[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2991 Reported in Senate (RS)]
<DOC>
Calendar No. 594
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2991
To improve revegetation and carbon sequestration activities in the
United States, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 28 (legislative day, September 22), 2023
Mr. Manchin (for himself, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. King, and Mr. Marshall)
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 improve revegetation and carbon sequestration activities in the
United States, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``America's
Revegetation and Carbon Sequestration Act of 2023''.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (b) Title of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act
is as follows:</DELETED>
<DELETED>Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
<DELETED>Sec. 2. Findings.
<DELETED>Sec. 3. Definitions.
<DELETED>TITLE I--REVEGETATION
<DELETED>Sec. 101. Climate adaptation and resilient forests and
rangeland measures.
<DELETED>Sec. 102. National revegetation effort.
<DELETED>Sec. 103. Experimental forests.
<DELETED>Sec. 104. Long-term contracts for tree and seed planting.
<DELETED>Sec. 105. Tree planting for communities.
<DELETED>Sec. 106. Revegetation on abandoned mine land.
<DELETED>Sec. 107. International reforestation.
<DELETED>TITLE II--CARBON SEQUESTRATION THROUGH FOREST MANAGEMENT AND
INNOVATION
<DELETED>Sec. 201. Forest management from carbon credits.
<DELETED>Sec. 202. Recovery and restoration treatments following stand-
replacing disturbances.
<DELETED>Sec. 203. Biochar and wood waste.
<DELETED>Sec. 204. Eradication of invasive grasses.
<DELETED>TITLE III--MASS TIMBER
<DELETED>Sec. 301. Definitions.
<DELETED>Sec. 302. Joint mass timber science and education program.
<DELETED>Sec. 303. Storing carbon in Federal buildings.
<DELETED>TITLE IV--RESEARCH
<DELETED>Sec. 401. Longevity of forest products.
<DELETED>Sec. 402. Forest inventory and analysis.
<DELETED>Sec. 403. Bioeconomy research.
<DELETED>Sec. 404. Insurance product to replace buffers.
<DELETED>Sec. 405. Forest health threat centers.
<DELETED>SEC. 2. FINDINGS.</DELETED>
<DELETED> Congress finds that--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) revegetation efforts can meet multiple goals,
including guarding against climate change, improving
conservation and habitats, securing public water supplies, and
providing for economic and cultural benefits;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) a range of practical constraints, including
cost, available infrastructure, and whether land has been
converted to other uses that are unlikely to be abandoned,
significantly limit the areas that are viable for revegetation
projects, and hence revegetation projects must be
targeted;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) reforestation projects should occur in areas
that were historically forested but have become degraded or
impacted from wildfire events, windstorms, or other events,
rather than other natural habitats, such as
grasslands;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) forests and rangelands are important for
storing carbon;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (5) established forests and native rangelands,
including actively managed forests and rangelands, are
preferable to new forests and rangelands that are a result of
revegetation efforts, because intact forests and vegetation
communities are more effective at sequestration and are more
resilient to fire, storm, and drought;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (6) natural regrowth of forests and rangelands is
cheaper and more efficient than revegetation projects, as long
as nonnative invasive species are not adversely impacting the
landscape;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (7) native plant development and restoration
generates sustainable private sector jobs in a wide variety of
sectors;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (8) selecting the appropriate species of trees and
of other vegetation and promoting biodiversity using a mixture
of species naturally found in the local area, rare species, and
species of economic importance are crucial to the success of
revegetation efforts;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (9) species selected for revegetation efforts and
the specified planting density and structure should be suitable
for the local climate, taking into account future climate
resilience and other considerations;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (10) scientific knowledge should be combined with
local knowledge, and site conditions should be taken into
account, in developing revegetation projects, and ideally
small-scale planting trials should take place before planting
large numbers of trees;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (11) partnerships with local communities are key
to the success of tree and vegetation planting projects because
local people often have the most to gain from those
projects;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (12) a successful planting project must include a
plan on how to source seeds or seedlings that match desired
species and genetics, and that plan should involve working with
local stakeholders;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (13) the sustainability of revegetation projects
is dependent on the economic impacts for all stakeholders;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (14) invasive grasses are a catalyst for wildfires
in forests and rangelands.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.</DELETED>
<DELETED> In this Act:</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) Carbon sequestration.--The term ``carbon
sequestration'' means the capture and long-term storage of
atmospheric carbon dioxide.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) National forest system.--The term ``National
Forest System'' has the meaning given the term in section 11(a)
of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of
1974 (16 U.S.C. 1609(a)).</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) Secretaries.--The term ``Secretaries'' means
the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture,
acting through the Chief of the Forest Service.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) Secretary.--Except in sections 103, 105(b),
201, 202, and 302, the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (5) Secretary concerned.--The term ``Secretary
concerned'' means the Secretary of the Interior or the
Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the
Forest Service.</DELETED>
<DELETED>TITLE I--REVEGETATION</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 101. CLIMATE ADAPTATION AND RESILIENT FORESTS AND
RANGELAND MEASURES.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (a) In General.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall each revise applicable
regulations of the Secretary concerned to require the consideration and
assessment of resiliency and adaptation factors in developing
strategies and efforts for revegetation, including reforestation and
rangeland planting, carried out by the Secretary concerned, including
in selecting species for planting.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (b) Effect.--Nothing in this section affects--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) the reforestation requirements under section 3
of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of
1974 (16 U.S.C. 1601); or</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) the use of the forest plan revision process to
make changes to reforestation approaches in an individual unit
of the National Forest System.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 102. NATIONAL REVEGETATION EFFORT.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (a) Definitions.--In this section:</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) Federal land.--The term ``Federal land''
means--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) National Forest System land, except--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> (i) the national grasslands and
land utilization projects administered under
title III of the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act
(7 U.S.C. 1010 et seq.); and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ii) National Forest System land
east of the 100th meridian; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) land under the jurisdiction of the
Secretary.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) Task force.--The term ``task force'' means an
interagency revegetation task force established under
subsection (d).</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) Zone.--The term ``zone'' means a zone
described in subsection (c).</DELETED>
<DELETED> (b) Assessment of Revegetation Needs.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) Federal land assessment.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) In general.--Not later than 1 year
after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Secretaries shall assess, using the revegetation
assessment tool described in paragraph (2), the number
of acres of Federal land in need of revegetation,
including--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (i) acres that have experienced a
stand-replacing disturbance by a wildfire,
windstorm, or other natural event;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ii) acres on which a regeneration
harvest has previously taken place;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (iii) acres that could benefit
from appropriate revegetation, as determined by
the Secretaries.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) Ecological forestry.--In conducting
the assessment under subparagraph (A), the Secretaries
shall consider the role of recovery periods between
disturbances for the development of stand
complexity.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) Revegetation assessment tool.--Not later than
180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Secretaries shall jointly develop, or use or expand an
existing, objective revegetation assessment tool for each zone
that uses a point system or rating scale--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) to consistently assess in various
geographic areas, site classes, and forest and
rangeland types whether an acre of Federal land is
adequately occupied by well-distributed, countable,
ecologically appropriate trees or other desirable
vegetation;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) to rapidly assess revegetation needs
on Federal land; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) to establish baseline conditions for
Federal land.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) Forest and rangeland cover restoration on non-
federal land.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) Partnership for forest and rangeland
cover restoration.--The Secretaries may enter into a
partnership with a non-Federal entity, including Indian
Tribes, with data or expertise in Federal
reforestation--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (i) to assess the opportunity to
restore forest or rangeland cover across non-
Federal land in the United States; or</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ii) to share existing data
gathered by the non-Federal entity.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) Savings clause.--Nothing in this
paragraph grants the Secretary concerned any additional
authority over or additional access to non-Federal
land.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall publish a
report describing--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) the number of acres of--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (i) Federal land in need of
revegetation; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ii) non-Federal land in the
United States on which forest or rangeland
cover can be restored and the owner of which
has requested to be included in a comprehensive
revegetation strategy and implementation plan
developed under subsection (e)(2)(A);
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) the approximate location of the land
described under subparagraph (A).</DELETED>
<DELETED> (c) Regional Zones for Revegetation Efforts.--The
Secretaries shall use the regions of the National Forest System as the
zones for revegetation efforts conducted by the task forces under this
section.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (d) Interagency Task Forces.--Not later than 18 months
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall
establish an interagency revegetation task force of Federal and non-
Federal members, including Indian Tribes, for each zone--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) to coordinate and carry out the activities
described in subsections (e), (f), and (g); and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) to maximize collaboration and shared science
and mapping resources among Federal and non-Federal entities,
including Indian Tribes, in revegetating land in each zone,
including through the use of--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) Department of Agriculture climate
hubs;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) collaboratives formed pursuant to
section 4003 of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act
of 2009 (16 U.S.C. 7303); and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) partnerships with States developed
under shared stewardship agreements.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (e) Comprehensive Revegetation Strategy and Implementation
Plans.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) Data review.--Each task force--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) shall review the report published
under subsection (b)(4); and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) may modify, for the applicable zone,
the number of acres of land in need of revegetation and
the approximate location of the land identified in the
report, as necessary.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) Plan development.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) In general.--Not later than 180 days
after the date on which a task force is established,
the task force shall develop a 10-year comprehensive
revegetation strategy and implementation plan--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> (i) to revegetate not less than 25
percent of the land identified in the report
published under subsection (b)(4), as modified
under paragraph (1)(B) (if applicable), for the
applicable zone; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ii) to achieve any additional
goals or targets established by the task
force.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) Requirements.--A plan developed under
subparagraph (A) shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (i) take into account the best
available science, best practices, and
available deployment tools, including climate
science that can inform the design of
revegetated areas to assure
resilience;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ii) be based on, to the maximum
extent practicable, the report published under
subsection (b)(4);</DELETED>
<DELETED> (iii) identify resources and
efforts needed to conduct appropriate
revegetation treatments in the applicable zone,
including identifying areas in which capacity
exists to plant vegetation or conduct seed
dispersal;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (iv) identify the desired, locally
or regionally adapted native species of
vegetation and the types planting stock
required in the specific areas in the zone in
need of revegetation, including ecosystems that
do not include trees, such as sagebrush
ecosystems, grasslands, or
rangelands;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (v) identify under-represented
species of trees and plants in each zone that
can be acquired and should be planted under
this section;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (vi) prioritize geographic areas
in the applicable zone in need of revegetation,
including giving priority to--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (I) burned areas and any
other destabilized land that pose
heightened risks to homes, roads, and
public water supplies if not
revegetated;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (II) areas at high risk of
establishing invasive
species;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (III) mined
land;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (IV) floodplains and
riparian areas; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (V) land with regionally
significant carbon sequestration
potential;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (vii) identify--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (I) targets or goals for
the number of acres planted annually;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (II) other implementation
actions and opportunities;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (viii) identify areas in which--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> (I) vegetation restoration
