I 
109TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5964 
To establish management priorities for Federal forest lands in Oregon and 
Washington covered by the Northwest Forest Plan that will protect 
old growth timber while improving the health of young managed stands, 
increasing the volume of commercial timber available from these lands, 
and providing economic opportunities in rural areas, and for other pur-
poses. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 28, 2006 
Mr. DEFAZIO introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Resources, 
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
committee concerned 
A BILL 
To establish management priorities for Federal forest lands 
in Oregon and Washington covered by the Northwest 
Forest Plan that will protect old growth timber while 
improving the health of young managed stands, increas-
ing the volume of commercial timber available from these 
lands, and providing economic opportunities in rural 
areas, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Rural Employment and 
Forest Restoration Act of 2006’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this section: 
(1) NORTHWEST
FOREST
PLAN.—The term 
‘‘Northwest Forest Plan’’ means the collection of 
documents issued in 1994 and entitled ‘‘Final Sup-
plemental Environmental Impact Statement and 
Record of Decision for Amendments to Forest Serv-
ice and Bureau of Land Management Planning Doc-
uments within the Range of the Northern Spotted 
Owl’’ and ‘‘Standards and Guidelines for Manage-
ment of Habitat for Late-Successional and Old- 
Growth Forest Related Species Within the Range of 
the Northern Spotted Owl’’. 
(2) EMERGING MARKET.—The term ‘‘emerging 
market’’ means a new or developing market for 
small diameter and underutilized wood products, 
special forest products, and other restoration for-
estry by-products. 
(3) 
FOREST
HEALTH.—The 
term 
‘‘forest 
health’’ refers to conditions that enable forested 
land— 
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(A) to be durable, resilient, and less prone 
to uncharacteristic wildfire, while supporting 
viable native species assemblages; or 
(B) to have, or to develop, historic species 
composition, function and structure, and hydro-
logic function. 
(4) LATE-SUCCESSIONAL RESERVE.—The term 
‘‘late-successional reserve’’ means land area des-
ignated as a ‘‘late-successional reserve’’ pursuant to 
the Northwest Forest Plan. 
(5) LOW-IMPACT EQUIPMENT.—The term ‘‘low- 
impact equipment’’ means any device used in 
silviculture for restorative, maintenance, or extrac-
tion purposes that minimizes or eliminates impacts 
to soils and other resources. 
(6) OLD
GROWTH.—The term ‘‘old growth’’ 
means late-successional and mature multi-storied 
conifer forest stands, generally more than 120 years 
old as of the date of the enactment of this Act, that 
provide, or are likely to provide, complex habitat for 
associated species assemblages. 
(7) RURAL
AND
RURAL
AREA.—The terms 
‘‘rural’’ and ‘‘rural area’’ mean the area of a State 
not located within a city or town that has a popu-
lation of 50,000 or more inhabitants, as defined by 
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the Bureau of the Census using the latest decennial 
census of the United States. 
(8) VALUE-ADDED.—The term ‘‘value-added’’ 
means the additional processing of a product to in-
crease its economic value and to create additional 
jobs and benefits where the processing is carried out. 
(9) YOUNG
MANAGED
STANDS.—The term 
‘‘young managed stand’’ means a stand of trees 
where the overstory has been mechanically removed 
and the stand has been artificially regenerated. 
SEC. 3. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The Northwest Forest Plan can be better 
implemented, and the forests within its boundaries 
can be better managed. Better implementation, man-
agement, and funding could significantly improve 
protection for native forest ecosystems and wildlife, 
produce more desirable forest conditions, and sub-
stantially increase sustainable timber production and 
economic opportunities for rural areas. 
(2) Regeneration logging of old-growth forests 
diminishes biodiversity and habitat for rare, threat-
ened, and endangered species, and generally makes 
forests less healthy, resilient, and durable. Old- 
growth logging creates intense public controversy 
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that has prevented attainment of the social and eco-
nomic goals of the Northwest Forest Plan. Thinning 
in younger previously managed forests, and even 
some dense mature stands, on the contrary, can help 
recover habitat, reduce controversy, create certainty 
and stability in wood fiber production, and produce 
desirable forests. 
