork Trinity-Mad River Restoration Area. 
Sec. 102. Redwood National and State Parks restoration. 
Sec. 103. California Public Land Remediation Partnership. 
Sec. 104. Trinity Lake visitor center. 
Sec. 105. Del Norte County visitor center. 
Sec. 106. Land and resource management plans. 
Sec. 107. Annual fire management plans. 
Sec. 108. Study; partnerships related to overnight accommodations. 
TITLE II—RECREATION 
Sec. 201. Horse Mountain Special Management Area. 
Sec. 202. Bigfoot National Recreation Trail. 
Sec. 203. Elk Camp Ridge Recreation Trail. 
Sec. 204. Trinity Lake Trail. 
Sec. 205. Trails study. 
Sec. 206. Construction of mountain bicycling routes. 
Sec. 207. Partnerships. 
TITLE III—CONSERVATION 
Sec. 301. Designation of wilderness. 
Sec. 302. Administration of wilderness. 
Sec. 303. Designation of potential wilderness. 
Sec. 304. Designation of wild and scenic rivers. 
Sec. 305. Sanhedrin Special Conservation Management Area. 
Sec. 306. Release of wilderness study area. 
TITLE IV—MISCELLANEOUS 
Sec. 401. Maps and legal descriptions. 
Sec. 402. Updates to land and resource management plans. 
Sec. 403. Pacific Gas and Electric Company utility facilities and rights-of-way. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) 
SECRETARY.—The 
term 
‘‘Secretary’’ 
means— 
(A) with respect to land under the jurisdic-
tion of the Secretary of Agriculture, the Sec-
retary of Agriculture; and 
(B) with respect to land under the jurisdic-
tion of the Secretary of the Interior, the Sec-
retary of the Interior. 
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(2) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means the State 
of California. 
TITLE I—RESTORATION AND 
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 
SEC. 101. SOUTH FORK TRINITY-MAD RIVER RESTORATION 
AREA. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) COLLABORATIVELY DEVELOPED.—The term 
‘‘collaboratively developed’’ means, with respect to a 
restoration project, the development and implemen-
tation of the restoration project through a collabo-
rative process that— 
(A) includes— 
(i) appropriate Federal, State, and 
local agencies; and 
(ii) multiple interested persons rep-
resenting diverse interests; and 
(B) is transparent and nonexclusive. 
(2) 
PLANTATION.—The 
term 
‘‘plantation’’ 
means a forested area that has been artificially es-
tablished by planting or seeding. 
(3) RESTORATION.—The term ‘‘restoration’’ 
means the process of assisting the recovery of an 
ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or de-
stroyed by establishing the composition, structure, 
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pattern, and ecological processes necessary to facili-
tate terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem sustainability, 
resilience, and health under current and future con-
ditions. 
(4) RESTORATION AREA.—The term ‘‘restora-
tion area’’ means the South Fork Trinity-Mad River 
Restoration Area established by subsection (b). 
(5) SHADED FUEL BREAK.—The term ‘‘shaded 
fuel break’’ means a vegetation treatment that— 
(A) effectively addresses all slash gen-
erated by a project; and 
(B) retains, to the maximum extent prac-
ticable— 
(i) adequate canopy cover to suppress 
plant regrowth in the forest understory fol-
lowing treatment; 
(ii) the longest living trees that pro-
vide the most shade over the longest period 
of time; 
(iii) the healthiest and most vigorous 
trees with the greatest potential for crown 
growth in— 
(I) plantations; and 
(II) natural stands adjacent to 
plantations; and 
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(iv) mature hardwoods. 
(6) 
STEWARDSHIP
CONTRACT.—The 
term 
‘‘stewardship contract’’ means an agreement or con-
tract entered into under section 604 of the Healthy 
Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6591c). 
(7) WILDLAND-URBAN INTERFACE.—The term 
‘‘wildland-urban interface’’ has the meaning given 
the term in section 101 of the Healthy Forests Res-
toration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6511). 
