I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3439 
To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to select and implement landscape- 
scale forest restoration projects, to assist communities in increasing their 
resilience to wildfire, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 17, 2023 
Mr. PANETTA (for himself, Mr. THOMPSON of California, Mr. COSTA, Ms. LEE 
of California, Mr. GARAMENDI, Mr. DESAULNIER, Mr. CARBAJAL, and 
Ms. SALINAS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committees on Natural 
Resources, Energy and Commerce, and Education and the Workforce, 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 com-
mittee concerned 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to select and imple-
ment landscape-scale forest restoration projects, to assist 
communities in increasing their resilience to wildfire, 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 
‘‘Emergency Wildfire Act of 2023’’. 
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(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
TITLE I—LANDSCAPE-SCALE FOREST RESTORATION 
Sec. 101. Definitions. 
Sec. 102. Purpose. 
Sec. 103. Conservation finance agreements. 
Sec. 104. Report evaluating implementation. 
TITLE II—INCREASING COMMUNITY RESILIENCE TO WILDFIRE 
Sec. 201. Critical infrastructure and microgrid program. 
Sec. 202. Retrofits for fire-resilient communities. 
Sec. 203. Wildfire detection, monitoring, and analysis equipment. 
TITLE III—RESEARCH, TRAINING, AND CAPACITY BUILDING 
Sec. 301. Western prescribed fire centers. 
Sec. 302. Innovative forest workforce development program. 
Sec. 303. National community capacity and land stewardship grant program. 
TITLE I—LANDSCAPE-SCALE 
FOREST RESTORATION 
SEC. 101. DEFINITIONS. 
In this title: 
(1) CONSERVATION
FINANCE
AGREEMENT.— 
The term ‘‘conservation finance agreement’’ means a 
mutual benefit agreement (excluding a procurement 
contract, grant, or cooperative agreement described 
in chapter 63 of title 31, United States Code) for a 
conservation finance project— 
(A) the term of which is not less than 2, 
and not more than 20, years; 
(B) that may provide that performance 
under the agreement during the second and 
subsequent years of the agreement is contingent 
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on the appropriation of funds or receipt of col-
lections; and 
(C) that may provide for a cancellation 
payment to be made to the conservation finance 
project developer if those appropriations are not 
made or collections are not received. 
(2) CONSERVATION
FINANCE
PROJECT.—The 
term ‘‘conservation finance project’’ means a 
project— 
(A) conducted on National Forest System 
land and may include land adjoining National 
Forest System land; 
(B) that would— 
(i) protect, restore, or improve Na-
tional Forest System land; and 
(ii) use a conservation finance model 
that employs a debt financing approach 
that uses loaned capital from a conserva-
tion finance project investor to cover up- 
front project costs, with the loaned capital 
repaid over time by conservation finance 
project beneficiaries; and 
(C) the purpose of which is to conduct eco-
logical restoration treatments that, at the time 
of selection for a conservation finance agree-
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ment under the pilot program established under 
section 103(a)— 
(i) are conducted under the Collabo-
rative Forest Landscape Restoration Pro-
gram established under section 4003 of the 
Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 
2009 (16 U.S.C. 7303); 
(ii)(I) 
were 
previously 
conducted 
under the Program described in clause (i); 
(II) are no longer eligible for funding 
under that Program due to a time limita-
tion 
under 
subsection 
(b)(1)(B) 
or 
(d)(4)(B) of that section; and 
(III) are otherwise eligible for funding 
under that Program; 
(iii) are conducted by a water source 
investment partnership established under 
section 303(c) of the Healthy Forests Res-
toration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6542(c)); 
or 
(iv) are conducted under the Joint 
Chiefs Landscape Restoration Partnership 
Program established under section 40808 
of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs 
Act (16 U.S.C. 6592d). 