is needed; but</DELETED>
<DELETED> (II) natural regeneration
is the most effective means of
restoration;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ix) identify areas in which
revegetation efforts--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (I) may cause an increased
risk of a stand-replacing wildfire,
disease, or insect infestation, if not
properly managed; or</DELETED>
<DELETED> (II) would be adverse to
livestock grazing or use by
wildlife;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (x) consider treatments that
increase the carbon sequestration capacity of
forests, rangelands, and grasslands;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (xi) provide for--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (I) consideration of
palatability to support grazing by
wildlife and livestock; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (II) coordination with
State wildlife agencies, rangeland
management professionals, and
ranchers;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (xii) incorporate the data and
strategy relating to nurseries and the
availability of planting stock described in
subsection (g);</DELETED>
<DELETED> (xiii) for activities recommended
to be carried out on non-Federal land--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> (I) identify ways to
address revegetation needs voluntarily
by working with States, landowners,
Indian Tribes, and other interested
persons; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (II) ensure that
revegetation efforts will not adversely
impact existing markets for timber and
other forest materials produced from
private working forests;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (xiv) provide an explanation for
any land not included in the implementation
portion of the plan that was identified in the
report published under subsection (b)(4), as
modified under paragraph (1)(B) (if
applicable);</DELETED>
<DELETED> (xv) utilize an experimental
approach, where appropriate; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (xvi) be consistent with any
applicable agency land management
plans.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) Exceptions.--Notwithstanding
subparagraph (B)(iv), a task force may determine that
the selection and use of certain desirable,
noninvasive, nonnative species is appropriate in
certain limited circumstances, based on localized
ecological conditions, as determined by the task
force.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) Plan modifications.--A task force may modify a
plan developed under paragraph (2) to address new circumstances
or changing conditions.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (f) Implementation of Plans.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) In general.--During the 10-year period
beginning on the date on which a plan for a zone is completed
under subsection (e)(2), the task force, in coordination with
applicable Federal agencies, shall implement the
plan.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) Outside funding.--To implement a plan
developed under subsection (e)(2), the Secretary concerned
may--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) accept non-Federal funds, including
leveraging funding opportunities relating to voluntary
carbon mitigation; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) issue a certificate of donation, as
appropriate.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) Voluntary participation.--In implementing a
plan under this subsection, any activities carried out on non-
Federal land shall be carried out--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) in cooperation with the owner of the
non-Federal land; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) only on a voluntary basis.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) Enterprise team.--The Secretary concerned may
employ a Forest Service enterprise team to facilitate the
implementation of a plan developed under subsection
(e)(2).</DELETED>
<DELETED> (g) Challenges to the Reforestation Pipeline in the United
States.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) In general.--A task force shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) not later than 60 days after the date
on which the task force is established, conduct an
inventory of nurseries, an assessment of nursery
capacity, and a tally of available planting stock in
the applicable zone; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) based on the report published under
subsection (b)(4), as modified under subsection
(e)(1)(B) (if applicable)--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (i) estimate the capacity of
nurseries that would be necessary to fulfill
revegetation needs, including identifying the
species and types of planting stock needed for
revegetation; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ii) develop a plan for increasing
the number and capacity of nurseries, in
accordance with the estimates under clause
(i).</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) Seed collecting.--A task force shall--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) assess the current capacity to locally
collect and store seed; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) develop a plan for increasing capacity
described in subparagraph (A), if necessary.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) Partnerships.--The Secretaries may enter into
a partnership with a non-Federal entity to assist a task force
in meeting the requirements of this subsection.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (h) Report to Congress.--Not later than 1 year after the
date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter until the date
on which each plan developed under subsection (e)(2) is fully
implemented, the Secretaries shall submit to the Committee on Energy
and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural
Resources of the House of Representatives, and publish on the website
of the Department of the Interior, a report that describes, with
respect to the preceding year--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) whether the Secretaries have achieved
compliance with the requirements of this section;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) the total number of acres of land, reported by
surface ownership in each zone, in need of revegetation
treatments;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) the total number of acres of land, reported by
surface ownership in each zone, in which revegetation
treatments have been carried out;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) any other accomplishments and improvements to
carbon sequestration capacity or other co-benefits as a result
of implementing a plan under subsection (e)(2); and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (5) any barriers to implementation of a plan
developed under subsection (e)(2), including as a result of
legal issues, logistical issues, seed or sapling shortages, or
lack of funding.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (i) Partnerships.--The Secretaries may enter into a
memorandum of agreement with any member of a task force to carry out
any activity described in subsection (e), (f), (g), or (h).</DELETED>
<DELETED> (j) Effect.--Nothing in this section establishes new,
extends existing, or otherwise affects post-fire rehabilitation no-
grazing requirements.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (k) Avoidance of Duplication.--In carrying out this
section, the Secretaries shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) avoid duplicative efforts and, to the maximum
extent practicable, utilize existing efforts and personnel to
develop and implement an activity described in subsection (e),
(f), (g), or (h);</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) maximize non-Federal involvement;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) avoid using personnel who would otherwise be
engaged in forest management or wildfire mitigation
efforts.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 103. EXPERIMENTAL FORESTS.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (a) Purposes of This Section.--The purposes of this
section are--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) to formally authorize the experimental forests
and rangelands on National Forest System land existing on the
date of enactment of this Act; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) to require that--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) the network of those experimental
forests and rangelands be maintained in perpetuity;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) climate resiliency research is
continuously conducted within the network.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (b) Establishment of Network.--The Secretary of
Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service (referred
to in this section as the ``Secretary''), shall establish and manage a
network of experimental forests and ranges on National Forest System
land (referred to in this section as the ``network'').</DELETED>
<DELETED> (c) Management Purposes.--The Secretary shall manage the
network for the purposes of--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) research;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) technology transfer; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) education.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (d) Criteria.--The network shall include--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) each of the forest cover types that occur in
the United States, as defined by the Forest Cover Types of the
United States and Canada published by the Society of American
Forests;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) an experimental forest that contains forest
cover types found in the State of Hawaii; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) an experimental forest that contains forest
cover types found in the territories of the United
States.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (e) Climate Resiliency Research.--Within the network, the
Secretary shall conduct research, including research on--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) seedling establishment, site suitability, and
tree planting designs to inform and assist efforts undertaken
in the United States to establish stands of trees that are
resilient in future climate conditions; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) the sources and fates of carbon to construct
and improve models of carbon responses to land management
practices.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (f) Public Access.--All data collected and research
findings developed from projects undertaken on the network shall be
made readily accessible to the public.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (g) Partners.--The Secretary may enter into an agreement
with a State (including a State forestry agency), an educational
institution, or a third party to fund or conduct research on the
network.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (h) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on
Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural
Resources of the House of Representatives a report describing, with
respect to the network--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) the location of the network on National Forest
System land;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) the forest cover types included in the
network; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) any additional resources needed--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) to establish or maintain
infrastructure in an established experimental forest;
or</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) to conduct the research described in
subsection (d).</DELETED>
<DELETED> (i) Savings Clause.--Nothing in this section--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) modifies, limits, or repeals the applicability
of any provision of law (including regulations) to National
Forest System land; or</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) precludes the Secretary from authorizing
multiple-use activities, including livestock grazing and other
authorized uses on land included within the network.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 104. LONG-TERM CONTRACTS FOR TREE AND SEED
PLANTING.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (a) In General.--Notwithstanding the Federal Acquisition
Regulation, the Secretary concerned may enter into a contract or
cooperative agreement for re-establishing vegetation on Federal land
described in subsection (b).</DELETED>
<DELETED> (b) Federal Land.--Federal land referred to in subsection
(a) is--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) National Forest System land, other than--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) the national grasslands and land
utilization projects administered under title III of
the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act (7 U.S.C. 1010 et
seq.); and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) National Forest System land east of
the 100th meridian;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) public lands (as defined in section 103 of the
Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C.
1702));</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) land that the Secretary holds in trust for an
Indian Tribe;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) a unit of the National Wildlife Refuge
System;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (5) land administered by the Bureau of
Reclamation; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (6) a unit of the National Park System.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (c) Term.--A contract or cooperative agreement described
in subsection (a) shall be for a term of not more than 10
years.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 105. TREE PLANTING FOR COMMUNITIES.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (a) Job Corps Program.--The Secretary of Labor shall--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) develop a career and technical education and
training program focused on tree planting or tree maintenance;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) offer the program as part of the Job Corps
program.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (b) Retail Power Provider Tree Planting Grant Program.--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) Establishment.--The Secretary of Energy
(referred to in this subsection as the ``Secretary''), in
consultation with the Secretaries, shall establish a program
under which the Secretary shall award grants to States, Indian
Tribes, local governments, nonprofit organizations, and retail
power providers to conduct tree planting projects in accordance
with this subsection (referred to in this subsection as the
``program'').</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) Applications.--An entity seeking to receive a
grant under the program shall submit to the Secretary an
application at such time, in such form, and containing such
information as the Secretary may require, including a
description of how the project to be carried out using the
grant funds will reduce residential energy
consumption.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) Priority.--In awarding grants under the
program, the Secretary shall give priority to tree planting
projects that would provide the largest potential reduction in
residential energy consumption for households.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) Variety of geographic locations.--In awarding
grants under the program, the Secretary shall ensure diverse
and equitable geographic representation among the grant
recipients.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (5) Cost-share.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) Federal share.--Subject to
subparagraph (C), the Federal share of the cost of a
tree planting project carried out using a grant under
the program shall be not more than 50
percent.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) Non-federal share.--The non-Federal
share of the cost of a tree planting project carried
out using a grant under the program may be in the form
of--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (i) cash or donations received
directly from non-Federal sources; or</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ii) in-kind
contributions.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) Waiver.--The Secretary may, on a case-
by-case basis, increase the Federal share described in
subparagraph (A) if a tree planting project carried out
using a grant under the program is located wholly in an
economically distressed community.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 106. REVEGETATION ON ABANDONED MINE LAND.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (a) Pilot Program.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) Establishment.--Using funding available to the
Secretary, including funding provided under section 40804(b)(8)
of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (16 U.S.C.