(b) ESTABLISHMENT.—Subject to valid existing 
rights, there is established the South Fork Trinity-Mad 
River 
Restoration 
Area, 
comprising 
approximately 
871,414 acres of Federal land administered by the Forest 
Service and the Bureau of Land Management, as gen-
erally depicted on the map entitled ‘‘South Fork Trinity- 
Mad River Restoration Area’’ and dated May 15, 2020. 
(c) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the restoration area 
are— 
(1) to establish, restore, and maintain fire-resil-
ient late successional forest structures characterized 
by large trees and multistoried canopies, as eco-
logically appropriate, in the restoration area; 
(2) to protect late successional reserves in the 
restoration area; 
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(3) to enhance the restoration of Federal land 
in the restoration area; 
(4) to reduce the threat posed by wildfires to 
communities in or in the vicinity of the restoration 
area; 
(5) to protect and restore aquatic habitat and 
anadromous fisheries; 
(6) to protect the quality of water within the 
restoration area; and 
(7) to allow visitors to enjoy the scenic, rec-
reational, natural, cultural, and wildlife values of the 
restoration area. 
(d) MANAGEMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall manage 
the restoration area— 
(A) in a manner— 
(i) consistent with the purposes de-
scribed in subsection (c); and 
(ii) in the case of the Forest Service, 
that prioritizes the restoration of the res-
toration area over other nonemergency 
vegetation management projects on the 
portions of the Six Rivers and Shasta- 
Trinity National Forests in Humboldt and 
Trinity Counties, California; 
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(B) in accordance with an agreement en-
tered into by the Chief of the Forest Service 
and the Director of the United States Fish and 
Wildlife Service— 
(i) for cooperation to ensure the time-
ly consultation required under section 7 of 
the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 
U.S.C. 1536) on restoration projects with-
in the restoration area; and 
(ii) to maintain and exchange infor-
mation on planning schedules and prior-
ities with respect to the restoration area on 
a regular basis; 
(C) in accordance with— 
(i) the laws (including regulations) 
and rules applicable to the National Forest 
System, with respect to land managed by 
the Forest Service; 
(ii) the Federal Land Policy and Man-
agement Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et 
seq.), with respect to land managed by the 
Bureau of Land Management; 
(iii) this Act; and 
(iv) any other applicable law (includ-
ing regulations); and 
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(D) in a manner consistent with congres-
sional intent that consultation for restoration 
projects within the restoration area be com-
pleted in a timely and efficient manner. 
(2) CONFLICT OF LAWS.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The establishment of 
the restoration area shall not modify the man-
agement status of any land or water that is 
designated as a component of the National Wil-
derness Preservation System or the National 
Wild and Scenic Rivers System, including land 
or water designated as a component of the Na-
tional Wilderness Preservation System or the 
National Wild and Scenic Rivers System by this 
Act (including an amendment made by this 
Act). 
(B) RESOLUTION OF CONFLICT.—If there 
is a conflict between a law applicable to a com-
ponent described in subparagraph (A) and this 
section, the more restrictive provision shall con-
trol. 
(3) USES.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 
only allow uses of the restoration area that the 
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Secretary determines would further the pur-
poses described in subsection (c). 
(B) PRIORITY.—The Secretary shall give 
priority to restoration activities within the res-
toration area. 
(C) LIMITATION.—Nothing in this section 
limits the ability of the Secretary to plan, ap-
prove, or prioritize activities outside of the res-
toration area. 
(4) WILDLAND FIRE.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Nothing in this section 
prohibits the Secretary, in cooperation with 
Federal, State, and local agencies, as appro-
priate, from conducting wildland fire operations 
in the restoration area, consistent with the pur-
poses of this section. 
(B) PRIORITY.—To the maximum extent 
practicable, the Secretary may use prescribed 
burning and managed wildland fire to achieve 
the purposes of this section. 
(5) ROAD DECOMMISSIONING.— 
(A) DEFINITION
OF
DECOMMISSION.—In 
this paragraph, the term ‘‘decommission’’ 
means, with respect to a road— 
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(i) to reestablish vegetation on the 
road; and 
(ii) to restore any natural drainage, 
watershed function, or other ecological 
process that is disrupted or adversely im-
pacted by the road by removing or 
hydrologically 
disconnecting 
the 
road 
prism. 