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(3) CONSERVATION FINANCE PROJECT BENE-
FICIARY.—The term ‘‘conservation finance project 
beneficiary’’ means a nonprofit, for-profit, or Fed-
eral, State, local, or Tribal governmental entity or 
individual that— 
(A) benefits from conservation finance 
project outcomes; and 
(B)(i) provides capital directly to fund a 
conservation finance project; or 
(ii) repays to a conservation finance 
project investor up-front loaned capital for a 
conservation finance project at a rate of return 
agreed to by the entity or individual and the 
conservation finance project investor. 
(4) CONSERVATION FINANCE PROJECT DEVEL-
OPER.—The term ‘‘conservation finance project de-
veloper’’ means a nonprofit or for-profit inter-
mediary that assists in developing, financing, fund-
ing, or implementing a conservation finance project. 
(5) CONSERVATION FINANCE PROJECT INVES-
TOR.—The term ‘‘conservation finance project inves-
tor’’ means a nonprofit, for-profit, or State, local, or 
Tribal governmental entity or individual that pro-
vides up-front loaned capital for a conservation fi-
nance project. 
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(6) ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY.—The term ‘‘eco-
logical integrity’’ has the meaning given the term in 
section 219.19 of title 36, Code of Federal Regula-
tions (as in effect on the date of enactment of this 
Act). 
(7) LOW-INCOME COMMUNITY.—The term ‘‘low- 
income community’’ has the meaning given the term 
in section 45D(e) of the Internal Revenue Code of 
1986. 
(8) RESTORATION.—The term ‘‘restoration’’ 
has the meaning given the term in section 219.19 of 
title 36, Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on 
the date of enactment of this Act). 
(9) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Agriculture. 
(10) 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). 
SEC. 102. PURPOSE. 
The purpose of this title is to increase the pace and 
scale of forest restoration and land management projects 
across the National Forest System by— 
(1) authorizing a pilot program with conserva-
tion finance agreement authority to leverage other 
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Federal and non-Federal investment (in addition to 
funds appropriated to the Forest Service) in land-
scape-scale, multistakeholder land management ac-
tivities and related natural and built infrastructure 
and associated local employment opportunities; 
(2) encouraging project planning and analysis 
that effectively scale up to the landscape level of 
100,000 acres or more; 
(3) supporting projects that emphasize— 
(A) the reintroduction of characteristic 
fire, based on forest ecology and reference con-
ditions, through the use of prescribed fire, wild-
fire managed for resource benefits, or both; 
(B) restoring terrestrial and aquatic areas 
that lack ecological integrity; or 
(C) reducing the risk of uncharacteristic 
wildfire and improving forest resiliency; 
(4) requiring ecological standards and collabo-
ration for landscape-scale projects; and 
(5) coordinating with Federal, State, local, and 
Tribal entities to support the pilot program de-
scribed in paragraph (1) by taking full advantage of 
existing interagency agreements and authorities. 
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SEC. 103. CONSERVATION FINANCE AGREEMENTS. 
(a) PILOT PROGRAM AUTHORITY.—The Secretary 
shall establish a pilot program under which the Secretary 
may enter into a conservation finance agreement with a 
public or private person, including a for-profit or nonprofit 
organization, to carry out a conservation finance project 
if the Secretary finds each of the following: 
(1) There is a reasonable expectation that, 
throughout the contemplated agreement period, the 
Secretary will request funding for the agreement at 
the level required to avoid agreement cancellation. 
(2) The environmental analysis for the project 
demonstrates that there is a supply sufficient to sup-
port a conservation finance agreement of— 
(A) small-diameter material; or 
(B) other hazardous fuels, the removal of 
which would reduce the risk of uncharacteristic 
wildfire. 
(3) The use of the conservation finance agree-
ment will assist in achieving the purpose described 
in section 102. 
(4) The project involves a conservation finance 
project developer. 
(b) LIMITED DELEGATION.—The Secretary may not 
delegate the pilot program authority under subsection (a) 
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to a Federal official that serves under the Chief of the 
Forest Service. 
