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This bill would create a new federal research program to study how grazing by hooved animals can help lower wildfire risk, reduce dry plant fuel, and help land recover after fires. It would allow grants to land-grant colleges and universities so they can research and test better grazing methods on both public and private land. The bill also supports sharing this knowledge with landowners, land managers, and livestock owners through education and outreach. It is meant to find practical grazing methods that help prevent fires while also protecting soil, water, and native land health.
- It directs research on grazing methods that may help with wildfire prevention, fuel reduction, and recovery after fires.
- The research must also look at whether these practices make economic sense and how to build public support for them.
- It lists examples of compatible practices such as rotational grazing, controlled stocking levels, riparian buffer zones, cover crops, fencing, virtual fencing, wildlife population management, and better water point placement.
- It would also fund education and outreach to explain these grazing methods to landowners, land managers, and livestock owners.
Official Summaries
Wildfire Resilience Through Grazing Research Act
This bill expands the high-priority research and extension areas at the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to include the research and development of ungulate grazing land management techniques to promote wildfire mitigation, fuel reduction, and post-fire recovery. (An ungulate is a hooved grazing mammal.)
Specifically, the bill allows USDA to provide grants to land-grant institutions for supporting the research and development of wildfire-related ungulate grazing land management techniques that improve soil health and are compatible with activities that protect against adverse environmental effects. This includes compatibility with activities that protect against the spread of invasive plant species and disease, soil erosion, water quality degradation, and watershed degradation.
The grants to land-grant universities may also be used to disseminate information to public and private landowners, land managers, and livestock owners regarding these wildfire-related grazing land management techniques and compatible activities.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 602 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 602
To amend the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to
support research and development of ungulate grazing land management
techniques for purposes of wildfire mitigation, fuel reduction, and
post-fire recovery.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 13, 2025
Mr. Padilla (for himself, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Moran, and Mr. Lankford)
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to
support research and development of ungulate grazing land management
techniques for purposes of wildfire mitigation, fuel reduction, and
post-fire recovery.
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 ``Wildfire Resilience Through Grazing
Research Act''.
SEC. 2. GRAZING FOR WILDFIRE MITIGATION RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.
Section 1672(d) of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade
Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5925(d)) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``(21) Grazing for wildfire mitigation initiative.--
``(A) Definitions.--In this paragraph:
``(i) Land-grant institution.--The term
`land-grant institution' means an 1862
Institution, 1890 Institution, or 1994
Institution (as those terms are defined in
section 2 of the Agricultural Research,
Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7
U.S.C. 7601)).
``(ii) Ungulate.--The term `ungulate' means
a hooved grazing mammal.
``(B) Initiative.--Research and extension grants
may be made under this section at land-grant
institutions for the purposes of--
``(i) supporting research and development
of ungulate grazing land management techniques
that--
``(I) promote wildfire mitigation,
fuel reduction, and post-fire recovery
on public land and private land,
including research and development
relating to understanding the economic
benefits of, and increasing social
support for, such activities;
``(II) are compatible with
activities that protect against adverse
environmental effects, including the
spread of invasive plant species and
disease, soil erosion, water quality
degradation, and watershed degradation,
such as--
``(aa) rotational grazing;
``(bb) managed stocking
rates;
``(cc) riparian buffer
zones;
``(dd) cover crops;
``(ee) fencing, including
virtual fencing;
``(ff) manipulation of wild
ungulate populations through
targeted wildlife management;
and
``(gg) water point
management techniques; and
``(III) improve soil health; and
``(ii) disseminating information to public
and private landowners, land managers, and
livestock owners, including through providing
educational materials and conducting outreach
programs, regarding--
``(I) ungulate grazing land
management techniques that promote
wildfire mitigation, fuel reduction,
and post-fire recovery; and
``(II) compatible activities
described in clause (i).''.
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