(3) To improve habitat, create more desirable 
forest conditions, and capture future commodity pro-
duction potential, the Forest Service and Bureau of 
Land Management should implement an accelerated 
thinning regime across a wide landscape, primarily 
in young managed stands, and fire suppressed 
stands at risk of uncharacteristically severe disturb-
ance. 
(4) There are vast unmet thinning needs across 
the range of the Northwest Forest Plan. Currently 
there are over one million acres of young managed 
stands designated as Late-Successional Reserves 
within the range of the Northwest Forest Plan that 
need immediate thinning, or will need thinning in 
the near future. There are approximately one million 
acres of young managed stands designated as matrix 
that are also in immediate need of thinning, or will 
need thinning in the near future. 
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(5) The Forest Service estimates that thinning 
the millions of acres of young managed stands in 
Oregon and Washington could produce well over 6 
billion board-feet of commercial timber over the next 
two decades. In addition, aggressive thinning in 
drier forests could produce many tons of non-com-
mercial but usable wood fiber, in addition to com-
mercial timber, as well as reduce fire risk and create 
more desirable forests by significantly increasing 
their resiliency and durability. 
(6) The timber industry within the range of the 
Northwest Forest Plan has largely re-tooled its ex-
isting mills to process the smaller-diameter commer-
cial timber generated from thinning young managed 
stands and is much less dependent on large-diameter 
old-growth trees. In addition, one of the obstacles to 
economic success within the industry and many rural 
areas is access to a stable and sustainable supply of 
this smaller-diameter wood. 
(7) A program of intensive and accelerated 
thinning in young managed stands, and unhealthy 
fire-prone stands, could annually yield more than 
double the volume of commercial timber products 
over the current production from Federal lands 
under the Northwest Forest Plan. 
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(8) The Olympic and Siuslaw National Forests 
represent 9 percent of the National Forest System 
land in Oregon and Washington under the North-
west Forest Plan, but in 2003 produced almost 20 
percent of the volume in this area. The primary rea-
son for the productivity of these two national forests 
is the absence of appeals and litigation due to local 
agency emphasis on thinning second-growth stands 
and the commitment of the Forest Service to, and 
participation in, locally-driven collaborative efforts. 
(9) The Siuslaw National Forest generates ap-
proximately 20 million board-feet annually, with the 
potential to generate 50 million board-feet, from sec-
ond-growth stands, resulting in millions of dollars 
for additional restoration projects, other forest ac-
counts, payments to local counties, and the Federal 
treasury. 
(10) The Gifford Pinchot National Forest was 
once the top producing forest in the State of Wash-
ington. Harvest dropped substantially, to approxi-
mately 2 million board-feet of timber per year, due 
to controversy over old-growth logging. Since shift-
ing to an emphasis on thinning second-growth 
stands and collaborative restoration, the this na-
tional forest can now produce nearly 18 million 
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board-feet of commercial timber annually with little 
controversy, appeals, or litigation. 
(11) Thinning young managed stands and re-
storing drier forests to a more resilient, durable con-
dition could significantly contribute to improved for-
est health, water quality, wildlife and vegetation di-
versity, and the development of vital old-growth eco-
systems. 
(12) Thinning young managed stands, the de-
velopment of locally owned manufacturing, and in-
creased access to existing and emerging markets 
could provide thousands of jobs and much-needed 
economic activity in depressed rural areas within the 
range of the Northwest Forest Plan. 
(13) Absent adequate protections for old-growth 
forest stands and associated species, the survey for 
old-growth dependent species and resulting manage-
ment requirements are desirable and necessary man-
agement tools. However, it is unnecessary for the 
management of young managed stands and only im-
pedes management to improve forest health. Absent 
commercial logging of old-growth stands within the 
range of the Northwest Forest Plan, it is no longer 
necessary to require surveys of old-growth dependent 
species. 