(c) LIMITATIONS.—The pilot program authority 
under subsection (a)— 
(1) may not be used to enter into more than 20 
conservation finance agreements; 
(2) may be used for the obligation under con-
servation finance agreements of— 
(A) during the 10-year period beginning on 
the date of enactment of this Act, not more 
than $250,000,000 in the aggregate; and 
(B) not more than $50,000,000 for any 1 
conservation finance agreement; and 
(3) may not be used to reimburse for interest 
paid to any other entity providing funds for the ap-
plicable conservation finance project. 
(d) PRIORITY.—In entering into conservation finance 
agreements under subsection (a), the Secretary shall give 
priority to projects described in that subsection that are 
based on restoration strategies addressing larger land-
scapes, particularly landscapes of 100,000 acres or more. 
(e) CANCELLATION, TERMINATION, OR MODIFICA-
TION FOR INSUFFICIENT FUNDING.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.— 
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(A) INSUFFICIENT FUNDING.—If funds are 
not made available for the continuation of a 
conservation finance agreement made under 
this section into a subsequent fiscal year, the 
agreement shall be canceled, terminated, or 
modified. 
(B) PAYMENT OF COSTS.—If the Secretary 
determines that it is necessary to cancel or ter-
minate a conservation finance agreement pursu-
ant to subparagraph (A), and the conservation 
finance agreement includes a cancellation or 
termination provision as described in paragraph 
(2)(A), the Secretary may pay the costs of that 
cancellation or termination using any of the fol-
lowing amounts: 
(i) Appropriations originally available 
for the performance of the applicable con-
servation finance agreement. 
(ii) Appropriations currently available 
for the type of services concerned under 
the applicable conservation finance agree-
ment, and not otherwise obligated. 
(iii) Funds appropriated for payment 
of the costs of cancellation or termination. 
(2) PROVISIONS IN AGREEMENTS.— 
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(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may in-
clude cancellation or termination provisions in 
conservation finance agreements under this sec-
tion to the extent that those provisions are nec-
essary and in the best interests of the United 
States. 
(B) CONSIDERATIONS.—The cancellation 
or termination provisions described in subpara-
graph (A) may include consideration of the re-
curring and nonrecurring costs of the conserva-
tion finance project developer under the applica-
ble conservation finance agreement. 
(3) 
CANCELLATION
AND
TERMINATION 
COSTS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may ob-
ligate funds in stages that are economically or 
programmatically viable to cover any potential 
cancellation or termination costs related to the 
Federal share of the costs under a conservation 
finance agreement under paragraph (1)(B) and 
implement the agreement pursuant to this sec-
tion. 
(B) ADVANCE
NOTICE
TO
CONGRESS
OF 
CANCELLATION OR TERMINATION COSTS IN EX-
CESS OF $25,000,000.—Not later than 30 days 
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before entering into a conservation finance 
agreement under this section that includes can-
cellation or termination costs in excess of 
$25,000,000, but does not include proposed 
funding for the costs of cancelling or termi-
nating the agreement up to the maximum can-
cellation or termination costs in the agreement, 
the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources and the Com-
mittee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 
of the Senate and the Committee on Natural 
Resources and the Committee on Agriculture of 
the House of Representatives a written notice 
that includes— 
(i) a description of the cancellation or 
termination cost amounts proposed for 
each program year in the agreement; 
(ii) the reasons why the cancellation 
or termination cost amounts described 
under clause (i) were selected; 
(iii) a description of the extent to 
which the costs of agreement cancellation 
or termination are not included in the 
budget for the agreement; and 
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(iv) an assessment of the financial 
risk of not including budgeting for the 
costs of agreement cancellation or termi-
nation. 
(C) TRANSMITTAL OF NOTICE TO OMB.— 
Not later than 14 days after the date on which 
written notice is provided under subparagraph 
(B), the Secretary shall transmit a copy of the 
notice to the Director of the Office of Manage-
ment and Budget. 
