Bill Details
S.480 - 119th Congress
Status
Latest action
2025-02-06 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Introduced Date
2025-02-06
Policy Area
Public Lands and Natural Resources
Committees
View committees (1)
Sponsors
8
0
0
AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would push certain national forests to do more to increase timber sales where they are falling behind. If a forest unit sold less than two-thirds of the timber it could have sold in the previous year, the local forest supervisor would have to send a report to the Forest Service within 180 days. That report would explain which parts of the forest could be used better and what steps could be taken to raise timber sales. The supervisor would also have to work with private industry, government partners, and other interested groups. After that, the Forest Service would check progress. If sales rise to more than three-fourths of the expected amount, no more reports are needed. If not, another report is required. The bill also lets the Forest Service direct extra help and resources to forests that are still lagging, and it allows a waiver if there is a good reason for low progress, such as a natural disaster.
- Applies only to forest units that sold less than two-thirds of their expected timber amount in the previous year.
- Requires a harvesting improvement report within 180 days, with input from industry, advisory groups, and state, local, and Tribal governments.
- Requires proof of action within one year to show efforts to increase timber sales.
- Lets the Forest Service give extra staff, use more local cooperation agreements, speed up environmental review when possible, and waive the reporting rule if there is a valid reason for the shortfall.
Official Summaries
No summaries available
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 480 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 480
To require certain forest supervisors of units of the National Forest
System to submit to the Chief of the Forest Service a harvesting
improvement report, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 6 (legislative day, February 5), 2025
Mr. Rounds introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require certain forest supervisors of units of the National Forest
System to submit to the Chief of the Forest Service a harvesting
improvement report, and for other purposes.
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 ``Timber Harvesting Restoration Act of
2025''.
SEC. 2. HARVESTING IMPROVEMENT ON NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM LAND.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Allowable sale quantity.--The term ``allowable sale
quantity'' means the maximum volume of timber potentially
available in a unit of the National Forest System as part of
regularly scheduled timber sales from land suitable for timber
production over a 10-year period.
(2) Covered nfs unit.--The term ``covered NFS unit'' means
a unit of the National Forest System with respect to which, as
determined by the Secretary, the actual volume of timber sold
from the unit during the fiscal year preceding the date of
enactment of this Act is not more than \2/3\ of the allowable
sale quantity.
(3) Forest supervisor.--The term ``forest supervisor''
means a forest supervisor of a unit of the National Forest
System.
(4) Harvesting improvement report.--The term ``harvesting
improvement report'' means a harvesting improvement report
described in subsection (b)(1).
(5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service.
(b) Harvesting Improvement Reports.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, each forest supervisor of a covered NFS
unit shall submit to the Secretary a harvesting improvement
report that identifies areas of the covered NFS unit that could
be used, and any actionable steps that may be taken, to
increase the volume of timber sold from the covered NFS unit.
(2) Consultation.--In preparing a harvesting improvement
report, a forest supervisor shall consult with--
(A) relevant members of private industry;
(B) relevant advisory committees;
(C) State, local, and Tribal governments; and
(D) relevant stakeholder groups.
(3) Notification.--Not later than 30 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall notify each forest
supervisor of whether that forest supervisor is required to
file a harvesting improvement report.
(c) Actionable Steps.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, each forest supervisor required to submit a
harvesting improvement report shall demonstrate, to the satisfaction of
the Secretary, that the forest supervisor has taken actionable steps
toward increasing the volume of timber sold from the applicable covered
NFS unit.
(d) Measuring Performance.--
(1) Review of progress.--1 year after the date on which a
forest supervisor submits a harvesting improvement report, the
Secretary shall review the progress made toward increasing the
volume of timber sold from the applicable covered NFS unit.
(2) Improvement.--If the Secretary determines, after a
review under paragraph (1), that the actual volume of timber
sold from the unit is more than \3/4\ of the allowable sale
quantity for the unit, the forest supervisor of that unit shall
not be required to submit any additional harvesting improvement
reports under this section.
(3) Lack of improvement.--If the Secretary determines,
after a review under paragraph (1), that the actual volume of
timber sold from the unit is not more than \3/4\ of the
allowable sale quantity for the unit, the forest supervisor of
that unit shall, not later than 180 days after the review under
paragraph (1), submit to the Secretary another harvesting
improvement report.
(e) Supporting Harvesting Improvements.--With respect to a unit
described in subsection (d)(3), the Secretary shall allocate any
available resources to that unit for the purpose of increasing the
volume of timber sold, which resources may include--
(1) providing additional personnel;
(2) expanding the use of good neighbor agreements under
section 8206 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (16 U.S.C. 2113a);
and
(3) using any feasible actions and authorities to expedite
environmental review processes.
(f) Waiver.--The Secretary may waive a requirement to submit a
harvesting improvement report under this section with respect to a unit
of the National Forest System if the Secretary determines that there is
a plausible reason, such as a natural disaster, for the lack of
progress toward increasing the volume of timber sold.
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