6592a(b)(8)), the Secretary shall establish a pilot program to
establish native trees, shrubs, or grasses (referred to in this
section as ``vegetation'') on eligible mined land described in
paragraph (6).</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) Financial assistance.--In carrying out the
pilot program established under paragraph (1), the Secretary
shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) in coordination with the Secretary of
Agriculture, establish vegetation on eligible mined
land located on Federal land;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) offer financial assistance to States
to establish native vegetation on eligible mined land
located on State land;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) offer financial assistance to Indian
Tribes to establish native vegetation on eligible mined
land located on Tribal land or land held in Trust for
an Indian Tribe; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (D) establish vegetation or offer
financial assistance to States or other entities to
establish native vegetation on eligible mined land
located on private land.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) Compatibility with existing operations.--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) Consultation.--Prior to selecting a
project for funding under the pilot program established
under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall consult with,
as applicable, the relevant Office of Surface Mining
Reclamation and Enforcement abandoned mine land program
office to confirm that the proposed project is
compatible with any current mining, exploration, or
reclamation activities.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) Restriction.--The Secretary shall not
provide financial assistance under paragraph (2) to a
person or entity with an ongoing legal obligation to
revegetate the land in a project area.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) Activities.--The following activities
associated with a project to establish vegetation on eligible
mined land shall be eligible for financial assistance under
paragraph (2):</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) Site preparation, including ripping
compacted soils and incorporating soil
amendments.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) Vegetation planting.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) Maintenance, including watering, to
the extent necessary to establish vegetation under this
section.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (D) Managing competing
vegetation.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (5) Preference.--Under the pilot program
established under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall, to the
maximum extent practicable, seek to establish vegetation that--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) is ecologically appropriate;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B)(i) has a high capacity to sequester
and store carbon;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ii) serves to reconnect established
landscapes or enhance habitat connectivity;
or</DELETED>
<DELETED> (iii) would establish wildlife habitat
that is underrepresented in the State in which the
project is located.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (6) Eligible mined land.--To be eligible for
financial assistance under paragraph (2), a tree planting
project shall be located on--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) land that was mined prior to the date
of enactment of this Act;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) in the case of State land or private
land, land that is accessible to the public for not
less than 1 day per year; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) in the case of private land, land
owned by a person, or a nongovernmental organization,
that has submitted to the Secretary or the State in
which the land is located a request seeking to
participate in the pilot program under this
section.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (7) Termination.--The pilot program established
under paragraph (1) shall be in effect for the 8-year period
beginning on the date of enactment of this Act.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (b) Report.--Not later than 5 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on
Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural
Resources of the House of Representatives a report describing the
accomplishments of the pilot program established under subsection
(a)(1), including--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) jobs created or supported in rural
areas;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) increases in the abundance of wildlife
species, including game species and song birds;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) opportunities for hunting and other compatible
outdoor recreation; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) an estimate of--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) carbon sequestered during the 5-year
period beginning on the date on which the pilot program
is established; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) projected additional carbon
sequestration and storage during the 15-year period
beginning on the last day of the period described in
subparagraph (A).</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 107. INTERNATIONAL REFORESTATION.</DELETED>
<DELETED> The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of
the Forest Service, may--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) evaluate a request from another country for
technical assistance for tree planting activities;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) subject to the evaluation under paragraph (1)
and the availability of Forest Service personnel and funding,
provide to another country technical assistance for tree
planting activities, including sharing--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) personnel; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) knowledge through communications and
technical on-site instruction; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) enter into a partnership with a
nongovernmental entity that is located outside the United
States or that is located in the United States and operates
internationally--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) to engage in activities that restore
vegetation; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) to promote and improve global carbon
sequestration through revegetation
activities.</DELETED>
<DELETED>TITLE II--CARBON SEQUESTRATION THROUGH FOREST MANAGEMENT AND
INNOVATION</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 201. FOREST MANAGEMENT FROM CARBON CREDITS.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (a) Definitions.--In this section:</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) Carbon credit.--The term ``carbon credit''
means a carbon or greenhouse gas credit, offset, or other
defined unit--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) approved by a credible, third-party
entity; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) as determined by the
Secretary.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) Carbon credit program.--The term ``carbon
credit program'' means a voluntary program or market that
issues, assigns, trades, or sells carbon credits.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) Covered activity.--The term ``covered
activity'' means an improved forest management activity,
including a hazardous fuel treatment, mechanical thinning, or
timber harvesting project, that is--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) ecologically appropriate;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) carried out on National Forest System
land;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) designed--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (i) to increase rates of carbon
sequestration;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ii) to increase long-term carbon
storage in durable wood products; or</DELETED>
<DELETED> (iii) to mitigate or avoid carbon
emissions;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (D) carried out by--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (i) the Secretary; or</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ii) a non-Federal entity under
any existing authority available to the
Secretary; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (E) not in competition with or adverse to
the issuance, assignment, trading, or selling of forest
carbon in the private sector.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) National forest system.--The term ``National
Forest System'' does not include--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) the national grasslands and land
utilization projects administered under title III of
the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act (7 U.S.C. 1010 et
seq.); or</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) National Forest System land east of
the 100th meridian.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the
Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the
Forest Service.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (b) Funds Associated With Carbon Credits for Forest
Management.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) In general.--The Secretary may use to support
the implementation of covered activities, without further
appropriation or fiscal year limitation, funds received from a
non-Federal entity--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) through a carbon credit program;
or</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) for a carbon credit generated from
National Forest System land.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) Supplement, not supplant.--Amounts made
available under paragraph (1) shall supplement, and not
supplant, any other amounts made available for covered
activities.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (c) Management of Carbon Credit Transactions by National
Forest Foundation.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) In general.--The National Forest Foundation
shall receive and distribute any funds received under
subsection (b)(1).</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) Other partners.--The National Forest
Foundation may work with other entities that use funds received
through a carbon credit program or for a carbon credit
generated from National Forest System land to design, manage,
account for, or implement a covered activity.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) Methodology.--For the management of
transactions described in this section, the National Forest
Foundation, in collaboration with the Secretary, shall develop
and use a methodology that calculates the predicted increase in
carbon sequestration or in the longevity of long-term carbon
storage for a project or the avoided release of carbon due to
reduction of the risk of high-severity fire and other
disturbances, by considering--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) retention of forest cover;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) carbon sequestration rates before and
after the implementation of a covered
activity;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) reduction in the risk of tree
mortality;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (D) restoration of historic fire regimes;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (E) the long-term storage of carbon in
long-lasting wood products.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (d) Reports to Congress.--The Secretary, in collaboration
with the National Forest Foundation, shall annually submit to Congress
a report describing the status of the program under this section,
including--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) the extent to which additional covered
activities that were implemented with funding received under
subsection (b)(1) have been carried out; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) any recommendations to improve or expand the
program, including expansion of the authorities under this
section to land managed by the Secretary of the
Interior.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (e) Effect.--Nothing in this section authorizes any
activity that is inconsistent with--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) any applicable forest plan; or</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) any other provision of law (including
regulations).</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 202. RECOVERY AND RESTORATION TREATMENTS FOLLOWING STAND-
REPLACING DISTURBANCES.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (a) Definition of Stand-Replacing Disturbance.--In this
section, the term ``stand-replacing disturbance'' means a natural
disturbance event, including a wildland fire or other event, that kills
all or most of the living overstory trees in a stand and initiates
forest succession or regrowth on a unit of the National Forest
System.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (b) Pilot National Forests.--Not later than 1 year after
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture, acting
through the Chief of the Forest Service (referred to in this section as
the ``Secretary''), shall identify units of the National Forest System
that the Secretary determines to be at high or very high risk of
experiencing a stand-replacing disturbance during the 10-year period
following the date of enactment of this Act.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (c) Interdisciplinary Teams.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish an
interdisciplinary post-disturbance planning team (referred to
in this section as the ``team'') to assist in carrying out the
requirements of this section.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) TEAMS enterprise.--The Secretary may employ a
Forest Service enterprise team or a regional planning center to
meet the requirement of this subsection.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (d) Model Land and Resource Management Plan Amendment.--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in cooperation
with the team, shall develop a model land and resource
management plan amendment establishing plan content for future
site-specific project-level decisions if a stand-replacing
disturbance occurs on units of the National Forest System
identified under subsection (b).</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) Content.--The model amendment required under
paragraph (1) shall include direction regarding post-
disturbance management, including salvage logging and
reforestation activities, to achieve desired conditions,
objectives, standards, guidelines, suitability of lands, and
other plan content, including goals and monitoring provisions,
of the existing land and resource management plan on the
applicable unit of the National Forest System, if a stand-
replacing disturbance occurs.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) Use of model land and resource management plan
amendment.--The Secretary shall utilize the Model Land and
Resource Management Plan Amendment, as adapted to the unique
ecological and socioeconomic setting for each unit of the
National Forest System identified under subsection (b), in
carrying out subsection (e).</DELETED>
<DELETED> (e) Land and Resource Management Plan Amendments.--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) In general.--As soon as practicable, but not
later than 10 years, after the date of enactment of this Act,
the Secretary, assisted by the team, shall amend the applicable
land and resource management plan of each unit of the National
Forest System identified under subsection (b).</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) Process.--The Secretary shall comply with all
relevant laws in carrying out this section.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) Election.--The Secretary may comply with the
provisions of this section by incorporating the requirements of
this section into an ongoing land and resource management plan
revision or amendment process.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 203. BIOCHAR AND WOOD WASTE.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (a) Food and Drug Administration Biochar Pilot Program.--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) In general.--The Commissioner of Food and
Drugs (referred to in this subsection as the ``Commissioner''),
in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture and in
coordination with States, shall establish a pilot program to
grant a nationwide food use authorization of biochar as a feed
additive for cattle.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) Terms.--The pilot program described in this
subsection shall be--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) for a period of not more than 5 years;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) subject to any conditions that the
Commissioner determines appropriate.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) Savings clause.--The Commissioner shall ensure
that participation in the pilot program under this subsection
is voluntary.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (b) USGS Commercialization Plan.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, acting through
the Director of the United States Geological Survey, in
coordination with any relevant non-Federal entities, shall
develop and publish a national commercialization plan for the
production, sale, and use of biochar as a soil amendment for
plant growth improvement, including for commercial,
agricultural, and residential use.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) Requirement.--The commercialization plan
required under paragraph (1) shall, at a minimum--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) identify--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (i) impediments to producing large
quantities of biochar for agricultural,
forestry, or other commercial uses;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ii) solutions for those
impediments; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) propose a framework for demonstration
efforts to increase consumer demand for
biochar.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 204. ERADICATION OF INVASIVE GRASSES.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (a) Definitions.--In this section:</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) Action plan.--The term ``action plan'' means
the action plan developed under subsection (b).</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) Federal land.--The term ``Federal land''
means--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) National Forest System land, except--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> (i) the national grasslands and
land utilization projects administered under
title III of the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act
(7 U.S.C. 1010 et seq.); and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ii) National Forest System land
east of the 100th meridian; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) land under the jurisdiction of the
Secretary.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) Invasive grass.--The term ``invasive grass''
means--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) cheatgrass;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) ventenata;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) medusahead; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (D) any additional invasive, nonnative
annual grass species that the Secretaries determine
pose a risk by--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (i) increasing fire vulnerability
and fire spread; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ii) altering fire
regimes.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) Target treatment area.--The term ``target
treatment area'' means a target treatment area described in
subsection (b)(2)(D).</DELETED>
<DELETED> (b) Action Plan.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) In general.--The Secretaries shall jointly
develop and implement an action plan to map, treat, and control
invasive grass--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) to promote the resiliency,
biodiversity, and carbon sequestration capacity of
forests, rangelands, and grasslands;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) to minimize risks from wildfire;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) to enhance the quality of forage for
wildlife and livestock.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) Requirements.--The action plan shall--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) consider or incorporate existing
efforts;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) take into account--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (i) the latest science;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ii) best practices; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (iii) available deployment
tools;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) be prepared in coordination with State
and local governmental entities and the heads of other
Federal agencies, including the Chief of the Natural
Resources Conservation Service, that are engaged in
activities to control invasive grass to leverage and
maximize funding and resources;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (D) identify and depict on a map target
treatment areas that focus on--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (i) areas with a large quantity of
invasive grass where revegetation with native
species is most likely to succeed;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ii) areas at high risk of
wildfire;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (iii) areas in which invasive
grass negatively impacts livestock grazing or
other uses;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (iv) wildlife habitat and forage
needs, particularly sagebrush
habitat;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (v) areas prone to infestations;
or</DELETED>
<DELETED> (vi) areas deemed important by the
Secretaries;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (E) establish--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (i) specific goals;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ii) specific implementation
actions that the Secretaries and partners of
the Secretaries will conduct over a 5-year
period; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (iii) targets, including acres to
be treated annually in the target treatment
areas;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (F) provide for a combination of treatment
methods for the most effective control of an invasive
grass, including--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (i) mechanical treatment
methods;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ii) cultural treatment
methods;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (iii) biological treatment
methods, which may include livestock
grazing;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (iv) prescribed fire; or</DELETED>
<DELETED> (v) chemical treatment
methods;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (G) identify and implement, to the extent
practicable, best practices, such as the use of spray
washing stations, to reduce the spreading of invasive
grass seed adjacent to infested areas or into
noninfested areas;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (H) identify methods and tools for the
post-treatment monitoring of target treatment areas to
determine the effectiveness of a treatment and control
efforts;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (I) initiate and expedite environmental
reviews for treatments, as required by applicable law,
including identifying--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (i) methods for achieving timely
decisions and implementation for treatments,
monitoring, and follow-up treatments based on
monitoring; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ii) maximizing opportunities to
cooperate with other Federal and State agencies
in analysis, assessments, and studies;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (J) establish guidelines that--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (i) if native, intact grasses are
absent within a target treatment area and the
target treatment area is prone to high-risk
vectors or pathways--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (I) identify
geographically based desirable, native
seed mix and seed reserves;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (II) prioritize reseeding
the area in the target treatment area;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (III) monitor for the
presence of new invasive grass and
promptly treat any invasive grass
present; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ii) if, after conducting a
treatment, desirable native grasses are
established and dominant in a target treatment
area, provide for the natural restoration of
native grasses.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) Deadline to finalize action plan.--Not later
than 270 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Secretaries shall finalize the action plan.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) Implementation of action plan.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) In general.--Not later than 60 days
after the date on which the action plan is finalized
under paragraph (3), the Secretaries shall begin
implementing the action plan.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) Memoranda of understanding and
agreements.--In implementing the action plan, the
Secretary concerned may enter into a memorandum of
understanding or an agreement with non-Federal
entities, as appropriate, to carry out activities under
the action plan to control the spread of an invasive
grass on Federal land or land adjacent to Federal
land.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) Cooperating agency coordination.--The
Secretary concerned shall, to the extent practicable,
offer to assist in the preparation of environmental
reviews that may be necessary in implementing treatment
and control activities on non-Federal land.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (c) Reports to Congress.--Not later than 3 years after the
date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter during the
period in which the action plan is being implemented, the Secretaries
shall submit to Congress a report assessing the effectiveness of the
action plan that includes a description of--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) the location of the target treatment
areas;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) the number of acres within target treatment
areas on which treatments were conducted;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) the agreements or partnerships entered into
under subsection (b)(4)(B) to advance the implementation of the
action plan;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) monitoring information described in subsection
(b)(2)(H); and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (5) recommendations for studies to explore
innovative methods and practices to treat and control invasive
grass.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (d) Funding.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) Outside funding.--The Secretary concerned may
accept non-Federal funds to implement any provision of this
section.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) Other funding.--In addition to any funding
received under paragraph (1), the Secretaries may expend to
carry out this section up to $30,000,000 of any funding made
available to the Secretary concerned for invasive species
control, including funding provided under section 40804(b)(6)
of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (16 U.S.C.