(D) DETERMINATION
OF
CANCELLATION 
OR TERMINATION COSTS SPECIFIC TO A CON-
SERVATION
FINANCE
AGREEMENT.—The Sec-
retary may enter into a conservation finance 
agreement pursuant to this section that in-
cludes conservation finance project developer 
services in return for payments by the Sec-
retary in future years that are contingent on 
the appropriation of funds, subject to the re-
quirement that the Secretary shall pay the con-
servation finance project developer the Federal 
share of the cancellation or termination costs 
under the agreement pursuant to paragraph 
(1)(B) up to the limitation on cancellation or 
termination costs applicable to the agreement if 
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funding for the completion of the agreement is 
not appropriated. 
(f) NON-FEDERAL COST SHARE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The non-Federal share of 
the costs of implementing a conservation finance 
agreement carried out using amounts made available 
under this title shall be not less than 40 percent of 
the costs of implementing the conservation finance 
agreement, of which, subject to paragraph (2)— 
(A) up to 50 percent may be reimbursed 
by the Forest Service, subject to the availability 
of appropriations and subsections (c)(3) and 
(e); and 
(B) not less than 50 percent shall be cov-
ered by non-Federal funding, which may include 
in-kind contributions. 
(2) COST
SHARE
FOR
LOW-INCOME
COMMU-
NITIES.—In the case of a conservation finance 
project that the Secretary determines would pri-
marily benefit 1 or more low-income communities 
and for which the non-Federal entities involved can-
not meet the cost share requirement under para-
graph (1)— 
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(A) subparagraph (A) of that paragraph 
shall be applied by substituting ‘‘75 percent’’ 
for ‘‘50 percent’’; and 
(B) subparagraph (B) of that paragraph 
shall be applied by substituting ‘‘25 percent’’ 
for ‘‘50 percent’’. 
(3) SAVINGS PROVISION.—Nothing in this sub-
section limits additional non-Federal financing or 
funding for a conservation finance project above the 
40 percent minimum non-Federal cost share de-
scribed in paragraph (1). 
(g) STEWARDSHIP
END
RESULT
CONTRACTING 
PROJECT AUTHORITIES.—A conservation finance agree-
ment developed under this section may incorporate the au-
thorities provided to the Secretary and the Chief of the 
Forest Service to enter into stewardship contracting 
projects under section 604 of the Healthy Forests Res-
toration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6591c). 
SEC. 104. REPORT EVALUATING IMPLEMENTATION. 
Not later than 4 years after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee 
on Natural Resources and the Committee on Appropria-
tions of the House of Representatives and the Committee 
on Energy and Natural Resources and the Committee on 
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Appropriations of the Senate a report evaluating the im-
plementation of this title, including— 
(1) a list of conservation finance agreements 
entered into under this title and the accomplish-
ments under the projects carried out under those 
agreements; and 
(2) an evaluation of the pilot authority for con-
servation finance agreements described in section 
103, including whether that authority has— 
(A) increased the availability of non-Fed-
eral funding sources to assist in landscape-scale 
forest restoration projects; 
(B) promoted private or other non-Federal 
investment in— 
(i) new or existing infrastructure and 
related equipment that can make use of 
the byproducts of forest restoration; 
(ii) the use of prescribed fire at a 
greater scale; 
(iii) related economic development and 
workforce training and development; 
(iv) land management activities en-
hancing natural infrastructure with bene-
fits for downstream water users; or 
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(v) 
mitigating 
the 
risk 
of 
uncharacteristic wildfire; and 
(C) any barriers limiting the broader use 
or implementation of the pilot project authority 
to additional projects, including risks that may 
discourage further participation and investment 
by outside parties. 
TITLE II—INCREASING COMMU-
NITY RESILIENCE TO WILD-
FIRE 
SEC. 201. CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND MICROGRID 
PROGRAM. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) CRITICAL FACILITY.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘critical fa-
cility’’ means a facility that provides services or 
may be used— 
(i) to save lives; 
(ii) to protect property, public health, 
and public safety; or 
(iii) to lessen or avert the threat of a 
catastrophe. 
