Shrubland wildfire mitigation study

(a)

Study

(1)

In general

Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall conduct a study to evaluate the effectiveness of wildfire mitigation methods available to the Forest Service as a means of reducing the risk of wildfire in covered ecosystems and the severity of damages from such wildfire in communities within or adjacent to covered ecosystems. (2)

Elements

In carrying out the study under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall, with respect to covered ecosystems— (A)evaluate the effectiveness and longevity of— (i)hazardous fuels management activities, including fuel modification through the use of strategic fuel breaks; and (ii)practices for maintaining the health of native ecosystems, including— (I)mitigating the development and spread of invasive species, including invasive weeds, grasses, and other vegetation; or (II)improving the resprouting of native shrub species on lands affected by wildfire; (B)evaluate the effectiveness of policies and protocols of the Forest Service with respect to limiting unintentional ember ignitions attributable to the public or man-made structures, including electrical infrastructure; (C)study the conditions (including weather, seasonality, and topography) under which each wildfire mitigation method evaluated under the study is most and least effective in reducing the risk of wildland fire; (D)identify administrative, operational, and budgetary factors that impede the ability of wildland fire managers and wildland firefighters to implement wildfire mitigation methods evaluated under the study; and (E)evaluate the effectiveness of partnerships between the Forest Service and non-Federal entities in reducing the vulnerability of homes, roadways, and other high-risk structures to ember ignition. (3)

Coordination; consultation

(A)

Interagency coordination

In carrying out the study under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall, to the extent practicable and to avoid the duplication of research activities of the Federal Government, act in coordination with— (i)entities within the Forest Service with expertise in wildfire risk reduction and ecology in covered ecosystems, including the Shrub Sciences Laboratory and the Maintaining Resilient Dryland Ecosystems program; and (ii)the heads of Federal agencies conducting wildfire mitigation activities or hazardous fuels management activities in covered ecosystems, including the Secretary of the Interior. (B)

Consultation

In carrying out the study under paragraph (1), the Secretary may, and is encouraged to, solicit consultation from non-Federal public and private entities with relevant expertise in wildfire mitigation in covered ecosystems, as determined by the Secretary. (b)

Report

Not later than 90 days after the date on which the study under subsection (a)(1) is complete, the Secretary shall submit to the relevant Congressional committees, and make publicly available, a report that includes— (1)a summary of the results of the study; (2)based on the results of the study, identification by the Secretary of— (A)best practices for land managers in reducing the risk of wildfire in covered ecosystems; and (B)any areas implicated by the study that merit further research; (3)a comparison of the polices and protocols of the Forest Service with respect to reducing the risk of wildfire in covered ecosystems and the best practices identified under paragraph (2)(A); and (4)an evaluation by the Secretary of opportunities to improve coordination between the Forest Service and non-Federal entities on activities to improve wildfire resilience in covered ecosystems and reduce risks of harm from wildfire to the built environment, particularly in the wildland-urban interface. (c)

Definitions

In this section: (1)

Covered ecosystems

The term covered ecosystems means shrubland ecosystems, including— (A)chaparral; (B)coastal sage scrub; (C)sagebrush; (D)shrub-steppe; (E)xeric shrubland; and (F)any other dryland shrub ecosystem in which wildfire management presents a significant challenge, as determined by the Secretary. (2)

Hazardous fuels management activity

The term hazardous fuels management activity means an activity to manage vegetation to reduce the risk of wildfire. (3)

Relevant Congressional Committees

The term relevant Congressional committees means— (A)the committees on Appropriations, Natural Resources, and Agriculture of the House of Representatives; and (B)the committees on Appropriations, Energy and Mineral Resources, and Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate. (4)

Secretary

The term Secretary means the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service. (5)

Wildland-urban interface

The term wildland-urban interface has the meaning given such term in section 101 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6511).