6592a(b)(6)).</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) Limitations.--Of the amounts made available to
carry out this section, not more than 10 percent shall be used
for development of the action plan.</DELETED>
<DELETED>TITLE III--MASS TIMBER</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 301. DEFINITIONS.</DELETED>
<DELETED> In this title:</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) Local approving agency.--The term ``local
approving agency'' means an agency or unit of a local
government that is responsible for the issuance of permits for
building construction.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) Mass timber.--The term ``mass timber''
includes--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) cross-laminated timber;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) nail laminated timber;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) glue laminated timber;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (D) dowel laminated timber;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (E) laminated strand lumber; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (F) laminated veneer lumber.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) Procuring agency.--The term ``procuring
agency'' means the Department of the Interior, the Forest
Service, or a person that is a party to a contract with the
Department of the Interior or the Forest Service, with respect
to work performed under such a contract.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) Tall wood building.--The term ``tall wood
building'' means a building designed to be--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) constructed with mass timber;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B)(i) if a residential building, more
than 4 stories in height; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ii) if a commercial building, more than 5
stories in height.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 302. JOINT MASS TIMBER SCIENCE AND EDUCATION
PROGRAM.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (a) Mass Timber Science and Education Program With the
Forest Products Laboratory.--The Secretary of Agriculture, acting
through the Director of the Forest Products Laboratory of the Forest
Service (referred to in this section as the ``Secretary''), shall
establish a mass timber science and education program to respond to the
emerging research needs of architects, developers, and the forest
products industry.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (b) Coordination.--The Secretary shall work closely with
research programs at colleges and universities in administering the
mass timber science and education program established under subsection
(a) to supplement the current research and educational efforts of
colleges and universities.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (c) Purposes.--The mass timber science and education
program established under subsection (a) shall have the following
principal purposes:</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) To provide practical research responsive to
the needs of architects, developers, and the forest products
industry, including assessments of carbon impacts in the
originating forests and the end use of mass timber in the built
environment.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) To engage and listen to clients and then
develop focused, strategic lines of new research responsive to
those needs, which may include research relating to
flammability and performance during a fire, structural
characteristics, energy use and savings, acoustics, and slab
construction composed of hybrid materials.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) To solicit proposals from scientists who
compete for funding through a rigorous peer-review process
designed to ensure the best projects are funded.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) To disseminate research findings using a suite
of communication tools to ensure that architects, developers,
and the forest products industry are aware of, understand, and
can use the information to make sound decisions and implement
projects.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (5) To develop and facilitate the adoption, on a
voluntary basis, of a curriculum for building structures using
mass timber for use in schools of engineering and architecture
that includes--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) structural design; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) the possibilities, benefits, and
limitations of using mass timber in
construction.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (d) Mass Timber Plan.--Not later than September 30, 2024,
the Secretary shall submit to the relevant committees of Congress a
mass timber plan that includes--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) an assessment of the current state of
knowledge about mass timber and tall wood buildings;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) an integrated approach to improve knowledge
sharing;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) an approach for project monitoring and
evaluation; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) an approach for setting research
priorities.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (e) Stakeholder Advisory Group.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) Membership.--The Secretary shall appoint a
stakeholder advisory group of technical experts that consists,
at a minimum, of--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) a Forest Service scientist;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) a researcher from a college or
university;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) a representative of a trade
association;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (D) an architect or developer;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (E) a representative of a local approving
agency;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (F) a representative of a forest products
company; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (G) a representative of a nongovernmental
organization with experience--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (i) designing or constructing tall
wood buildings; or</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ii) complying with or revising
related building codes.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) Duties.--The stakeholder advisory group shall
meet at least annually--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) to consider immediate and long-term
science needs;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) to suggest to the Secretary
appropriate topic areas, specific issues within those
topic areas, and information transfer needs for which
the Secretary shall solicit proposals described in
subsection (c)(3); and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) to assist the Secretary in drafting
the mass timber plan required under subsection
(d).</DELETED>
<DELETED> (f) Assistance.--The Secretary may provide to the
Secretary of Transportation and to States technical assistance relating
to the use of wood in bridges when undergoing revisions to a State
bridge design manual.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (g) Availability of Appropriations.--From amounts
appropriated for Forest Service research, excluding funding made
available for the Forest Inventory and Analysis program, the Secretary
may use $4,000,000 to carry out the activities described in this
section.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 303. STORING CARBON IN FEDERAL BUILDINGS.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (a) Mass Timber Buildings Database and Plan.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) Database.--The Secretaries, in coordination
with any other relevant agencies, shall develop and maintain a
running database of mass timber buildings that are owned or
leased by the Federal Government and are occupied primarily by
employees of the Secretaries (referred to in this subsection as
the ``database'').</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) Assessment.--The Secretary of Agriculture,
acting through the Director of the Forest Products Laboratory
of the Forest Service, shall conduct an assessment of each mass
timber building included in the database, which shall include
collecting data on the embodied carbon of the materials used in
the construction of the mass timber buildings included in the
database.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) Plan.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) In general.--The Secretaries shall
prepare a plan to increase the quantity of carbon
stored in buildings that are owned or leased by the
Federal Government and are occupied primarily by
employees of Secretaries.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) Plan submission.--Not later than 1
year after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Secretaries shall submit the plan under subparagraph
(A) to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of
the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of
the House of Representatives.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) Material neutrality.--The plan
submitted by the Secretaries shall be, to the maximum
extent practicable, material neutral, and may include
using mass timber, carbon concrete, and any other
materials.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (b) Minimum Purchases.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) In general.--Not later than September 30,
2027, subject to the exceptions listed in paragraph (2), the
Secretaries shall procure facilities, buildings, or structures,
including not fewer than 100 single-occupancy restrooms, using
domestic mass timber.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) Exceptions.--The Secretaries may decide not to
procure facilities, buildings, or structures using domestic
mass timber if the Secretaries determine that the items--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) are not reasonably available within a
reasonable period of time;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) fail to meet the reasonable
performance standards of the procuring
agencies;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) are not necessary to support the
mission of the applicable agency; or</DELETED>
<DELETED> (D) are available only at an unreasonable
price.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (c) Coordination and Technical Assistance.--The Secretary
of Agriculture, acting through the Director of the Forest Products
Laboratory of the Forest Service, may coordinate with other Federal
agencies and non-Federal partners for the purpose of improving the
management and efficiency of constructing mass timber buildings and
infrastructure.</DELETED>
<DELETED>TITLE IV--RESEARCH</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 401. LONGEVITY OF FOREST PRODUCTS.</DELETED>
<DELETED> The Secretary of Energy, in coordination with the
Secretary of Agriculture, shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) develop more accurate and efficient methods
and technologies to measure and monitor the amount and average
lifespan of carbon stored in woody biomass energy feedstocks
and building materials;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) by not later than 2 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, publish estimates of the amount and
average lifespan of carbon stored in different woody biomass
energy feedstocks and building materials, including in short-
lived forest products and long-lived wood products;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) by not later than 3 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, publish an estimate of the total amount
of carbon stored in--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) short-lived forest products;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) building materials; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) other long-lived wood
products.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 402. FOREST INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (a) In General.--To bring more innovation and efficiency
to climate-resilient forestry actions in the United States, the
Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest
Service--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) shall publish a report, or expand on a report
being published pursuant to another provision of law, that
demonstrates the efforts of the Forest Service--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) to measure a consistent historical
series of field plots while using advanced technology,
including remote sensing, to improve data and
information; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) to use advanced geospatial
technologies to improve area and volume estimates,
especially for sub-State regions and smaller area
estimates;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) may use remote sensing technologies and other
technologies to develop more accurate and efficient methods and
to reduce costs to facilitate the measuring and monitoring of
forest carbon in the United States, in a manner that can--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) assess landscape-scale or regional-
scale carbon stocking;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) improve the quantity and quality of
the information available to policy makers and forest
managers, including with regard to forest inventories
and verification activities;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) empower private forest owners to
participate in voluntary carbon crediting
opportunities; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (D) enable--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (i) a policy maker to compare the
consequences of policy options to increase
climate benefits from forests; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (ii) an assessment of the
effectiveness of a policy implemented to
increase the climate benefits from forests;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) may accelerate, or increase the frequency of,
current inventories and data collection activities across all
forest types to ensure consistent nationwide estimates of
forest carbon pools that can reflect short-term changes from
disturbances, such as wildfires, and management
activities.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (b) Funding.--The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through
the Chief of the Forest Service, may annually use to carry out this
section not more than $10,000,000 of any amount made available to the
Forest Service for research.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 403. BIOECONOMY RESEARCH.</DELETED>
<DELETED> The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Director
of the Forest Products Laboratory of the Forest Service, shall expand
research relating to the use of wood--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) to facilitate the establishment of new
markets, including nontraditional markets, for material
produced from forest management projects that typically has
little or no commercial value;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) to increase the economic viability of
manufacturing products using material described in paragraph
(1); and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) including structural testing of hardwood
species for use in mass timber.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 404. INSURANCE PRODUCT TO REPLACE BUFFERS.</DELETED>
<DELETED> The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of
the Forest Service, may--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) establish an intragovernmental revolving fund
to maintain adequate buffer reserves for a project implementing
a covered activity (as defined in subsection (a) of section
201) under that section to cover unforeseen losses in carbon
stocks to address nonpermanence; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) transfer amounts into and out of the
intragovernmental revolving fund established under paragraph
(1) to serve as a buffer pool for covered activities referred
to in paragraph (1).</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 405. FOREST HEALTH THREAT CENTERS.</DELETED>
<DELETED> The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of
the Forest Service, shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) seek to expand the services provided by the
Western Wildland Environmental Threat Assessment Center and the
Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center such that
those Centers become centers of excellence to inform large-
scale climate-resilient forest management; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) share the syntheses, models, and application
tools developed by the Western Wildland Environmental Threat
Assessment Center and the Eastern Forest Environmental Threat
Assessment Center with--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) the Department of Agriculture climate
hubs; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) the Climate Adaptation Science Centers
managed by the Secretary, acting through the Director
of the United States Geological Survey.</DELETED>
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``America's
Revegetation and Carbon Sequestration Act of 2024''.