(B) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘‘critical facil-
ity’’ includes— 
(i) a hospital; 
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(ii) an outpatient clinic; 
(iii) a nursing home; 
(iv) a police station; 
(v) an emergency operation center; 
(vi) a jail or prison; 
(vii) a fire station; 
(viii) a facility in the communications 
sector, as determined by the Secretary; 
(ix) a facility in the chemical sector, 
as determined by the Secretary; 
(x) a school or other large building 
that may serve as a temporary gathering 
space; 
(xi) a utility station, such as a water 
station, wastewater station, community 
water system, or irrigation works; 
(xii) a facility described in subpara-
graph (A) that is owned or operated by, or 
provides services to, an Indian Tribe (as 
defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-De-
termination and Education Assistance Act 
(25 U.S.C. 5304)); 
(xiii) a Federal facility, including a 
military base or installation; and 
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(xiv) any other facility described in 
subparagraph (A), as determined by the 
Secretary. 
(2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Energy. 
(b) CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
AND MICROGRID 
PROGRAM.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish 
a program— 
(A) to improve the energy resilience and 
power needs of critical facilities through the de-
velopment and use of microgrids, renewable en-
ergy, energy efficiency, reduced electricity de-
mand, and on-site storage; 
(B) to improve the energy efficiency of 
critical facilities by decreasing the size and cost 
of generators; 
(C) to provide technical assistance and fa-
cilitate the distribution and sharing of informa-
tion to develop more resilient electricity systems 
(including bulk systems and localized systems); 
and 
(D) to promulgate consumer-facing infor-
mation and resources to inform the public on 
best practices and resources related to increas-
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ing resilience of electricity systems and reducing 
the impacts of extreme weather events on elec-
tricity systems. 
(2) REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying out the pro-
gram established under paragraph (1), the Secretary 
shall ensure, with respect to critical facilities— 
(A) provision of on-site back-up power with 
renewable resources, low-carbon liquid fuels, 
and on-site energy storage technologies; and 
(B) installation, at the transmission and 
distribution level, of interoperable technologies, 
advanced power flow control, dynamic line rat-
ing, topology optimization, and communications 
systems. 
(3) INTERESTED
PARTY
INPUT.—In estab-
lishing the program under paragraph (1), the Sec-
retary shall seek the input of State energy regu-
lators, electric utilities (as defined in section 3 of the 
Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 796)), regional trans-
mission organizations and independent system oper-
ators, electric utility customers and ratepayer orga-
nizations, local governments, community choice 
aggregators or regional energy collaboratives, and 
other interested parties. 
(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary $100,000,000 to carry 
out this section, to remain available until expended. 
(2) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—Of the amount 
used to carry out this section, not more than 10 per-
cent shall be used for salaries and expenses, admin-
istrative management, and oversight of the program 
established under subsection (b)(1). 
SEC. 202. RETROFITS FOR FIRE-RESILIENT COMMUNITIES. 
(a) 
DEFINITION
OF
WEATHERIZATION
MATE-
RIALS.—Section 412(9) of the Energy Conservation and 
Production Act (42 U.S.C. 6862(9)) is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (I), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; 
(2) by redesignating subparagraph (J) as sub-
paragraph (K); and 
(3) by inserting after subparagraph (I) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(J) materials that are resistant to high 
heat and fire; and’’. 
(b) WEATHERIZATION PROGRAM.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 413(b)(6) of the En-
ergy Conservation and Production Act (42 U.S.C. 
6863(b)(6)) is amended— 
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(A) in subparagraph (C), by striking 
‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(B) in subparagraph (D), by striking the 
period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(E) owners of such dwelling units shall 
use fire- and drought-resistant building mate-
rials, including mass timber, and incorporate 
wildfire and drought prevention and mitigation 
planning, as directed by the State.’’. 
(2) LIMITATIONS.—Section 415(c) of the En-
ergy Conservation and Production Act (42 U.S.C. 