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SEC. 4. MANAGEMENT DIRECTIVES. 
(a) FOREST HEALTH PROJECTS; PRIORITIZATION.— 
Each Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management ad-
ministrative unit containing land managed under the 
Northwest Forest Plan shall plan and implement projects 
to enhance the forest health of land managed by the ad-
ministrative unit. The resources of the administrative unit 
shall be prioritized so that projects described in sub-
sections (b) and (c) are planned for treatment, and treat-
ment has begun of significant acreage, before planning of 
projects described in subsections (d) and (e) is com-
menced. 
(b) ENHANCEMENT OF LATE-SUCCESSIONAL FOREST 
DEVELOPMENT.—The highest priority shall be given to 
projects involving variable density thinning treatments to 
enhance late-successional forest development in young 
managed stands. Projects shall avoid impacts to unstable 
slopes, and avoid disturbance to aquatic systems and soils. 
All projects shall comply with the management guidelines 
for late-successional reserves contained in the Northwest 
Forest Plan, except, notwithstanding the 80-year age limit 
for late-successional reserve management, active manage-
ment to improve forest health in young managed stands 
may occur up to 120 years of age in a late-successional 
reserve. Appropriate thinning prescriptions for a late-suc-
cessional reserve shall be site-specific to individual young 
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managed stands, taking into account factors such as the 
slope aspect, soil type, hydrology, geomorphology, and 
vegetation composition of the site. 
(c) IMPROVEMENT OF DRY FOREST TYPES WITH 
HISTORICALLY FREQUENT FIRE EVENTS.—The second 
highest priority shall be given to projects to increase dura-
bility and resiliency in dry forest types with historically 
frequent fire. Projects shall create more desirable forest 
conditions by restoring durable forest structure and com-
position such that fires maintains rather than destroys 
old-growth features. Projects shall avoid impacts to unsta-
ble slopes, and avoid disturbance to aquatic systems and 
soils, and protect legacy features, including living and 
dead large overstory trees. Appropriate thinning prescrip-
tions shall be site-specific to individual young managed 
stands, taking into account factors such as the slope as-
pect, soil type, hydrology, geomorphology, and vegetation 
composition of the site. 
(d) TESTING OF INNOVATIVE MANAGEMENT TECH-
NIQUES AND STRATEGIES.—An administrative unit may 
plan and implement silvicultural projects under this sec-
tion that test new and innovative management techniques 
and strategies in adaptive management areas under the 
Northwest Forest Plan. Projects shall avoid impacts to 
unstable slopes, streams, and soils, as defined in the 
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Northwest Forest Plan, as well as identified old growth 
forests. 
(e) OTHER PROJECTS.—An administrative unit cov-
ered by this section shall not plan, advertise, contract, or 
implement any harvest of timber in an old-growth stand, 
except for noncommercial use, noncommercial purposes in 
an emergency situation, such as wildland fire-fighting, or 
to improve or protect forest health. Other projects may 
include any management activity allowed by the Northwest 
Forest Plan. 
(f) SURVEY AND MANAGE.—The Forest Service and 
Bureau of Land Management shall not be required to im-
plement surveys required in the 1994 Survey and Manage 
Record of Decision, as well as the 2001 and 2004 Records 
of Decision. Surveys may be performed by the Forest 
Service or Bureau of Land Management at their discre-
tion. 
SEC. 5. RURAL EMPLOYMENT DIRECTIVES. 
(a) BEST VALUE CONTRACTING CRITERIA.—The 
Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management shall 
consider how they plan, package, and offer contracts and 
sales to restore young managed stands to achieve max-
imum employment in rural areas. In implementing 
projects, the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Manage-
ment shall select a source for performance of a sale, con-
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