(b) Title of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as
follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Definitions.
TITLE I--REVEGETATION
Sec. 101. Climate adaptation and resilient forests and rangeland
measures.
Sec. 102. National revegetation effort.
Sec. 103. Experimental forests and ranges.
Sec. 104. Long-term contracts for tree and seed planting.
Sec. 105. Revegetation workforce.
Sec. 106. Revegetation on abandoned mine land.
TITLE II--CARBON SEQUESTRATION THROUGH FOREST MANAGEMENT AND INNOVATION
Sec. 201. Forest management from carbon credits.
Sec. 202. Recovery and restoration treatments following stand-replacing
disturbances.
Sec. 203. Eradication of invasive grasses.
TITLE III--RESEARCH
Sec. 301. Longevity of forest products.
Sec. 302. Forest inventory and analysis.
Sec. 303. Bioeconomy research and technology transfer.
Sec. 304. Forest health threat centers.
Sec. 305. Joint mass timber science and education program.
TITLE IV--MISCELLANEOUS
Sec. 401. Designation of Patsye Crites Forest.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Carbon sequestration.--The term ``carbon
sequestration'' means the capture and long-term storage of
atmospheric carbon dioxide.
(2) Federal land.--The term ``Federal land'' means--
(A) National Forest System land; and
(B) land under the jurisdiction of the Secretary.
(3) National forest system.--
(A) In general.--The term ``National Forest
System'' has the meaning given the term in section
11(a) of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources
Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1609(a)).
(B) Exclusion.--The term ``National Forest System''
does not include any forest reserve not created from
the public domain.
(4) Secretaries.--The term ``Secretaries'' means the
Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture,
acting through the Chief of the Forest Service.
(5) Secretary.--Except as provided in sections 103, 201,
202, 303, and 305, the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.
(6) Secretary concerned.--The term ``Secretary concerned''
means the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of
Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service.
TITLE I--REVEGETATION
SEC. 101. CLIMATE ADAPTATION AND RESILIENT FORESTS AND RANGELAND
MEASURES.
(a) In General.--Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment
of this Act, the Secretaries shall each revise applicable regulations
of the Secretary concerned to require the consideration and assessment
of resiliency and adaptation factors in developing strategies and
efforts for revegetation, including reforestation and rangeland
planting, carried out by the Secretary concerned, including in
selecting species for planting.
(b) Effect.--Nothing in this section affects--
(1) the reforestation requirements under section 3 of the
Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974
(16 U.S.C. 1601); or
(2) the use of the forest plan revision process to make
changes to reforestation approaches in an individual unit of
the National Forest System.
SEC. 102. NATIONAL REVEGETATION EFFORT.
(a) Reforestation Reports Submitted to Additional Committees.--
Section 70303 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (16 U.S.C.
1601 note; Public Law 117-58) is amended, in the matter preceding
paragraph (1), by striking ``Senate'' and inserting ``Senate, the
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate, the Committee
on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives,''.
(b) Reforestation Report From the Department of the Interior.--
(1) Definitions.--In this subsection:
(A) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(i) the Committee on Appropriations of the
Senate;
(ii) the Committee on Appropriations of the
House of Representatives;
(iii) the Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources of the Senate;
(iv) the Committee on Natural Resources of
the House of Representatives;
(v) the Committee on Agriculture,
Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate; and
(vi) the Committee on Agriculture of the
House of Representatives.
(B) FRRRPA terms.--The terms ``natural
regeneration'', ``reforestation'', and ``unplanned
event'' have the meanings given those terms in section
3(e)(4)(A) of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable
Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C.
1601(e)(4)(A)).
(C) Priority land.--The term ``priority land''
means historically forested land under the jurisdiction
of the Secretary concerned that, due to an unplanned
event--
(i) requires reforestation to meet the
objectives described in an applicable land use
plan; and
(ii) is unlikely to experience natural
regeneration.
(2) Reforestation report.--Not later than 1 year after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall prepare and
submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report
containing estimates of--
(A) the number of acres of priority land; and
(B) the amounts necessary to be appropriated, in
addition to amounts available from other sources, to
implement reforestation projects on all priority land
not later than 10 years after the date of submission of
the report, including amounts necessary--
(i) to secure seed;
(ii) to grow seedlings;
(iii) to prepare sites for reforestation;
(iv) to plant trees;
(v) to conduct thinning;
(vi) to remove deleterious growth and
underbrush;
(vii) to build fencing to exclude livestock
and adverse wildlife from reforestation areas;
and
(viii) to otherwise establish and improve
growing forests.
(3) Annual updates.--Not later than 1 year after the date
of submission of the report under paragraph (2), and annually
thereafter for the subsequent 8 years, the Secretary shall
prepare for inclusion in the budget of the United States
Government required to be submitted by the President under
section 1105 of title 31, United States Code, an update to the
report required under paragraph (2).
(c) Supporting the Reforestation Pipeline in the United States.--
(1) In general.--The Secretaries shall jointly--
(A) not later than 90 days after the date on which
the report is submitted under subsection (b)(2),
conduct--
(i) an inventory of orchards and nurseries
capable of supporting reforestation (as defined
in section 3(e)(4)(A) of the Forest and
Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of
1974 (16 U.S.C. 1601(e)(4)(A))) on priority
land (as defined in subsection (b)(1));
(ii) an assessment of the capacity of the
orchards and nurseries listed in the inventory
under clause (i); and
(iii) a comparison of available planting
stock in each region in which orchards and
nurseries listed in the inventory under clause
(i) are located, as determined by the
Secretaries; and
(B) based on the estimates contained in the report
submitted under subsection (b)(2) and the estimates
submitted under section 3(e)(2) of the Forest and
Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16
U.S.C. 1601(e)(2))--
(i) prepare an estimate of the capacity of
orchards and nurseries that would be necessary
to implement reforestation projects on all
priority land (as defined in section (b)(1))
within 10 years, including identifying the
species and types of planting stock needed for
that reforestation; and
(ii) develop a plan for increasing the
capacity of orchards and nurseries such that
the necessary capacity described in clause (i)
is achieved.
(2) Seed collecting.--The Secretaries shall each--
(A) assess whether the current workforce capacity
and infrastructure capacity to locally collect,
process, and store seed is sufficient to implement
reforestation projects on all priority land within 10
years;
(B) if the Secretary concerned determines that
workforce capacity or infrastructure capacity is
insufficient under subparagraph (A), develop and carry
out a plan for increasing workforce capacity,
infrastructure capacity, or both, as applicable; and
(C) in developing and carrying out the plan under
subparagraph (B), coordinate with any Job Corps program
established under section 105(a) regarding the
development and hiring of the workforce for orchards
and nurseries.
(3) Availability of plant material.--
(A) In general.--In carrying out a revegetation
project on Federal land, the Secretary concerned may
submit to the other Secretary concerned a request for
plant material purchased, owned, grown, or managed by
the other Secretary concerned.
(B) Provision.--The Secretary concerned to which a
request is submitted under subparagraph (A) shall
provide the requested plant material, to the extent
practicable.
(C) Reimbursement.--The Secretary concerned that
submits a request under subparagraph (A) shall
reimburse the other Secretary concerned for any plant
material provided under the request.
(d) Partnerships.--The Secretary concerned may enter into an
agreement with a non-Federal entity to carry out any activity described
in subsection (b) or (c).
(e) Reforestation Trust Fund.--Section 303 of Public Law 96-451 (16
U.S.C. 1606a) is amended--
(1) in subsection (c), by striking ``(c)(1) It shall be''
and all that follows through the period at the end of paragraph
(1) and inserting the following:
``(c) Annual Reports; Investments.--
``(1) Annual reports.--The Secretary of Agriculture, in
coordination with the Secretary of the Treasury, shall submit
to Congress an annual report that contains a description of--
``(A) the deposits in, expenditures from, and
balance of the Trust Fund;
``(B) the projects funded by the Trust Fund; and
``(C) projected deposits in, and any projected
expenditures from, the Trust fund for the next fiscal
year.'';
(2) by conforming the margins of subsection (c)(2), and the
margins of the subparagraphs within that paragraph,
accordingly; and
(3) by striking subsection (d) and inserting the following:
``(d) Obligation of Funds.--The Secretary of Agriculture (referred
to in this subsection as the `Secretary') may obligate such sums as are
available in the Trust Fund, including any amounts not obligated in
previous fiscal years, for--
``(1) reforestation on National Forest System land in
accordance with section 3(e) of the Forest and Rangeland
Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1601(e));
``(2) site preparation as needed to accomplish
reforestation described in paragraph (1);
``(3) seed collection, preparation, and storage necessary
to support appropriate seed availability;
``(4) nursery construction or activities necessary to
support appropriate seedling availability; and
``(5) properly allocable administrative costs for the
activities described in paragraphs (1) through (4).''.
(f) Avoidance of Duplication.--In carrying out this section and the
amendments made by this section, the Secretaries shall--
(1) avoid duplicative efforts and, to the maximum extent
practicable, utilize existing efforts and personnel to develop
and implement an activity required under this section or an
amendment made by this section; and
(2) avoid using personnel who would otherwise be engaged in
forest management or wildfire mitigation efforts.
(g) Effect.--Nothing in this section or an amendment made by this
section establishes new, extends existing, or otherwise affects any
requirement under Federal law prohibiting or restricting grazing during
post-wildfire rehabilitation.
SEC. 103. EXPERIMENTAL FORESTS AND RANGES.
(a) Purposes.--The purposes of this section are--
(1) to formally authorize the experimental forests and
ranges of the Secretary of Agriculture (referred to in this
section as the ``Secretary'') existing on the date of enactment
of this Act; and
(2) to require the Secretary--
(A) to establish and manage a network of
experimental forests and ranges over timescales that
support long-term research; and
(B) to continuously conduct within the network
described in subparagraph (A) long-term research on
changes in forest and range systems, including on the
impacts of management, climate change, and other
stressors.
