Bill Details
HR.1213 - 119th Congress
Status
Latest action
2025-02-11 - Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
Introduced Date
2025-02-11
Policy Area
Public Lands and Natural Resources
Committees
View committees (1)
Sponsors
Cosponsors
View cosponsors (2)
2
0
0
AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would update the federal forest data program so it can better measure, organize, and share information about the nation’s forests. It expands the kinds of data collected to include forest carbon and related information, asks the Agriculture Secretary to improve how the program uses new technology, and requires clearer, more consistent reporting. The goal is to make forest information more accurate, more useful for the public and private sector, and better able to track changes in forests over time.
- It adds new data collection methods, including a timber products output study and a national woodland owner survey.
- It requires the program to better track forest carbon, including soil carbon, and to explain clearly how the word “forest” is being used in reports and data.
- It calls for an updated strategic plan within 180 days, with a focus on consistent data collection, better use of remote sensing and other new tools, improved sub-state estimates, and better reporting on renewable biomass and carbon stocks.
- It would make the data easier to access while protecting confidential information, require public forest statistics every two years, create a way to handle complex outside data requests, and include yearly progress reports. It also updates the law to recognize modern remote sensing tools like LiDAR, hyperspectral imaging, and machine learning.
Official Summaries
Forest Data Modernization Act of 2025
This bill directs the Forest Service to expand and update its Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program. Under the existing program, the Forest Service collects, analyzes, and reports on information about the condition of forest resources in the United States, such as data concerning wildfires or other forest management issues.
The bill directs FIA to include forest carbon in its inventory.
The bill also requires FIA's strategic plan to include a detailed description of the organization and procedures necessary to (1) understand and report on changes in land cover and use, and (2) evaluate carbon-related data variables.
FIA must update the strategic plan within six months and every five years thereafter. Among other items, the first update must include (1) a plan to implement nationally consistent data collection protocols and procedures; and (2) a plan to expand current data collection, further integrate remote sensing technology, or both.
FIA must also prepare and publish a compilation of certain forest statistics every two years.
Additionally, the bill requires FIA to continue (1) the Timber Products Output survey, and (2) the National Woodland Owner Survey.
To provide data consistency, FIA must include a clear definition of forest when reporting data.
Finally, FIA (1) must also establish an office, a data platform, or both to process and respond to complex data requests submitted by external organizations; and (2) may impose fees on the organizations submitting the requests.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1213 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1213
To amend the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Research Act of
1978 to modify the forest inventory and analysis program.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 11, 2025
Ms. Schrier (for herself and Mr. Moore of Alabama) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Research Act of
1978 to modify the forest inventory and analysis program.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Forest Data Modernization Act of
2025''.
SEC. 2. FOREST INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS.
(a) In General.--Section 3(e) of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable
Resources Research Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 1642(e)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1)--
(A) by striking ``their resources'' and inserting
``the resources of those forests, including forest
carbon,'';
(B) by striking ``In compliance'' and inserting the
following:
``(A) In general.--In compliance''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(B) Additional methods.--Under the program under
this subsection, the Secretary shall carry out, as a
data collection method--
``(i) a timber products output study; and
``(ii) a national woodland owner survey.'';
(2) in paragraph (3)(C), by inserting ``including with
respect to available forest carbon data,'' after ``2
decades,'';
(3) in paragraph (4)--
(A) in the second sentence, by striking ``The
standards'' and inserting the following:
``(B) Inclusions.--The standards described in
subparagraph (A)'';
(B) by striking ``(4) National standards and
definitions.--To ensure'' and inserting the following:
``(4) National consistency.--
``(A) Standards and definitions.--To ensure''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(C) Terminology.--The Secretary shall include a
clear description of the definition of `forest' used
for purposes of reporting data from inventories and
analyses of forests and the resources of forests under
this subsection with--
