March 17, 2026
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
To require the Secretary of the Interior to carry out a program for Post-Disaster Reforestation and Restoration Program, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Post-Disaster Reforestation and Restoration Act
.
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) Sunset
The authority provided under this section shall terminate on the date that is 7 years after the date of enactment of this Act.
(f) Definitions
In this section:
(1) Covered agency
The term covered agency means the National Park Service, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
(2) Covered lands
The term covered lands means—
(A)
any Federal land or interest in land administered by a covered agency; or
(B)
Indian Forest Land or Rangeland.
(3) Indian Forest Land or Rangeland
The term Indian Forest Land or Rangeland
means land that—
(A)
is held in trust by, or with a restriction against alienation by, the United States for an Indian Tribe or a member of an Indian Tribe; and
(B)
(i)
(I)
is Indian forest land (as defined in section 304 of the National Indian Forest Resources Management Act (25 U.S.C. 3103)); or
(II)
has a cover of grasses, brush, or any similar vegetation; or
(ii)
formerly had a forest cover or vegetative cover that is capable of restoration.
(4) 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).
(5) 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).
(6) 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).
(7) 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.
(8) Secretary
The term Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior.
(9) 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.