6865(c)) is amended— 
(A) in paragraph (1)— 
(i) by redesignating subparagraphs 
(A) through (E) as clauses (i) through (v), 
respectively, and indenting appropriately; 
(ii) in the matter preceding clause (i) 
(as so redesignated), in the second sen-
tence, by striking ‘‘Labor’’ and all that fol-
lows through ‘‘to—’’ and inserting the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(B) LABOR AND WEATHERIZATION MATE-
RIALS.—Labor, weatherization materials, and 
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related matter described in subparagraph (A) 
includes—’’; 
(iii) by striking ‘‘(c)(1) Except’’ and 
inserting the following: 
‘‘(c) FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.— 
‘‘(1) AVERAGE COST.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except’’; 
(iv) in subparagraph (A) (as so des-
ignated)— 
(I) by striking ‘‘exceed an aver-
age of $6,500’’ and inserting the fol-
lowing: ‘‘exceed— 
‘‘(i) an average of $13,000 (adjusted 
annually for inflation)’’; 
(II) in clause (i) (as so des-
ignated), by striking the period at the 
end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 
(III) by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(ii) another average amount that is 
greater than the amount described in 
clause (i), if the Secretary determines it 
necessary to waive or adjust the average 
amount established under that clause.’’; 
and 
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(v) in subparagraph (B) (as so des-
ignated)— 
(I) in clause (iv) (as so redesig-
nated), by striking ‘‘, and’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘; and’’; and 
(II) in clause (v) (as so redesig-
nated), by adding a period at the end; 
and 
(B) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘$3,000’’ 
and inserting ‘‘$6,000 (adjusted annually for 
inflation)’’. 
SEC. 203. WILDFIRE DETECTION, MONITORING, AND ANAL-
YSIS EQUIPMENT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Title VI of the Healthy Forests 
Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6591 et seq.) is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 607. WILDFIRE DETECTION, MONITORING, AND ANAL-
YSIS EQUIPMENT. 
‘‘To the extent practicable, the Secretary of Agri-
culture and the Secretary of the Interior shall— 
‘‘(1) expedite the placement of wildfire detec-
tion equipment, such as sensors, cameras, and other 
relevant equipment, in areas at risk of wildfire; 
‘‘(2) expand the use of satellite and remote 
sensing data and mobile technologies to assist wild-
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fire response, management, and firefighter safety 
through improved situational awareness; 
‘‘(3) expedite any permitting required by the 
Secretary of Agriculture or the Secretary of the In-
terior for the installation, maintenance, or removal 
of wildfire detection equipment; 
‘‘(4) review permitting described in paragraph 
(3) and procurement requirements for wildfire detec-
tion equipment within the context of modern and in-
novative technology; 
‘‘(5) pursuant to the OPEN Government Data 
Act (title II of Public Law 115–435; 132 Stat. 
5534), the amendments made by that Act, and any 
guidance issued by the Director of the Office of 
Management and Budget under that Act or those 
amendments, support the disclosure to the public of 
nonconfidential data assets the disclosure of which 
does not pose security risks to the public so that 
wildland fire data is discoverable, understandable, 
and actionable; and 
‘‘(6) utilize new and existing technologies to 
analyze performance measurements and suppression 
effectiveness of wildland fire incidents.’’. 
(b) TECHNICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 
for the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 
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U.S.C. 6501 note; Public Law 108–148) is amended by 
adding at the end of the items relating to title VI the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘Sec. 607. Wildfire detection, monitoring, and analysis equipment.’’. 
TITLE 
III—RESEARCH, 
TRAIN-
ING, AND CAPACITY BUILD-
ING 
SEC. 301. WESTERN PRESCRIBED FIRE CENTERS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Agriculture and 
the Secretary of the Interior (referred to in this section 
as the ‘‘Secretaries’’) shall establish 1 or more centers to 
train individuals in prescribed fire methods and other 
methods relevant to the mitigation of wildfire risk (re-
ferred to in this section as a ‘‘center’’). 
(b) HOST INSTITUTIONS.—The 1 or more centers 
shall be— 
(1) located at 1 or more institutions of higher 
education; or 
(2) developed in collaboration with 1 or more 
institutions of higher education. 