``(i) any data or report provided under the
program under this subsection;
``(ii) Renewable Resource Assessments
prepared under section 3(a) of the Forest and
Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of
1974 (16 U.S.C. 1601(a)); and
``(iii) any data or report provided to an
entity outside the United States.'';
(4) in paragraph (6)--
(A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by
striking ``Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this subsection,'' and inserting ``In
accordance with paragraph (7),''; and
(B) by striking subparagraphs (D) and (E) and
inserting the following:
``(D) the organization and procedures necessary to
understand and report on changes in land cover and use;
``(E) the organization and procedures necessary to
evaluate carbon-related data variables, including soil
carbon, collected from forest inventory and analysis
plots, timber products output studies, and national
woodland owner surveys to ensure that carbon accounting
information needs can be met; and''; and
(5) by adding at the end the following:
``(7) Updates to strategic plan.--
``(A) In general.--Not later than 180 days after
the date of enactment of this paragraph, the Secretary
shall prepare an update to the strategic plan under
paragraph (6) to include--
``(i) a plan to implement nationally
consistent data collection protocols and
procedures to improve the statistical precision
of base program estimates;
``(ii) pathways to integrate and report on
changes in forest carbon, including below-
ground carbon;
``(iii) plans, including the identification
of challenges, to collaborate with other
Federal agencies, non-Federal partners, and the
private sector to integrate existing nationally
available data sets and best available
commercial technologies, such as remote
sensing, spatial analysis techniques, and other
new technologies;
``(iv) a plan to increase transparency and
clarity in reporting in accordance with
paragraph (4)(C);
``(v) a plan to expand current data
collection, further integrate remote sensing
technology, or both, to include procedures to
improve the statistical precision of estimates
at the sub-State level;
``(vi) a plan to expand current data
collection, further integrate remote sensing
technology, or both, to include information on
renewable biomass supplies and carbon stocks at
the local, State, regional, and national
levels, including by ownership type; and
``(vii) such other matters as the Secretary
determines to be appropriate based on
recommendations of the Forest Inventory and
Analysis National User Group.
``(B) Submission.--Not later than 180 days after
the date of enactment of this paragraph, the Secretary
shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture,
Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate and the Committee
on Agriculture of the House of Representatives the
update to the strategic plan prepared under
subparagraph (A).
``(C) Further updates.--Not later than 5 years
after the date on which the update is submitted under
subparagraph (B), and every 5 years thereafter, the
Secretary shall--
``(i) prepare an additional update to the
strategic plan; and
``(ii) submit the additional update to the
committees described in subparagraph (B).
``(8) Accessibility.--The Secretary shall ensure that data
collected under this subsection is--
``(A) easily accessible to all public- and private-
sector entities; and
``(B) collected using means that ensure the
confidentiality, in accordance with section 1770 of the
Food Security Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 2276), of--
``(i) plot locations;
``(ii) nonaggregated data of woodland
owners; and
``(iii) forest industry information.
``(9) Biennial compilations.--Biennially, the Secretary
shall prepare and make publicly available a compilation of
national forest inventory and analysis forest statistics, which
shall be similar to the tables contained in the Renewable
Resource Assessments prepared under section 3(a) of the Forest
and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16
U.S.C. 1601(a)).
``(10) External complex data requests.--
``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall establish an
office, a data platform, or both to process and respond
to complex data requests submitted by external
organizations relating to the program under this
subsection.
``(B) Fees.--To cover the costs of processing of
and responding to complex data requests described in
subparagraph (A), the Secretary may impose fees on the
external organizations submitting the requests.
``(11) Reports.--Each year, the Secretary shall publish as
part of the forest inventory and analysis business report a
detailed description of the progress of the Secretary in
implementing the programmatic elements of the strategic plan
described in paragraph (6), including--
``(A) the costs and priorities of the strategic
plan; and
``(B) how the program under this subsection
leverages new technology, improves and standardizes
collection protocols, and increases workforce
capacity.''.
(b) Remote Sensing Technologies.--Section 8632(1) of the
Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (16 U.S.C. 1642 note; Public Law
115-334) is amended by striking ``technologies'' and inserting
``technologies, such as microwave, LiDAR, hyperspectral, and high-
resolution remote sensing data for data collection, and machine
learning for improved modeling,''.
<all>