Sec. 8104. State and private forest landscape-scale restoration program

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Section 13A of the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 ( 16 U.S.C. 2109a ) is amended to read as follows: The purpose of this section is to establish a landscape-scale restoration program to support landscape-scale restoration and management that results in measurable improvements to public benefits derived from State and private forest land, as identified in— a State-wide assessment described in section 2A(a)(1); and a long-term State-wide forest resource strategy described in section 2A(a)(2).

In this section: The term private forest land means land that— has existing tree cover; or is suitable for growing trees; and is owned by— an Indian Tribe (as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act ( 25 U.S.C. 5304 )); or any private individual or entity. The term regional means of any region of the National Association of State Foresters. The term Secretary means the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service.

The term State forest land means land that is owned by a State or unit of local government. The term State Forester means a State Forester or equivalent State official. The Secretary, in consultation with State Foresters or other appropriate State agencies, shall establish a landscape-scale restoration program— to provide financial and technical assistance for landscape-scale restoration projects on State forest land or private forest land; and that maintains or improves benefits from trees and forests on such land.

The landscape-scale restoration program established under subsection

(c)shall— measurably address the national private forest conservation priorities described in section 2(c); enhance public benefits from trees and forests, as identified in— a State-wide assessment described in section 2A(a)(1); and a long-term State-wide forest resource strategy described in section 2A(a)(2); and in accordance with the purposes described in section 2(b), include one or more of the following objectives— protecting or improving water quality or quantity; reducing wildfire risk, including through hazardous fuels treatment; protecting or enhancing wildlife habitat, consistent with wildlife objectives established by the applicable State fish and wildlife agency; improving forest health and forest ecosystems, including addressing native, nonnative, and invasive pests; or enhancing opportunities for new and existing markets in which the production and use of wood products strengthens local and regional economies. The Secretary, in consultation with State Foresters, shall establish a measurement system (including measurement tools) that— consistently measures the results of landscape-scale restoration projects described in subsection (c); and is consistent with the measurement systems of other Federal programs delivered by State Foresters. Of the amounts made available for the landscape-scale restoration program established under subsection (c), the Secretary shall allocate to State Foresters— 50 percent for the competitive process in accordance with subsection (g); and 50 percent proportionally to States, in consultation with State Foresters— to maximize the achievement of the objectives described in subsection (d)(3); and to address the highest national priorities, as identified in— State-wide assessments described in section 2A(a)(1); and long-term State-wide forest resource strategies described in section 2A(a)(2). The Secretary may provide amounts under this section for multiyear projects. The Secretary shall distribute amounts described in subsection (f)(1)(A) through a competitive process for landscape-scale restoration projects described in subsection

(c)to maximize the achievement of the objectives described in subsection (d)(3). To be eligible for funding through the competitive process under paragraph (1), a State Forester, or another entity on approval of the State Forester, shall submit to the Secretary one or more landscape-scale restoration proposals that— in accordance with paragraph (3)(A), include priorities identified in— State-wide assessments described in section 2A(a)(1); and long-term State-wide forest resource strategies described in section 2A(a)(2); identify one or more measurable results to be achieved through the project; to the maximum extent practicable, include activities on all land necessary to accomplish the measurable results in the applicable landscape; to the maximum extent practicable, are developed in collaboration with other public and private sector organizations and local communities; and derive not less than 50 percent of the funding for the project from non-Federal sources, unless the Secretary determines— the applicant is unable to derive not less than 50 percent of the funding for the project from non-Federal sources; and the benefits of the project justify pursuing the project. In carrying out the competitive process under paragraph (1), the Secretary— shall give priority to projects that, as determined by the Secretary, best carry out priorities identified in State-wide assessments described in section 2A(a)(1) and long-term State-wide forest resource strategies described in section 2A(a)(2), including— involvement of public and private partnerships; inclusion of cross-boundary activities on— Federal forest land; State forest land; or private forest land; involvement of areas also identified for cost-share funding by the Natural Resources Conservation Service or any other relevant Federal agency; protection or improvement of water quality or quantity; reduction of wildfire risk; and otherwise addressing the national private forest conservation priorities described in section 2(c); and may give priority to projects in proximity to other landscape-scale projects on other land under the jurisdiction of the Secretary, the Secretary of the Interior, or a Governor of a State, including— ecological restoration treatments under the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program established under section 4003 of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 ( 16 U.S.C. 7303 ); projects on landscape-scale areas designated for insect and disease treatment under section 602 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 ( 16 U.S.C. 6591a ); authorized restoration services under section 8206 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 ( 16 U.S.C. 2113a ); watershed restoration and protection services under section 331 of the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001 ( Public Law 106–291 ; 16 U.S.C. 1011 note); stewardship end result contracting projects under section 604 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 ( 16 U.S.C. 6591c ); or projects under other relevant programs, as determined by the Secretary. The Secretary shall establish a process for the review of proposals submitted under paragraph

(2)that ranks each proposal based on— the extent to which the proposal would achieve the requirements described in subsection (d); and the priorities described in paragraph (3)(A). The Secretary may carry out the process described in subparagraph

(A)at a regional level. Financial and technical assistance carried out under this section for landscape restoration projects on State forest land or private forest land shall not constitute a major Federal action for the purposes of section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 ( 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C) ). Not later than 3 years after the date of the enactment of the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 , the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that includes— a description of the status of the development, execution, and administration of landscape-scale projects selected under the program under this section; an accounting of expenditures under such program; and specific accomplishments that have resulted from landscape-scale projects under such program. There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary for the landscape-scale restoration program established under subsection

(c)$10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023, to remain available until expended. .

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