(b) Establishment of Network.--The Secretary shall establish and
manage a network of experimental forests and ranges (referred to in
this section as the ``network'') on--
(1) as practicable, National Forest System land;
(2) other Federal land; or
(3) other land that may be managed by the Secretary under a
long-term agreement.
(c) Management Purposes.--The Secretary shall manage the network
for the purposes of--
(1) research;
(2) technology transfer; and
(3) education.
(d) Criteria.--The network shall include--
(1) each of the forest cover types that occur in the United
States, as defined under the forest inventory and analysis
program established under section 3(e) of the Forest and
Rangeland Renewable Resources Research Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C.
1642(e));
(2) an experimental forest that contains forest cover types
found in the State of Hawaii;
(3) an experimental forest that contains forest cover types
found in the territories of the United States; and
(4) experimental ranges that represent rangeland vegetation
types in the United States.
(e) Climate Resiliency Research.--Within the network, the Secretary
shall conduct research, including research on--
(1) seedling establishment, site suitability, and
revegetation schedules and designs to inform and assist efforts
undertaken in the United States to establish forests and ranges
that are resilient in future climate conditions;
(2) the sources, sinks, and transport mechanisms of carbon
to construct and improve models of carbon responses to land
management practices and under changing climate conditions;
(3) vegetation changes and ecosystem conversion; and
(4) hydrologic changes associated with vegetation or
climatic changes.
(f) Traditional Ecological Knowledge.--To the extent practicable
and consistent with other Federal laws (including regulations), the
Secretary shall integrate indigenous perspectives and traditional
ecological knowledge in the development and research plans for forests
and ranges within the network.
(g) Public Access.--Consistent with other laws (including
regulations), the Secretary shall make readily accessible to the public
any collected data and research findings from projects within the
network.
(h) Partners.--The Secretary may enter into an agreement with a
State (including a State forestry agency), an Indian Tribe, a Tribal
organization, an educational institution, or a third party to fund or
conduct research on the network.
(i) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment
of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources
of the House of Representatives a report describing, with respect to
the network--
(1) the location of forests and ranges;
(2) the forest cover types included in the network and any
forest cover types not included in the network; and
(3) any additional resources needed--
(A) to establish or maintain infrastructure in an
established experimental forest or range;
(B) to expand the network to additional forest
cover types not included in the network; or
(C) to conduct the research described in subsection
(e).
(j) Savings Clause.--Nothing in this section--
(1) modifies, limits, or repeals the applicability of any
other provision of law (including regulations) to National
Forest System land; or
(2) precludes the Secretary from authorizing multiple-use
activities, including livestock grazing and other authorized
uses on land included within the network.
(k) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary such sums as are necessary to carry out
this section.
SEC. 104. LONG-TERM CONTRACTS FOR TREE AND SEED PLANTING.
(a) In General.--The Secretary concerned may enter into a contract
or cooperative agreement for re-establishing vegetation on Federal land
under the jurisdiction of the Secretary concerned.
(b) Term.--Notwithstanding the time limit for multiyear contracts
in section 3903 of title 41, United States Code, a contract or
cooperative agreement described in subsection (a) may be for a term of
not more than 10 years.
SEC. 105. REVEGETATION WORKFORCE.
(a) Job Corps Program.--The Secretary of Labor, in coordination
with the Secretaries, shall--
(1) develop a career and technical education and training
program focused on tree planting and revegetation, tree
maintenance, nursery management, or seed collection; and
(2) offer the program as part of the Job Corps program.
(b) Direct Hire Authority.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary concerned may appoint,
without regard to subchapter I of chapter 33 of title 5, United
States Code, other than sections 3303 and 3328 of that title, a
graduate of the program developed and offered under subsection
(a) directly to a position within, as applicable, the
Department of Agriculture or the Department of the Interior--
(A) for which the candidate meets Office of
Personnel Management qualification standards; and
(B) of which the primary duties relate directly to
the training the graduate received under the program
developed and offered under subsection (a).
(2) Limitation.--The Secretary concerned may exercise the
direct hire authority under paragraph (1) with respect to a
specific qualified candidate not later than 1 year after the
date on which the candidate completed the program developed and
offered under subsection (a).
SEC. 106. REVEGETATION ON ABANDONED MINE LAND.
(a) Pilot Program.--
(1) Establishment.--Using funding available to the
Secretary, including funding provided under section 40804(b)(8)
of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (16 U.S.C.
6592a(b)(8)), the Secretary shall establish a pilot program to
establish native trees, shrubs, or grasses (referred to in this
section as ``vegetation'') on eligible mined land described in
paragraph (6).
(2) Financial assistance.--In carrying out the pilot
program established under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall--
(A) in coordination with the Secretary of
Agriculture, establish vegetation on eligible mined
land located on Federal land;
(B) offer financial assistance to States to
establish native vegetation on eligible mined land
located on State land;
(C) offer financial assistance to Indian Tribes to
establish native vegetation on eligible mined land
located on Tribal land or land held in Trust for an
Indian Tribe; and
(D) establish vegetation or offer financial
assistance to States or other entities to establish
native vegetation on eligible mined land located on
private land.
(3) Compatibility with existing operations.--
(A) Consultation.--Prior to selecting a project for
funding under the pilot program established under
paragraph (1), the Secretary shall consult with, as
applicable, the relevant Office of Surface Mining
Reclamation and Enforcement abandoned mine land program
office to confirm that the proposed project is
compatible with any current mining, exploration, or
reclamation activities.
(B) Restriction.--The Secretary shall not provide
financial assistance under paragraph (2) to a person or
entity with an ongoing legal obligation to revegetate
the land in a project area.
(4) Activities.--The following activities associated with a
project to establish vegetation on eligible mined land shall be
eligible for financial assistance under paragraph (2):
(A) Site preparation, including ripping compacted
soils and incorporating soil amendments.
(B) Vegetation planting.
(C) Maintenance, including watering, to the extent
necessary to establish vegetation under this section.
(D) Managing competing vegetation.
(5) Preference.--Under the pilot program established under
paragraph (1), the Secretary shall, to the maximum extent
practicable, seek to establish vegetation that--
(A) is ecologically appropriate; and
(B)(i) has a high capacity to sequester and store
carbon;
(ii) serves to reconnect established landscapes or
enhance habitat connectivity; or
(iii) would establish wildlife habitat that is
underrepresented in the State in which the project is
located.
(6) Eligible mined land.--To be eligible for financial
assistance under paragraph (2), a tree planting project shall
be located on--
(A) land that was mined prior to the date of
enactment of this Act;
(B) in the case of State land or private land, land
that is accessible to the public for not less than 1
day per year; and
(C) in the case of private land, land owned by a
person, or a nongovernmental organization, that has
submitted to the Secretary a request seeking to
participate in the pilot program under this section.
(7) Termination.--The pilot program established under
paragraph (1) shall be in effect for the 8-year period
beginning on the date of enactment of this Act.
(b) Report.--Not later than 5 years after the date of enactment of
this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources
of the House of Representatives a report describing the accomplishments
of the pilot program established under subsection (a)(1), including--
(1) jobs created or supported in rural areas;
(2) increases in the abundance of wildlife species,
including game species and song birds;
(3) opportunities for hunting and other compatible outdoor
recreation; and
(4) an estimate of--
(A) carbon sequestered during the 5-year period
beginning on the date on which the pilot program is
established; and
(B) projected additional carbon sequestration and
storage during the 15-year period beginning on the last
day of the period described in subparagraph (A).
TITLE II--CARBON SEQUESTRATION THROUGH FOREST MANAGEMENT AND INNOVATION
SEC. 201. FOREST MANAGEMENT FROM CARBON CREDITS.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Buffer pool.--The term ``buffer pool'' means additional
sequestered carbon or greenhouse gas held in reserve beyond the
carbon or greenhouse gas represented by a carbon credit to
serve as an offset in the event of nonpermanence or carbon
sequestration reversal for a carbon credit.
(2) Carbon credit.--The term ``carbon credit'' means a
credit, offset, or other defined unit of carbon or a greenhouse
gas that--
(A) represents additional carbon or greenhouse gas
sequestered or carbon or greenhouse gas emissions
mitigated, compared to such sequestration or mitigation
without the financial support embodied in the credit,
offset, or other defined unit;
(B) is approved by a credible, third-party entity;
(C) is generated from the implementation or funding
of a covered activity; and
(D) is identifiable, measurable, and traceable.
(3) Carbon credit program.--The term ``carbon credit
program'' means a voluntary program or market that issues,
assigns, trades, or sells carbon credits.
(4) Covered activity.--The term ``covered activity'' means
a forest revegetation activity that--
(A) is ecologically appropriate;
(B) is carried out on National Forest System land;
(C) is designed, in accordance with the best
available science--
(i) to increase rates of carbon or
greenhouse gas sequestration;
(ii) to increase the quantity of
sequestered carbon or greenhouse gas; or
(iii) to mitigate or avoid carbon or
greenhouse gas emissions;
(D) to the extent practicable, is accomplished
using plants native to the landscape or to adjacent
landscapes;
(E) to the maximum extent practicable, revegetates
the area in a manner and at a schedule that minimizes
the threat of stand-replacing wildfire; and
(F) is carried out by--
(i) the Secretary; or
(ii) a non-Federal entity authorized by the
Secretary under any other provision of law.
(5) Intragovernmental revolving fund.--The term
``intragovernmental revolving fund'' means a Federal account
that receives a portion of funds received through a carbon
credit program for use for covered activities in the event of
nonpermanence or carbon sequestration reversal for a carbon
credit.
(6) Resilience.--The term ``resilience'' means the ability
of an area of the National Forest System to retain its inherent
ecological structure, composition, and functional integrity in
response to historical and anticipated stresses for the forest
type of the area, at any level from the ecosystem to the
landscape scale, over the age span of the dominant trees of the
area.
(7) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service.
(b) Funds Associated With Carbon Credits for Forest Management.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary may expend funds received
from a non-Federal entity from a carbon credit program for a
carbon credit, without further appropriation or fiscal year
limitation, to support the implementation of covered
activities.
(2) Supplement, not supplant.--Amounts made available to
the Secretary under paragraph (1) shall supplement, and not
supplant, any other amounts made available for covered
activities.
(3) Exclusive use.--Amounts made available to the Secretary
under paragraph (1) shall only be used for--
(A) the implementation of covered activities; and
(B) any properly allocable administrative costs.
(c) Management of Carbon Credit Transactions by National Forest
Foundation.--
(1) In general.--The National Forest Foundation shall
receive and distribute any funds received under subsection
(b)(1).
(2) Other partners.--The National Forest Foundation and the
Secretary may work with other entities that use funds received
through a carbon credit program or for a carbon credit to
design, manage, account for, implement, or monitor a covered
activity.
(3) Methodology.--For the management of transactions
described in this section, the National Forest Foundation and
the Secretary shall jointly develop and use a methodology that
calculates the value of a carbon credit, based on--
(A) the reestablishment or retention of forest
cover;
(B) carbon sequestration rates before and after the
implementation of the covered activity; and
(C) such other considerations as are necessary to
accurately calculate the value of the carbon credit.