(B) DECOMMISSIONING.—To the maximum 
extent practicable, the Secretary shall decom-
mission any unneeded National Forest System 
road or any unauthorized road identified for de-
commissioning within the restoration area— 
(i) subject to appropriations; 
(ii) consistent with the analysis re-
quired under subparts A and B of part 
212 of title 36, Code of Federal Regula-
tions (or successor regulations); and 
(iii) in accordance with existing law. 
(C) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT.—In mak-
ing determinations with respect to the decom-
missioning of a road under subparagraph (B), 
the Secretary shall consult with— 
(i) appropriate State, Tribal, and local 
governmental entities; and 
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(ii) members of the public. 
(6) VEGETATION MANAGEMENT.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to subpara-
graphs (B), (C), and (D), the Secretary may 
carry out any vegetation management projects 
in the restoration area that the Secretary deter-
mines to be necessary— 
(i) to maintain or restore the charac-
teristics of ecosystem composition and 
structure; 
(ii) to reduce wildfire risk to the com-
munity by promoting forests that are fire 
resilient; 
(iii) to improve the habitat of threat-
ened species, endangered species, or sen-
sitive species; 
(iv) to protect or improve water qual-
ity; or 
(v) to enhance the restoration of land 
within the restoration area. 
(B) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.— 
(i) SHADED FUEL BREAKS.—In car-
rying out subparagraph (A), the Secretary 
shall prioritize, as practicable, the estab-
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lishment in the restoration area of a net-
work of shaded fuel breaks within— 
(I) any portion of the wildland- 
urban interface that is within 150 feet 
of private property contiguous to Fed-
eral land; 
(II) on the condition that the 
Secretary includes vegetation treat-
ments within a minimum of 25 feet of 
a road that is open to motorized vehi-
cles as of the date of enactment of 
this Act if practicable, feasible, and 
appropriate as part of any shaded fuel 
break— 
(aa) 150 feet of the road; or 
(bb) as topography or other 
conditions require, 275 feet of 
the road, if the combined total 
width of the shaded fuel breaks 
for both sides of the road does 
not exceed 300 feet; or 
(III) 150 feet of any plantation. 
(ii) 
PLANTATIONS; 
RIPARIAN
RE-
SERVES.—The Secretary may carry out 
vegetation management projects— 
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(I) in an area within the restora-
tion area in which a fish or wildlife 
habitat is significantly compromised 
as a result of past management prac-
tices (including plantations); and 
(II) in designated riparian re-
serves in the restoration area, as the 
Secretary 
determines 
to 
be 
nec-
essary— 
(aa) to maintain the integ-
rity of fuel breaks; or 
(bb) to enhance fire resil-
ience. 
(C) APPLICABLE
LAW.—The Secretary 
shall carry out vegetation management projects 
in the restoration area— 
(i) in accordance with— 
(I) this section; and 
(II) applicable law (including reg-
ulations); 
(ii) after providing an opportunity for 
public comment; and 
(iii) subject to appropriations. 
(D) BEST AVAILABLE SCIENCE.—The Sec-
retary shall use the best available science in 
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planning and carrying out vegetation manage-
ment projects in the restoration area. 
(7) GRAZING.— 
(A) EXISTING GRAZING.—The grazing of 
livestock in the restoration area, where estab-
lished before the date of enactment of this Act, 
shall be permitted to continue— 
(i) subject to such reasonable regula-
tions, policies, and practices as the Sec-
retary considers to be necessary; 
(ii) in accordance with applicable law 
(including regulations); and 
(iii) in a manner consistent with the 
purposes described in subsection (c). 
(B) TARGETED NEW GRAZING.—The Sec-
retary may issue annual targeted grazing per-
mits for the grazing of livestock in an area of 
the restoration area in which the grazing of 
livestock is not authorized before the date of en-
actment of this Act to control noxious weeds, 
aid in the control of wildfire within the 
wildland-urban interface, or provide other eco-
logical benefits— 
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