# Plain Language Summary: Proven Forest Management Act of 2022

This bill makes it easier and faster for the federal government to manage forests on public lands by streamlining the approval process for certain forest management projects. Specifically, it allows the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to skip some of the lengthy environmental review requirements when they're doing fuel reduction work—like thinning trees and clearing brush to reduce wildfire risk—on projects up to 10,000 acres. The catch is that these projects can only include up to 3,000 acres of mechanical thinning (using equipment to remove trees). The idea is that by cutting through red tape, the government can respond faster to fire threats and manage forests more efficiently.

The bill requires that before moving forward with these projects, federal agencies must coordinate with local governments, fire departments, tribal nations, and other interested groups. This means county commissioners and local officials get a seat at the table when decisions are made about what happens to nearby forests. The bill also says that forest management activities should try to achieve multiple benefits at once—reducing fire fuel, protecting wildlife habitat, improving water quality, and making forests more resilient to climate change—though agencies can skip some of these goals if the costs become too expensive.

Additionally, the bill allows federal agencies to work with private landowners and local organizations through cooperative agreements to do fuel reduction and restoration work on both public and private land together. This could help create more coordinated forest management across larger areas. The bill also requires agencies to monitor the condition of the land after these projects to make sure the work actually achieves what it's supposed to.

Proven Forest Management Act of 2022

Rep. McClintock, Tom [R-CA-5]

Proven Forest Management Act of 2022 This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA), when conducting a forest management activity on National Forest System land, to coordinate with impacted parties to increase efficiency and maximize the compatibility of management practices across such land. USDA shall conduct such an activity on National Forest System land in a manner that attains multiple ecosystem benefits, including reducing forest fuels and maintaining biological diversity. However, a forest management activity shall not be conducted if the costs associated with attaining such benefits are excessive. Additionally, the USDA shall (1) establish any post-program ground condition criteria for a ground disturbance caused by a forest management activity required by the applicable forest plan, and (2) provide for monitoring to ascertain the attainment of relevant post-program conditions. The bill categorically excludes certain forest management activities for reducing forest fuels from certain environmental impact requirements. USDA or the Department of the Interior, as appropriate, in conjunction with land adjustment programs, may enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with a qualified entity to provide for fuel reduction, erosion control, reforestation, Stream Environment Zone restoration, and similar management activities on federal lands and nonfederal lands within such programs.