(4) Limitations.--A carbon credit--
(A) shall not be construed to constrain, limit, or
otherwise affect the authority of the Secretary to
carry out activities within the National Forest System;
and
(B) shall be limited in value to the amount
necessary to represent the carbon or greenhouse gas
sequestered by vegetation with a stand density index of
not greater than the stand density index necessary for
resilience of the forest cover type in the area where
the carbon credit is generated.
(d) Risk Mitigation Tools.--The Secretary may--
(1) establish a buffer pool, an intragovernmental revolving
fund, or another similar risk mitigation tool for a project to
carry out a covered activity under this section;
(2) transfer amounts into and out of the buffer pool,
intragovernmental revolving fund, or other tool established
under paragraph (1); and
(3) develop a protocol, after providing notice and an
opportunity for public comment, for the management of the
buffer pool, intragovernmental revolving fund, or other tool
established under paragraph (1).
(e) Reports to Congress.--The Secretary, in collaboration with the
National Forest Foundation, shall annually submit to Congress a report
describing the status of the program under this section, including--
(1) the extent to which covered activities that were
implemented as a direct result of funding received under
subsection (b)(1) have been carried out; and
(2) any recommendations to improve or expand the program,
including expansion of the authorities under this section to
land managed by the Secretary of the Interior.
(f) Transparency.--The Secretary, in collaboration with the
National Forest Foundation, shall make publicly available on a website
of the Forest Service the data relating to all carbon credits issued,
traded, sold, or retired under this section.
(g) Effect.--Nothing in this section authorizes any activity that
is inconsistent with--
(1) any applicable land management plan; or
(2) any other provision of law (including regulations).
SEC. 202. RECOVERY AND RESTORATION TREATMENTS FOLLOWING STAND-REPLACING
DISTURBANCES.
(a) Definition of Stand-replacing Disturbance.--In this section,
the term ``stand-replacing disturbance'' means a natural disturbance
event, including a wildland fire or other event, that kills all or most
of the living overstory trees in a stand and initiates forest
succession or regrowth on a unit of the National Forest System.
(b) Pilot National Forests.--Not later than 1 year after the date
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through
the Chief of the Forest Service (referred to in this section as the
``Secretary''), shall identify units of the National Forest System that
the Secretary determines to be at high or very high risk of
experiencing a stand-replacing disturbance during the 10-year period
following the date of enactment of this Act.
(c) Interdisciplinary Teams.--Not later than 2 years after the date
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish an
interdisciplinary post-disturbance planning team (referred to in this
section as the ``team'') to assist in carrying out the requirements of
this section.
(d) Model Land and Resource Management Plan Amendment.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in cooperation with the
team, shall develop a model land and resource management plan
amendment establishing plan content for future site-specific
project-level decisions if a stand-replacing disturbance occurs
on units of the National Forest System identified under
subsection (b).
(2) Content.--The model amendment required under paragraph
(1) shall include direction regarding post-disturbance
management, including salvage logging and reforestation
activities, to achieve desired conditions, objectives,
standards, guidelines, suitability of lands, and other plan
content, including goals and monitoring provisions, of the
existing land and resource management plan on the applicable
unit of the National Forest System, if a stand-replacing
disturbance occurs.
(3) Use of model land and resource management plan
amendment.--The Secretary shall utilize the Model Land and
Resource Management Plan Amendment, as adapted to the unique
ecological and socioeconomic setting for each unit of the
National Forest System identified under subsection (b), in
carrying out subsection (e).
(e) Land and Resource Management Plan Amendments.--
(1) In general.--As soon as practicable, but not later than
10 years, after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Secretary, assisted by the team, shall amend the applicable
land and resource management plan of each unit of the National
Forest System identified under subsection (b).
(2) Process.--The Secretary shall comply with all relevant
laws in carrying out this section.
(3) Election.--The Secretary may comply with the provisions
of this section by incorporating the requirements of this
section into an ongoing land and resource management plan
revision or amendment process.
SEC. 203. ERADICATION OF INVASIVE GRASSES.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Action plan.--The term ``action plan'' means the action
plan developed under subsection (b).
(2) Invasive grass.--The term ``invasive grass'' means--
(A) cheatgrass;
(B) ventenata;
(C) medusahead; and
(D) any additional invasive, nonnative grass
species that the Secretaries determine pose a risk by--
(i) increasing fire vulnerability and fire
spread; and
(ii) altering fire regimes.
(b) Action Plan.--
(1) In general.--The Secretaries shall jointly develop and
implement an action plan to map, treat, and control invasive
grass--
(A) to promote the resiliency, biodiversity, and
carbon sequestration capacity of forests, rangelands,
and grasslands;
(B) to restore native plant species;
(C) to minimize risks from wildfire; and
(D) to enhance the quality of forage for wildlife
and livestock.
(2) Requirements.--The action plan shall--
(A) consider or incorporate existing efforts;
(B) take into account--
(i) the latest science;
(ii) best practices; and
(iii) available deployment tools;
(C) be prepared in coordination with State, Tribal,
and local governmental entities and the heads of other
Federal agencies, including the Chief of the Natural
Resources Conservation Service, that are engaged in
activities to control invasive grass to leverage and
maximize funding and resources;
(D) identify options to streamline environmental
review, including--
(i) the use of categorical exclusions (as
defined in section 111 of the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C.
4336e)), including a categorical exclusion of
another agency pursuant to section 109 of that
Act (42 U.S.C. 4336c);
(ii) the development of consultations under
section 7 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973
(16 U.S.C. 1536) on a programmatic basis;
(iii) interagency coordination regarding
the validation, registration, and effective use
of products to control or eradicate invasive
grass; and
(iv) maximizing opportunities to cooperate
with other Federal, Tribal, and State agencies
in analysis, assessments, and studies;
(E) establish--
(i) specific goals;
(ii) specific implementation actions that
the Secretaries and partners of the Secretaries
will conduct over a 5-year period; and
(iii) targets, including acres to be
treated annually in target treatment areas
identified by the Secretaries;
(F) provide for a combination of treatment methods
for the most effective control or eradication of an
invasive grass, including--
(i) manual treatment methods;
(ii) mechanical treatment methods;
(iii) cultural treatment methods, including
the use of wood chips or prescribed fire;
(iv) biological treatment methods, which
may include livestock grazing; or
(v) chemical treatment methods;
(G) identify and implement, to the extent
practicable, best practices to reduce the spreading of
invasive grass seed, such as the use of spray washing
stations; and
(H) identify methods and metrics to determine the
effectiveness of treatment and control efforts.
(3) Deadline to finalize action plan.--Not later than 1
year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretaries
shall finalize the action plan.
(4) Implementation of action plan.--
(A) In general.--Not later than 60 days after the
date on which the action plan is finalized under
paragraph (3), the Secretaries shall begin implementing
the action plan in a manner consistent with other
applicable laws (including regulations).
(B) Memoranda of understanding and agreements.--In
implementing the action plan, the Secretary concerned
may enter into a memorandum of understanding or an
agreement with non-Federal entities, as appropriate, to
carry out activities under the action plan to control
the spread of an invasive grass on Federal land or land
adjacent to Federal land.
(C) Cooperating agency coordination.--The Secretary
concerned shall, to the extent practicable, offer to
assist in the preparation of environmental reviews that
may be necessary in implementing treatment and control
activities on land adjacent to Federal land.
(c) Reports to Congress.--Not later than 3 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter during the period in
which the action plan is being implemented, the Secretaries shall
submit to Congress a report assessing the effectiveness of the action
plan that includes a description of--
(1) the location and acreage of the areas treated for
invasive grass;
(2) any memoranda of understanding or agreements entered
into under subsection (b)(4)(B) to advance the implementation
of the action plan;
(3) the effectiveness of treatments and control efforts,
determined using the methods and metrics described in
subsection (b)(2)(H); and
(4) recommendations for studies to explore innovative
methods and practices to treat and control invasive grass.
(d) Funding.--
(1) Outside funding.--The Secretary concerned may accept
non-Federal funds to implement any provision of this section.
(2) Other funding.--In addition to any funding received
under paragraph (1), the Secretaries may expend to carry out
this section up to $30,000,000 of any funding made available to
the Secretary concerned for invasive species control, including
funding provided under section 40804(b)(6) of the
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (16 U.S.C. 6592a(b)(6)).
(3) Limitations.--Of the amounts made available to carry
out this section, not more than 10 percent shall be used for
development of the action plan.
TITLE III--RESEARCH
SEC. 301. LONGEVITY OF FOREST PRODUCTS.
The Secretary of Energy, in coordination with the Secretary of
Agriculture, shall--
(1) develop accurate and efficient methods and technologies
to measure and monitor the amount and average lifespan of
carbon stored in woody biomass energy feedstocks and building
materials;
(2) by not later than 2 years after the date of enactment
of this Act, publish estimates of the carbon intensity of woody
biomass energy feedstocks and building materials, including in
short-lived forest products and long-lived wood products; and
(3) by not later than 3 years after the date of enactment
of this Act, publish a lifecycle carbon assessment, including
any carbon sequestration, for--
(A) short-lived forest products;
(B) building materials; and
(C) other long-lived wood products.
SEC. 302. FOREST INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS.
(a) In General.--To bring more innovation and efficiency to
climate-resilient forestry actions in the United States, the Secretary
of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service--
(1) shall publish a report, or expand on a report being
published pursuant to another provision of law, that
demonstrates the efforts of the Forest Service--
(A) to measure a consistent historical series of
field plots while using advanced technology, including
remote sensing, to improve data and information; and
(B) to use advanced geospatial technologies to
improve area and volume estimates, especially for
smaller areas;
(2) may use remote sensing technologies and other
technologies to develop more accurate and efficient methods and
to reduce costs to facilitate the measuring and monitoring of
forest carbon in the United States, in a manner that can--
(A) assess landscape-scale or regional-scale carbon
stocking;
(B) improve the quantity and quality of the
information available to policy makers and forest
managers, including with regard to forest inventories
and verification activities;
(C) empower private forest owners to participate in
voluntary carbon crediting opportunities; and
(D) enable--
(i) a policy maker to compare the
consequences of policy options to increase
climate benefits from forests; and
(ii) an assessment of the effectiveness of
a policy implemented to increase the climate
benefits from forests; and
(3) may accelerate, or increase the frequency of, current
inventories and data collection activities across all forest
types to ensure consistent nationwide estimates of forest
carbon pools that can reflect short-term changes from
disturbances, such as wildfires, and management activities.
(b) Funding.--The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the
Chief of the Forest Service, may annually use to carry out this section
not more than $10,000,000 of any amount made available to the Forest
Service for research.
SEC. 303. BIOECONOMY RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER.
(a) Forest Products Research.--The Secretary of Agriculture
(referred to in this section as the ``Secretary''), in coordination
with the Secretary of Energy, shall expand research relating to the use
of wood--
(1) to facilitate the establishment of new markets,
including nontraditional markets, for material produced from
forest management projects that typically has little or no
commercial value;
(2) to increase the economic viability of manufacturing
products using material described in paragraph (1);
(3) for the production of low-carbon renewable fuel,
including sustainable aviation fuel; and
(4) including structural testing of hardwood species for
use in mass timber.
(b) Technology Transfer Office.--
(1) Establishment.--There is established within the Forest
Service an Office of Technology Transfer (referred to this
subsection as the ``Office'').