(c) GOALS.—The 1 or more centers shall advance the 
following goals: 
(1) Training individuals and conducting re-
search on prescribed fire methods and other restora-
tion methods relevant to the mitigation of wildfire 
risk. 
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(2) Developing and advancing interdisciplinary 
science relating to wildfire, including social science 
and human dimensions of wildfire, in consultation 
with stakeholders who— 
(A) need that science; 
(B) will benefit from the outcomes of that 
science; and 
(C) will coordinate with 1 or more other 
centers in developing and advancing that 
science. 
(3) Conducting ongoing and forward-looking 
needs assessments among stakeholders, including 
Federal and State agencies and Indian Tribes, to de-
termine common need requirements and emerging 
challenges to reduce wildfire risk and adapt commu-
nities to increased risk from wildfire, including the 
following hazard-related focus areas: 
(A) Increasing disaster resilience. 
(B) Mitigation and management methods. 
(C) Air quality. 
(D) Firestorm weather forecasting and 
burn-area debris flow forecasting, including em-
pirical and modeling research. 
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(4) Collaborating with Federal wildfire sci-
entists at the Forest Service, the Department of the 
Interior, and other related agencies. 
(5) Identifying, through a detailed engagement 
process targeting defined end-users, the require-
ments and delivery mechanisms for products and 
services that are practical and will have an impact 
on mitigating wildfire risk. 
(6) Promoting technology transfer with path-
ways for dissemination, implementation, and applica-
tion of research results on the ground, using and en-
hancing previous research. 
(7) Ensuring the connectivity and interoper-
ability of distributed services to maximize synergies 
and benefits across services. 
(8) Developing open digital infrastructure to 
make research data, science, and models open for all 
sectors to use. 
(9) Understanding the effectiveness of historical 
and current wildfire management and suppression 
strategies, including on wildfires that start in wilder-
ness areas, wilderness study areas, or inventoried 
roadless areas. 
(d) LOCATION.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—The 1 or more centers shall 
be located in any State the entirety of which is lo-
cated west of the 100th meridian. 
(2) CONSULTATION.—The Secretaries shall con-
sult with the Joint Fire Science Program to solicit 
and evaluate proposals for the location of the 1 or 
more centers. 
(3) SELECTION.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of enactment of this Act, based on the con-
sultation under paragraph (2), the Secretaries shall 
select a location for the 1 or more centers. 
SEC. 302. INNOVATIVE FOREST WORKFORCE DEVELOP-
MENT PROGRAM. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) CAREER IN FORESTRY AND FIRE MANAGE-
MENT.—The term ‘‘career in forestry and fire man-
agement’’ means a career in a field relating to for-
ests and the restoration to the natural fire regimes 
of forests, including— 
(A) in timber operations; 
(B) as a registered professional forester; 
(C) in vegetation treatment, including as a 
member of a hand crew, a machine operator, 
and in conducting prescribed fires as part of a 
fire restoration workforce that is capable of 
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conducting large landscape restorative and 
maintenance prescribed fires; 
(D) in ecological restoration, including res-
toration of watersheds; 
(E) in wildland fire fighting; and 
(F) in community fire resilience, including 
workforce development projects. 
(2) FORESTRY AND FIRE MANAGEMENT.—The 
term ‘‘forestry and fire management’’ includes the 
areas of fields relating to forests described in sub-
paragraphs (A) through (F) of paragraph (1). 
(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Agriculture. 
(b) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary shall es-
tablish a competitive grant program— 
(1) to assist in the development and utilization 
of innovative activities relating to workforce develop-
ment in forestry and fire management and opportu-
nities for careers in forestry and fire management; 
and 
(2) to expand public awareness about forestry 
and fire management and connect individuals to ca-
reers in forestry and fire management. 
(c) SELECTION OF GRANT RECIPIENTS.—In award-
ing grants under subsection (b), the Secretary shall, to 
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