I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2612 
To provide for forest landscape projects, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 16, 2021 
Mr. LAMALFA (for himself, Mr. NEWHOUSE, Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota, 
Mr. MCCARTHY, Mr. WESTERMAN, and Mr. CRAWFORD) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and 
in addition to the Committees on Natural Resources, and the Judiciary, 
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 provide for forest landscape projects, 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. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Restoring Environ-
ments, Soils, Trees, and Operations to develop the Rural 
Economy Act of 2021’’ or the ‘‘RESTORE Act of 2021’’. 
SEC. 2. FOREST LANDSCAPE PROJECTS. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
shall, at the request of a Governor of a State, select 
a forest landscape in the State on which to conduct 
a forest landscape project described in subsection 
(b)(1). 
(2) PROCESS.— 
(A) PROPOSALS.—To request a forest 
landscape project be carried out in a State 
under paragraph (1), the Governor of such 
State may submit to the Secretary a proposal 
for a forest landscape project in such State. 
(B) SELECTION.—The Secretary may only 
select a proposal submitted under subparagraph 
(A) if the proposal will be conducted on a forest 
landscape. 
(3) APPLICABILITY OF NEPA.—The selection of 
a forest landscape under this subsection shall not be 
subject to the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). 
(b) FOREST LANDSCAPE PROJECTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—A forest landscape project 
carried out by the Secretary under this section is a 
project— 
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(A) for which the Secretary carries out 1 
or more covered management activities de-
scribed in paragraph (2); and 
(B) that takes place— 
(i) on a forest landscape; and 
(ii) on not more than 75,000 acres 
of— 
(I) Federal land; or 
(II) non-Federal land adjacent to 
Federal land on which the project is 
also carried out. 
(2) COVERED MANAGEMENT ACTIVITY.—A cov-
ered management activity described in this para-
graph is a forest management activity to— 
(A) install fuel breaks (including shaded 
fuel breaks) not more than 1⁄2-mile wide across 
a forest landscape in a strategic system that 
maximizes the reduction of wildfire risk to com-
munities or watersheds; 
(B) carry out mechanical thinning (includ-
ing restoration thinning) of a forest landscape 
to clear— 
(i) surface fuels, such as slash; 
(ii) ladder fuels, such as small and 
medium diameter trees and shrubs; or 
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(iii) both of the fuels described in 
clauses (i) and (ii); 
(C) conduct controlled burns; and 
(D) remove dead trees, dying trees, or 
trees at high-risk of dying. 
(3) REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying out a covered 
management activity under a forest landscape 
project, the Secretary— 
(A) shall— 
(i) maximize the retention of old- 
growth stands and large trees, as appro-
priate for the forest type, to the extent 
that the trees promote stands that are re-
silient to wildfire and increased average 
temperature; and 
(ii) consider the best available sci-
entific information to maintain or restore 
the ecological integrity of the forest land-
scape; and 
(B) may not establish a permanent road. 
(c) ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS.— 
(1) APPLICATION TO CERTAIN ENVIRONMENTAL 
ASSESSMENTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATE-
MENTS.—This subsection shall apply in any case in 
which the Secretary prepares an environmental as-
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