Forest Health and Wildfire Risk Reduction Act

This bill would exempt certain tree-thinning projects on Bureau of Land Management land from the full environmental assessment or environmental impact statement normally required under the National Environmental Policy Act. The exemption covers projects with a treatment area of less than 5,000 acres that involve cutting and removing trees, clearing slash, small group tree removal, controlled burning, and replanting native species. It would not apply to clearcutting or other harvests meant to regrow whole stands, or to converting forest to non-forest cover. Projects could build up to 5 miles of new permanent road and limited temporary roads, which must be removed after use, and must disclose design features addressing issues such as erosion, invasive species, and streamside areas.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Jeff Hurd Republican sponsor
• 3 cosponsors