[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2132 Reported in Senate (RS)]
<DOC>
Calendar No. 583
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2132
To require the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a pilot program
for the establishment and use of a pre-fire-suppression stand density
index, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 22, 2023
Mr. Lee introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
November 21, 2024
Reported by Mr. Manchin, with an amendment
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed
in italic]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a pilot program
for the establishment and use of a pre-fire-suppression stand density
index, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
<DELETED>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.</DELETED>
<DELETED> This Act may be cited as the ``Catastrophic Wildfire
Prevention Act of 2023''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (a) Definitions.--In this section:</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) Area of the national forest system.--The term
``area of the National Forest System'' means all or a portion
of a unit of the National Forest System that is located west of
the 100th meridian.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) Pilot program.--The term ``pilot program''
means the pilot program established under subsection
(b).</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) Pre-fire-suppression stand density index.--The
term ``pre-fire-suppression stand density index'' means an
estimate of the naturally occurring or ecologically balanced
stand density index of a forest, as developed from historical
surveys or appropriate scientific inference, before fire
suppression regimens became common practice.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the
Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the
Forest Service.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (5) Stand density index.--The term ``stand density
index'' means an expression of relative stand density based on
the predictable relationship between average tree size and
trees per unit area in dense stands.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (6) Treatment.--The term ``treatment'' means--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) a mechanical treatment of hazardous
fuels;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) a stewardship end-result contracting
project;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) restoration services; or</DELETED>
<DELETED> (D) timber harvesting.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (b) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish a pilot
program under which the Secretary shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) collaborate with State or local forest
management agencies--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) to identify areas of the National
Forest System for potential selection under paragraph
(3) for inclusion in the pilot program; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) to research and establish a pre-fire-
suppression stand density index for each area of the
National Forest System identified under subparagraph
(A);</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) evaluate how closely each pre-fire-suppression
stand density index established under paragraph (1)(B) reflects
current forest conditions and current published resource
management objectives established by the Secretary for the
applicable area of the National Forest System; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) select, in consultation with State or local
forest management agencies, not fewer than 8 areas of the
National Forest System identified under paragraph (1)(A) with
respect to which the area and neighboring communities may
benefit from using a pre-fire-suppression stand density index
as a benchmark for treatments by--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) reducing the chances of catastrophic
wildfire;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) increasing forest health;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) increasing forest
resilience;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (D) increasing ecological diversity;
or</DELETED>
<DELETED> (E) improving such other criteria as the
Secretary, in consultation with State or local forest
management agencies, determine to be
appropriate.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (c) Implementation.--Not later than 2 years after the date
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall begin to conduct
treatments on areas of the National Forest System selected under
subsection (b)(3), and update applicable land and resource management
plans to include objectives and benchmarks, in accordance with the
applicable pre-fire-suppression stand density index established under
subsection (b)(1)(B).</DELETED>
<DELETED> (d) Selection of Areas.--In selecting areas of the
National Forest System for inclusion in the pilot program under
subsection (b)(3) and conducting treatments under subsection (c), the
Secretary shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) give priority to an area--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) within the wildland-urban interface
(as defined in section 101 of the Healthy Forests
Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6511));</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) constituting a community
watershed;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) vulnerable to erosion;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (D) hosting multiple-use
activities;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (E) critical to supporting wildlife or
plant species health; or</DELETED>
<DELETED> (F) with respect to which a treatment is
necessary to prevent catastrophic wildfire;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) select a geographically diverse sample of
areas of the National Forest System, which shall include not
fewer than 3 areas of the National Forest System in the
southwest United States.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (e) Funding.--The Secretary shall carry out this section
using funds otherwise made available to the Secretary for fuels
reduction treatments.</DELETED>
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Catastrophic Wildfire Prevention Act
of 2024''.
SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Historical stand density index.--The term ``historical
stand density index'' means an estimate of the naturally
occurring or ecologically balanced stand density index of a
forest, as developed from historical surveys or appropriate
scientific inference of data collected not more recently than
1915.
(2) National forest system.--
(A) In general.--The term ``National Forest
System'' means land of the National Forest System (as
defined in section 11(a) of the Forest and Rangeland
Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C.
1609(a))) administered by the Secretary.
(B) Exclusion.--The term ``National Forest System''
does not include any forest reserve not created from
the public domain.
(3) Pilot program.--The term ``pilot program'' means the
pilot program established under subsection (b).
(4) Resource management plan.--The term ``resource
management plan'' means a land and resource management plan
prepared for 1 or more units of the National Forest System
under section 6 of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources
Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1604).
(5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service.
(6) Stand density index.--The term ``stand density index''
means an expression of relative stand density based on the
predictable relationship between average tree size and trees
per unit area in dense stands.
(7) Treatment.--The term ``treatment'' means--
(A) a mechanical treatment of hazardous fuels;
(B) a stewardship end-result contracting project;
(C) restoration services;
(D) timber harvesting; or
(E) other forest stand improvement activities, as
determined by the Secretary.
(b) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish a pilot program
under which the Secretary shall--
(1) collaborate with State, local, and Tribal forest
management agencies--
(A) to identify areas of the National Forest System
for potential selection under paragraph (2) for
inclusion in the pilot program; and
(B) to research and determine an historical stand
density index for each area of the National Forest
System identified under subparagraph (A);
(2) select, in consultation with State, local, and Tribal
forest management agencies, as necessary, projects in areas of
the National Forest System identified under paragraph (1)(A)
for implementation of treatments under subsection (c), in
accordance with the selection criteria under subsection (d);
(3) evaluate the implementation of treatments conducted on
areas of the National Forest System selected under paragraph
(2), with respect to the efficacy of the treatments in--
(A) reducing catastrophic wildfire risk;
(B) increasing forest health;
(C) increasing forest resilience;
(D) increasing ecological diversity; or
(E) improving such other criteria as the Secretary
determines to be appropriate; and
(4) as practicable, compare and update the resource
management plans for areas of the National Forest System
selected under paragraph (2) in accordance with any findings
resulting from the evaluations under paragraph (3).
(c) Implementation.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall begin implementation of
treatments on areas of the National Forest System selected under
subsection (b)(2) to achieve the historical stand density index
established under subsection (b)(1)(B) for those areas of the National
Forest System.
(d) Selection of Areas.--In selecting areas of the National Forest
System for inclusion in the pilot program under subsection (b)(2) and
implementing treatments under subsection (c), the Secretary shall--
(1) give priority to an area--
(A) within the wildland-urban interface (as defined
in section 101 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act
of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6511));
(B) constituting a municipal watershed;
(C) critical to maintaining water quality and
yield;
(D) vulnerable to erosion, flooding, landslides, or
other post-fire impacts;
(E) hosting multiple-use activities;
(F) critical to supporting wildlife or plant
species health;
(G) with respect to which a treatment is necessary
to prevent catastrophic wildfire; or
(H) for which the comparison of forest resilience
under an historical stand density index with the
contemporary stand density index would best inform
forest ecology and wildland fire research; and
(2) select a geographically diverse sample of areas of the
National Forest System with various forest cover types; and
(3) select not less than 1 area of the National Forest
System in each region of the National Forest System.
(e) Funding.--The Secretary shall carry out this section using
funds otherwise made available to the Secretary for--
(1) research and development, with respect to the
requirements under paragraphs (1), (2), and (4) of subsection
(b); and
(2) fuels reduction treatments, with respect to the
implementation of treatments described in subsection (c) and
the other requirements under this section.
Calendar No. 583
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2132
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a pilot program
for the establishment and use of a pre-fire-suppression stand density
index, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
November 21, 2024
Reported with an amendment