(2) Mission.--The mission of the Office shall be--
(A) to expand the commercial impact of the research
investments of the Forest Service; and
(B) to provide for the commercialization of
technologies that support the mission of the Forest
Service.
(3) Chief commercialization officer.--
(A) In general.--The Office shall be headed by an
officer, who shall be known as the ``Chief
Commercialization Officer'' and who shall report to the
Deputy Chief of the Forest Service for Research and
Development.
(B) Qualifications.--An individual appointed to the
position of Chief Commercialization Officer shall be an
individual who, by reason of professional background
and experience, is specially qualified to advise the
Chief of the Forest Service and the Deputy Chief of the
Forest Service for Research and Development on
technology transfer at the Forest Service.
(C) Duties.--The Chief Commercialization Officer
shall--
(i) oversee the expenditure of funds
allocated for technology transfer within the
Forest Service;
(ii) represent the Forest Service on--
(I) the Federal Laboratory
Consortium for Technology Transfer
established by section 11(e) of the
Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation
Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3710(e)); and
(II) other similar interagency
coordinating entities;
(iii) coordinate with--
(I) other technology transfer and
commercialization offices within the
Department of Agriculture; and
(II) other similar Federal
entities, as appropriate;
(iv) oversee efforts to engage with private
sector entities, including venture capital
companies, on issues relating to technology
transfer and commercialization; and
(v) coordinate efforts to patent or
otherwise protect under title 35, United States
Code, any inventions arising from a Forest
Service laboratory.
(4) Technology transfer working group.--
(A) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish
within the Forest Service a Technology Transfer Working
Group, which shall consist of--
(i) the Deputy Chief of the Forest Service
for Research and Development;
(ii) the Chief Commercialization Officer;
(iii) representatives from each research
station within the Forest Service; and
(iv) representatives from other Forest
Service entities with relevant expertise, as
appropriate.
(B) Duties.--The Technology Transfer Working Group
established under subparagraph (A) shall--
(i) assist with the coordination of
technology transfer and commercialization
opportunities occurring at Forest Service
laboratories;
(ii) develop and disseminate guidance to
researchers at Forest Service laboratories on
technology transfer and commercialization
requirements under the Stevenson-Wydler
Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C.
3701 et seq.) and associated agreements to
implement those requirements; and
(iii) develop and disseminate to the public
and prospective technology partners information
about opportunities and procedures for
technology transfer with the Forest Service.
(C) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date
of enactment of this Act, the Technology Transfer
Working Group established under subparagraph (A) shall
submit to Congress a report that describes--
(i) the number of cooperative research and
development agreements entered into by the
Forest Service under section 12 of the
Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of
1980 (15 U.S.C. 3710a) during the preceding 5
years;
(ii) the number of agreements with
partnership intermediaries entered into by the
Forest Service under section 23 of the
Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of
1980 (15 U.S.C. 3715) during the preceding 5
years;
(iii) the number of licenses or other use
authorizations issued by the Forest Service for
patents held by the Forest Service during the
preceding 5 years; and
(iv) recommendations for legislative,
programmatic, or regulatory changes to support
the mission of the Office.
(5) Key performance indicators.--Beginning with the first
year after the report under paragraph (4)(C) is submitted, and
each year thereafter, the President shall include in the budget
of the United States Government submitted to Congress under
section 1105 of title 31, United States Code--
(A) the number of cooperative research and
development agreements entered into by the Forest
Service under section 12 of the Stevenson-Wydler
Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3710a)
during the preceding year;
(B) the number of agreements with partnership
intermediaries entered into by the Forest Service under
section 23 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology
Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3715) during the
preceding year; and
(C) the number of licenses or other use
authorizations issued by the Forest Service for patents
held by the Forest Service during the preceding year.
(6) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this
subsection $5,000,000 for each fiscal year.
(c) National Forest Foundation Activities.--Section 402(b)(3) of
the National Forest Foundation Act (16 U.S.C. 583j(b)(3)) is amended by
striking ``cooperative forestry'' and inserting ``technology transfer,
commercialization, cooperative forestry,''.
(d) Small Business Voucher Pilot Program.--
(1) Establishment.--The Secretary, in consultation with the
Secretary of Energy and the Administrator of the Small Business
Administration, shall establish an innovation voucher pilot
program to accelerate product development, demonstration, and
commercialization in the forest products sector.
(2) Vouchers.--Under the pilot program established under
paragraph (1), the Secretary shall provide vouchers to small
business concerns (as defined in section 3 of the Small
Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632)) to be used at research facilities
of the Forest Service for research, development, demonstration,
technology transfer, skills training and workforce development,
or commercial application activities.
(3) Cost-sharing.--
(A) Basic research.--Except as provided in
subparagraph (D), the Secretary may require up to 20
percent of the cost of a voucher provided under
paragraph (2) for a research or development activity
that is of a basic or fundamental nature, at the
discretion of the Secretary, to be provided by a non-
Federal source.
(B) Applied research.--Except as provided in
subparagraphs (D) and (E), the Secretary shall require
not less than 20 percent of the cost of a voucher
provided under paragraph (2) for a research or
development activity that is not of a basic or
fundamental nature, at the discretion of the Secretary,
to be provided by a non-Federal source.
(C) Demonstration and commercial application.--
Except as provided in subparagraph (E), the Secretary
shall require not less than 50 percent of the cost of a
voucher provided under paragraph (2) for a
demonstration or commercial application activity to be
provided by a non-Federal source.
(D) Exemption for higher education and nonprofit
institutions.--The cost share requirements under
subparagraphs (A) and (B) shall not apply to an
activity performed by an institution of higher
education or a nonprofit institution (as defined in
section 4 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation
Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3703)).
(E) Reduction in cost-share.--The Secretary may
reduce the non-Federal share required under
subparagraphs (B) and (C) if the Secretary determines
the reduction to be necessary and appropriate, taking
into account any technological risk relating to the
activity.
(4) Termination.--The authorities provided under this
subsection (except for paragraph (5)) shall expire on September
30, 2029.
(5) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the termination
of the pilot program under paragraph (4), the Secretary shall
submit to Congress a report describing the outcomes of the
pilot program, including any recommendations to improve the
pilot program.
SEC. 304. FOREST HEALTH THREAT CENTERS.
The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the
Forest Service, shall--
(1) seek to expand the services provided by the Western
Wildland Environmental Threat Assessment Center and the Eastern
Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center such that those
Centers become centers of excellence to inform large-scale
climate-resilient forest management; and
(2) share the syntheses, models, and application tools
developed by the Western Wildland Environmental Threat
Assessment Center and the Eastern Forest Environmental Threat
Assessment Center with--
(A) the Department of Agriculture climate hubs; and
(B) the Climate Adaptation Science Centers managed
by the Secretary, acting through the Director of the
United States Geological Survey.
SEC. 305. JOINT MASS TIMBER SCIENCE AND EDUCATION PROGRAM.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Local approving agency.--The term ``local approving
agency'' means an agency or unit of a local government that is
responsible for the issuance of permits for building
construction.
(2) Mass timber.--The term ``mass timber'' includes--
(A) cross-laminated timber;
(B) nail laminated timber;
(C) glue laminated timber;
(D) dowel laminated timber;
(E) laminated strand lumber; and
(F) laminated veneer lumber.
(3) Procuring agency.--The term ``procuring agency'' means
the Department of the Interior, the Forest Service, or a person
that is a party to a contract with the Department of the
Interior or the Forest Service, with respect to work performed
under such a contract.
(4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Agriculture, acting through the Director of the Forest
Products Laboratory of the Forest Service.
(5) Tall wood building.--The term ``tall wood building''
means a building designed to be--
(A) constructed with mass timber; and
(B)(i) if a residential building, more than 4
stories in height; and
(ii) if a commercial building, more than 5 stories
in height.
(b) Mass Timber Science and Education Program With the Forest
Products Laboratory.--The Secretary shall establish a mass timber
science and education program to respond to the emerging research needs
of architects, developers, and the forest products industry.
(c) Coordination.--The Secretary shall coordinate with research
programs at colleges and universities in administering the mass timber
science and education program established under subsection (b) to
supplement the current research and educational efforts of colleges and
universities.
(d) Purposes.--The mass timber science and education program
established under subsection (b) shall have the following principal
purposes:
(1) To provide practical research responsive to the needs
of architects, developers, and the forest products industry,
including assessments of carbon impacts in the originating
forests and the end use of mass timber in the built
environment.
(2) To engage and listen to clients and then develop
focused, strategic lines of new research responsive to those
needs, which may include research relating to flammability and
performance during a fire, structural characteristics, energy
use and savings, acoustics, and slab construction composed of
hybrid materials.
(3) To solicit proposals from scientists who compete for
funding through a rigorous peer-review process designed to
ensure the best projects are funded.
(4) To disseminate research findings using a suite of
communication tools to ensure that architects, developers, and
the forest products industry are aware of, understand, and can
use the information to make sound decisions and implement
projects.
(5) To develop and facilitate the adoption, on a voluntary
basis, of a curriculum for building structures using mass
timber for use in schools of engineering and architecture that
includes--
(A) structural design; and
(B) the possibilities, benefits, and limitations of
using mass timber in construction.
(e) Mass Timber Plan.--Not later than September 30, 2025, the
Secretary shall submit to the relevant committees of Congress a mass
timber plan that includes--
(1) an assessment of the current state of knowledge about
mass timber and tall wood buildings;
(2) an integrated approach to improve knowledge sharing;
(3) an approach for project monitoring and evaluation; and
(4) an approach for setting research priorities.
(f) Stakeholder Advisory Group.--
(1) Membership.--The Secretary shall appoint a stakeholder
advisory group of technical experts that consists, at a
minimum, of--
(A) a Forest Service scientist;
(B) a researcher from a college or university;
(C) a representative of a trade association;
(D) an architect or developer;
(E) a representative of a local approving agency;
(F) a representative of a forest products company;
and
(G) a representative of a nongovernmental
organization with experience--
(i) designing or constructing tall wood
buildings; or
(ii) complying with or revising related
building codes.
(2) Duties.--The stakeholder advisory group shall meet at
least annually--
(A) to consider immediate and long-term science
needs;
(B) to suggest to the Secretary appropriate topic
areas, specific issues within those topic areas, and
information transfer needs for which the Secretary
shall solicit proposals described in subsection (d)(3);
and
(C) to assist the Secretary in drafting the mass
timber plan required under subsection (e).
(g) Assistance.--The Secretary may provide to the Secretary of
Transportation and to States technical assistance relating to the use
of wood in bridges when undergoing revisions to a State bridge design
manual.
(h) Availability of Appropriations.--From amounts appropriated for
Forest Service research, excluding funding made available for the
Forest Inventory and Analysis program, the Secretary may use $4,000,000
to carry out the activities described in this section.
TITLE IV--MISCELLANEOUS
SEC. 401. DESIGNATION OF PATSYE CRITES FOREST.
(a) Designation.--On acquisition by the United States, the
approximately 2,693.31 acres of land within the Monongahela National
Forest identified on the map prepared by the Forest Service entitled
``Blackwater Canyon'' and dated August 5, 2024, shall be known and
designated as the ``Patsye Crites Forest''.
(b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document,
paper, or other record of the United States to the land acquired under
subsection (a) shall be deemed to be a reference to the ``Patsye Crites
Forest''.
Calendar No. 594
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2991
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To improve revegetation and carbon sequestration activities in the
United States, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
November 21, 2024
Reported with an amendment