Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program Reauthorization Act of 2025
- Bill Number
- H.R. 3361
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Public Lands and Natural Resources
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-05-13: Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, 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.
- Last Updated
- 2025-12-05T21:37:11Z
AI-Generated Summary
Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program Reauthorization Act of 2025 (H.R. 3361)
Purpose
This bill aims to renew and strengthen the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP), originally established under the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009. The program promotes partnerships between federal agencies, local communities, and other groups to restore forest health, reduce wildfire risks, and improve ecosystem resilience on public lands. By reauthorizing the program through 2034, the legislation seeks to expand its reach and effectiveness in addressing growing challenges like wildfires, invasive species, and climate impacts.
Key Provisions
- Program Selection Criteria (Amendments to Subsection (b)(3)): Updates the factors for selecting restoration projects to include addressing forest pathogens (disease-causing organisms) alongside species threats, and requires proposals to incorporate standardized monitoring methods for tracking progress.
- Application Requirements (Amendments to Subsection (c)(3)(A)): Mandates that project proposals include a plan for federal staffing to support collaborative groups formed under the program.
- Proposal Evaluation Priorities (Amendments to Subsection (d)): Expands considerations for approving projects to prioritize:
- Innovative tools like conservation finance agreements (funding arrangements for environmental protection) and "good neighbor" agreements (partnerships allowing non-federal entities to perform work on federal lands).
- Efforts to reduce wildfire risks or restore ecosystems across different land types (federal, state, tribal, and private) and in wildland-urban interfaces (areas where human development meets wildlands).
- Initiatives to improve watershed health and protect drinking water sources.
- Increases the maximum number of active projects from 10 to 20 and the number of project phases from 2 to 4, allowing for more and longer-term efforts.
- Use of Funds (Amendments to Subsection (e)(3)): Broadens allowable expenditures to include support for conflict resolution or collaborative governance (processes for group decision-making), in addition to biomass (woody material) removal and other activities.
- Funding and Authorization (Amendments to Subsection (f)): Doubles the annual funding cap from $4 million to $8 million per project and extends the program's overall authorization from 2023 to 2034.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
The bill modifies Section 4003 of the 2009 Act by:
- Broadening the program's scope to tackle emerging threats like pathogens and cross-boundary restoration, which were not explicitly emphasized before.
- Increasing capacity through more projects, phases, and funding, potentially allowing the program to cover larger areas and more diverse landscapes.
- Introducing requirements for monitoring, staffing plans, and innovative partnerships, which aim to make the program more efficient and adaptable compared to its original framework.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: The U.S. Forest Service (the primary administering agency) will face increased responsibilities for staffing and oversight but gain resources to manage more projects, potentially reducing long-term wildfire suppression costs (which can exceed billions annually).
- Citizens and Communities: Residents in fire-prone areas, especially wildland-urban interfaces, may benefit from lower wildfire risks, healthier watersheds, and improved drinking water quality. Local economies could see gains from jobs in restoration and biomass utilization.
- Environment and Land Management: Enhanced restoration efforts could lead to better forest resilience against climate change, invasive species, and pests, promoting biodiversity and reducing catastrophic fire events.
- International Relations: No direct impacts, as the program focuses on domestic public lands.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Federal Agencies: Primarily the U.S. Forest Service, with involvement from the Departments of Agriculture and Interior.
- Collaborative Groups: Local partnerships including Tribes, state and private landowners, environmental organizations, and community stakeholders who propose and implement projects.
- Communities and Landowners: Rural residents, urban-wildland interface dwellers, and those reliant on healthy watersheds for water and recreation.
- Industry and Non-Profits: Timber, conservation finance entities, and groups focused on wildfire mitigation or ecological restoration.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Strengthens collaborative federalism by encouraging partnerships across land ownerships, aligning with existing laws like the Healthy Forests Restoration Act (2003) and Agricultural Act of 2014. No new regulatory burdens are imposed, but it formalizes innovative agreements to streamline implementation.
- Constitutional: Supports the federal government's property clause authority over public lands (U.S. Constitution, Article IV, Section 3) without infringing on state or tribal sovereignty, as it promotes voluntary collaborations.
- Political: Bipartisan sponsorship (from Democrats and Republicans) highlights broad support for proactive forest management amid rising wildfire concerns. The reauthorization could influence future appropriations debates, emphasizing fiscal efficiency in environmental policy, but it does not address broader issues like climate adaptation funding.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (3)
Rep. Zinke, Ryan K. [R-MT-1], Rep. Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6], Rep. Schrier, Kim [D-WA-8]
Recent Actions
- 2025-05-13: Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, 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.
- 2025-05-13: Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, 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.
- 2025-05-13: Introduced in House
- 2025-05-13: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program Reauthorization Act of 2025 — issued 2025-05-13 — PDF (4 pages)