Sec. 7. Ecological restoration projects
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As soon as practicable after the date on which the Secretary selects the covered area, the Secretary shall, considering the opportunities described in section 4(b)(2), implement ecological restoration projects in the covered area to further the goals described in section 4(b). Subject to the availability of appropriations in accordance with section 12, the Secretary shall, to the maximum extent practicable, implement 1 or more ecological restoration projects with a gross planning area of 50,000 acres for each National Forest in the covered area that provide landscape-scale work within a watershed area not later than 3 years after the date on which the Secretary selects the covered area.
In developing and implementing ecological restoration projects under this section, the Secretary shall consider— the best available science and data; the recommendations of the advisory panel; and the views of the relevant collaborative groups. In developing ecological restoration projects under this Act, the Secretary shall examine opportunities for, and achieve, a net reduction in the permanent road system to improve forest and watershed health to the maximum extent practicable.
The Secretary shall prioritize ecological restoration projects in the covered area considering the requirements in subsection
(c)and based on the degree to which the ecological restoration projects would improve forest health and watershed health, based on— dry and moist forest plant association groups; and the need to sustain adequate levels of industry infrastructure to accomplish the goals described in section 4(b). In carrying out this section, the types of projects the Secretary shall consider to be priority projects include projects that— reduce the risk of, and increase the resistance and resiliency of the land to, uncharacteristic disturbances, particularly if critical components or values are at risk, including— communities located in the wildland-urban interface (as defined in section 101 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 ( 16 U.S.C. 6511 )); and valuable forest structures (including old growth and older mature trees); restore the structure and composition of forest stands at a high or moderate departure from the historic range of variability; accelerate the development of complex forest structure in a young forest that has been simplified through past management, such as by— creating spatial heterogeneity (including the creation of skips and gaps) using mechanical treatments to create wildlife habitat; and retaining biological legacies (including large standing, downed, live, and dead trees); assist in the implementation of community wildfire protection plans developed by at-risk communities (as those terms are defined in section 101 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 ( 16 U.S.C. 6511 )); use the value of merchantable sawlogs and biomass to help offset the cost of ecological restoration projects; meet local and rural community needs through a source that is selected on a best-value basis; and reduce the permanent road system to improve forest health and watershed health.
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Sec. 7
Ecological restoration projects
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