Arizona Wallow Fire Recovery and Monitoring Act

Bill: 112-s-1344
Sponsor: Sen. Kyl, Jon [R-AZ]
Introduced: 2011-07-11 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Arizona
Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
Fires
Forests, forestry, trees
Land use and conservation

Summary:
action_date: 2011-07-11
text: 
Arizona Wallow Fire Recovery and Monitoring Act - Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct and report on a hazard tree and commercial timber evaluation that identifies timber resources appropriate for removal within the Wallow Fire Area not later than the earlier of: (1) 30 days after the completion of the burned area emergency response for the Wallow Fire Area; or (2) 45 days after the date of containment of the Wallow Fire. 
 
Requires the Secretary to: (1) exclude from areas identified for tree removal high fire-severity burned areas on steep slopes, slopes with an incline greater than 40%, riparian areas, and fragile erosive sites, unless tree removal in those areas is necessary to address public health and safety concerns; and (2) limit the removal of trees under a timber removal project under this Act to hazard trees and trees that are already down, dead, or severely root-sprung, such that mortality is highly probable. 
 
Provides that: (1) nothing in this Act authorizes new permanent road construction for timber removal, and (2) it is the intent of Congress that all timber removal projects carried out under this Act be completed within 18 months of this Act's enactment.
 
Requires the Secretary, in the case of a timber removal project to be conducted in a Community Protection Management Area, to prepare an environmental assessment for the proposed agency action under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). 
 
Subjects timber removal projects carried out under this Act to the special administrative process and judicial review process under the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003. 
Requires amounts collected from a timber removal project carried out under this Act to be available for expenditure by the Secretary without further appropriation for forest restoration treatments on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest in Arizona.
action_date: 2012-01-13
text: 
Arizona Wallow Fire Recovery and Monitoring Act - (Sec. 3) Requires the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to commence within 30 days after enactment of this Act and complete within 75 days an evaluation of the Wallow Fire Area, which shall include: (1) a map of the burn intensity within the Area; (2) a description of the forest conditions in the burned areas, the risks that the conditions in such Area may pose to forest users, communities, private property, and natural resources, and the actions undertaken by the Forest Service to reduce such risks; (3) a map and description of areas for potential hazard tree removal and potential fire-damaged commercial tree removal; (4) preliminary estimates of the costs and receipts to be derived from the hazard tree and fire-damaged commercial timber identified for potential removal and the receipts likely to be lost if action is not taken in a timely manner; and (5) a description of the desired outcomes of rehabilitation and tree removal in burned portions.
 
Requires the Secretary to exclude from areas identified for tree removal high fire-severity burned areas on steep slopes, slopes with an incline greater than 40%, riparian areas, and fragile erosive sites, unless tree removal in those areas is necessary to address public health and safety concerns. 
 
(Sec. 4) Requires the Secretary: (1) to identify projects to reduce such risks by removing hazard trees and fire-damaged, dead, and dying timber resources in such Area; (2) to consider the results of the evaluation in identifying such projects; (3) in selecting tree removal techniques, to take into account the degree of ground disturbances, soil types, soil saturation, worker safety, threatened or endangered species, aquatic systems, and other ecological values associated with project sites; (4) to use an effectiveness monitoring framework to assess the ecological and economic effects of each timber removal project carried out; and (5) in carrying out such projects, to focus tree removal to hazard trees and trees that are already down, dead, or so severely root-sprung that mortality is highly probable and not construct any permanent road. Expresses the intent of Congress that all projects be completed by September 30, 2013.
 
 Authorizes the Secretary to use the pre-decisional administrative review process in lieu of an administrative appeal under the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1993 for any collaboratively-developed project to remove hazard trees and fire-damaged, dead, and dying timber resources in such Area for which a decision notice or record of decision has been issued by September 30, 2012.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-01-18
text: Star Print ordered on reported bill.
action_date: 2012-01-13
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 287.
action_date: 2012-01-13
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Reported by Senator Bingaman under authority of the order of the Senate of 12/17/2011 with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 112-126.
action_date: 2012-01-13
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Reported by Senator Bingaman under authority of the order of the Senate of 12/17/2011 with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 112-126.
action_date: 2011-11-10
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
action_date: 2011-08-03
text: Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests. Hearings held. With printed Hearing: S.Hrg. 112-226.
action_date: 2011-07-11
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2011-07-11
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S4486-4487)
action_date: 2011-07-11
text: Introduced in Senate