Post-Disaster Reforestation and Restoration Act of 2025

Post-Disaster Reforestation and Restoration Act of 2025

This bill directs the Department of the Interior to carry out a program for post-disaster reforestation and restoration. 

Interior must identify covered lands requiring reforestation and restoration following unplanned disturbances that are unlikely to experience natural regeneration without assistance. Covered land means (1) any federal land or interest in land administered by the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, the Forest Service, or the Bureau of Indian Affairs; and (2) any Indian Forest Land or Rangeland.

Interior must propose a list that prioritizes projects for reforestation and restoration for each fiscal year. Interior may (1) carry out priority projects through grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements; and (2) support any grant contract or cooperative agreement that may be necessary to ensure adequate and appropriate seed and seedling availability to further the objectives of priority projects.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 528 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 528

  To require the Secretary of the Interior to carry out a program for 
  Post-Disaster Reforestation and Restoration Program, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 16, 2025

 Ms. Pettersen (for herself and Mr. Edwards) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in 
     addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require the Secretary of the Interior to carry out a program for 
  Post-Disaster Reforestation and Restoration Program, 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 ``Post-Disaster Reforestation and 
Restoration Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. POST-DISASTER REFORESTATION AND RESTORATION PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act and annually thereafter, the Secretary, in 
coordination with the heads of the covered agencies, shall identify 
covered lands requiring reforestation and restoration following 
unplanned disturbances that are unlikely to experience natural 
regeneration without assistance.
    (b) Priority Projects.--In consultation with the heads of covered 
agencies, the Secretary--
            (1) shall propose a list of priority projects for 
        reforestation and restoration for each fiscal year;
            (2) may carry out priority projects through--
                    (A) competitively awarded grants;
                    (B) contracts;
                    (C) contracts established under the Indian Self-
                Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 
                5301 et seq.); and
                    (D) cooperative agreements, to be awarded in 
                accordance with applicable requirements established by 
                the Secretary; and
            (3) may support any grant contract or cooperative agreement 
        that may be necessary to ensure adequate and appropriate seed 
        and seedling availability to further the objectives of priority 
        projects.
    (c) Outreach.--To fulfill requirements of this section the heads of 
covered agencies shall conduct outreach to--
            (1) Indian Tribes;
            (2) States;
            (3) territories;
            (4) units of local government;
            (5) Alaska Native organizations;
            (6) Native Hawaiian organizations;
            (7) institutions of higher education;
            (8) Federal agencies with jurisdiction over Federal land 
        adjoining or proximal to priority projects; and
            (9) other stakeholders as determined by the Secretary.
    (d) Reports and Recommendations.--Not later than 2 years after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the 
Secretary shall submit to the relevant Congressional Committees a 
report that includes the following:
            (1) An accounting of all covered lands requiring 
        reforestation and restoration.
            (2) A list of priority projects and implementation progress 
        to address reforestation and restoration objectives identified.
            (3) An accounting of grants, contracts, and cooperative 
        agreements established in furtherance of priority projects.
            (4) Outreach efforts by covered agencies to advance 
        priority projects.
            (5) Assessments of, and recommendations relating to seed, 
        seedling, and implementation gaps to advance priority projects 
        and opportunities to establish dedicated funding necessary to 
        address any backlog of reforestation and restoration needs.
    (e) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Covered agency.--The term ``covered agency'' means--
                    (A) each Federal land management agency (as such 
                term is defined in the Federal Lands Recreation 
                Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 6801)); and
                    (B) the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
            (2) Covered lands.--The term ``covered lands'' means any 
        Federal land or interest in land administered by a covered 
        agency and Indian Forest Land or Rangeland.
            (3) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian Tribe'' means any 
        Indian or Alaska Native tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, 
        or community individually identified (including 
        parenthetically) in the list published most recently as of the 
        date of enactment of this Act pursuant to section 104 of the 
        Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 
        5131).
            (4) Natural regeneration.--The term ``natural 
        regeneration'' has the meaning given the term in section (e)(4) 
        of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 
        1974 (U.S.C. 36 1601).
            (5) Reforestation.--The term ``reforestation'' has the 
        meaning given the term in section (e)(4) of the Forest and 
        Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (U.S.C. 36 
        1601).
            (6) Restoration.--The term ``restoration'' means assisting 
        the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, 
        or destroyed, including the reestablishment of appropriate 
        plant species composition and community structure.
            (7) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Interior.
            (8) Unplanned disturbance.--The term ``unplanned 
        disturbance'' means any unplanned disturbance that disrupts 
        ecosystem structure or composition and may include a wildfire, 
        an infestation of insects or disease, or a weather event.
                                 <all>