[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2515 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2515

  To address the declining health of forests on Federal lands in the 
 United States through a program of recovery and protection consistent 
     with the requirements of existing public land management and 
 environmental laws, to establish a program to inventory, monitor, and 
 analyze public and private forests and their resources, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 23, 1997

   Mr. Smith of Oregon (for himself, Mr. Stenholm, Mr. Combest, Mr. 
 Bishop, Mr. Callahan, Mrs. Emerson, and Mr. Peterson of Pennsylvania) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
   Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Resources, for a 
 period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To address the declining health of forests on Federal lands in the 
 United States through a program of recovery and protection consistent 
     with the requirements of existing public land management and 
 environmental laws, to establish a program to inventory, monitor, and 
 analyze public and private forests and their resources, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Forest Recovery 
and Protection Act of 1997''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents of this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings.
Sec. 3. Definitions.
Sec. 4. National Program of Forest Recovery and Protection.
Sec. 5. Scientific Advisory Panel.
Sec. 6. Advance recovery projects.
Sec. 7. Forest Recovery and Protection Fund.
Sec. 8. Authorization of appropriations.
Sec. 9. Audit requirements.
Sec. 10. Forest inventorying, monitoring, and analysis.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) There are tradeoffs in values associated with 
        proactive, passive, or delayed forest management, but the 
        values which will be lost without proactive management outweigh 
        the values gained by delayed or passive management of certain 
        Federal forest lands.
            (2) Increases in both the number and severity of wildfire, 
        insect infestation, and disease outbreaks on Federal forest 
        lands are occurring as a result of high tree densities, species 
        composition, and structure that are outside the historic range 
        of variability. These disturbances cause or contribute to 
        significant soil erosion, degradation of air and water quality, 
        loss of watershed values, habitat loss, and damage to other 
        forest resources.
            (3) Serious forest health problems occur in all regions of 
        the United States. Management activities to restore and protect 
        forest health are needed in each region and should be designed 
        to address region-specific needs.
            (4) Between 35 and 40 million of the 191 million acres of 
        Federal forest lands managed by the Forest Service are at an 
        unacceptable risk of destruction by catastrophic wildfire. The 
        condition of these forests can pose a significant threat of 
        destruction to human life and property.
            (5) Restoration of forest health requires active forest 
        management involving a range of management activities, 
        including thinning, salvage, prescribed fire (after appropriate 
        thinning), insect and disease control, riparian and other 
        habitat improvement, soil stabilization and other water quality 
        improvement, and seedling planting and protection.
            (6) A comprehensive, nationwide effort is needed to address 
        forest health decline in an organized, timely, and scientific 
        manner. There should be immediate action to improve the areas 
        of Federal forest lands where forest health decline has been 
        thoroughly inventoried and assessed or where serious resource 
        destruction or degradation by natural disturbance is imminent.
            (7) Frequent forest inventory and analysis of the status 
        and trends in the conditions of forests and their resources are 
        needed to identify and reverse declining forest health in a 
        timely and effective manner. The present average twelve to 
        fifteen-year cycle of forest inventory and analysis to comply 
        with existing statutory requirements is too prolonged to 
        provide forest managers with the data necessary to make timely 
        and effective management decisions, particularly decisions 
        responsive to changing forest health conditions.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    For purposes of this Act:
            (1) Federal forest lands.--The term ``Federal forest 
        lands'' means lands within the National Forest System.
            (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service.
            (3) Land management plan.--The term ``land management 
        plan'' means a land and resource management plan prepared by 
        the Forest Service pursuant to section 6 of the Forest and 
        Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 
1604) for Federal forest lands under the jurisdiction of the Secretary 
of Agriculture or, if a final plan is not in effect, the draft final 
plan for such lands.
            (4) National program.--The term ``national program'' means 
        the National Program of Forest Recovery and Protection required 
        by section 4.
            (5) Scientific advisory panel.--The term ``Scientific 
        Advisory Panel'' means the advisory committee appointed under 
        section 5.
            (6) Recovery area.--The term ``recovery area'' means an 
        area of Federal forest lands, designated by the Secretary under 
        section 4(c)--
                    (A) that has experienced disturbances from 
                wildfires, insect infestations, disease, or other 
                causes, which have caused or contributed to significant 
                soil erosion, degradation of water quality, loss of 
                watershed values, habitat loss, or damage to other 
                resources of the area; or
                    (B) in which the forest structure, function, or 
                composition has been altered so as to increase 
                substantially the likelihood of wildfire, insect 
                infestation, or disease in the area and the consequent 
                risks of damage to forest resources from wildfire, 
                insect infestation, or disease.
            (7) Recovery project.--The term ``recovery project'' means 
        a project designed by the Secretary to improve, restore, or 
        protect the health of a forest within a designated recovery 
        area, including stand thinning, salvage, and other harvesting 
        activities, as well as activities in which the cutting of trees 
        is not primarily featured, such as prescribed burning (after 
        appropriate thinning), insect and disease control, riparian and 
        other habitat improvement, soil stabilization and other water 
        quality improvement, and seedling planting and protection.
            (8) Implementation date.--The term ``implementation date'' 
        means the first day of the first month beginning after the end 
        of the 18-month period beginning on the date of the enactment 
        of this Act. However, if the implementation date would occur 
        within six months before August 31 of the same fiscal year in 
        which the implementation date would occur, the Secretary may 
        deem that August 31 to be the implementation date.
            (9) Fund.--The terms ``Forest Recovery and Protection 
        Fund'' and ``Fund'' mean the revolving fund established under 
        section 7.

SEC. 4. NATIONAL PROGRAM OF FOREST RECOVERY AND PROTECTION.

    (a) National Program Required.--Not later than the implementation 
date, the Secretary shall commence a national program to restore and 
protect the health of forests located on Federal forest lands in the 
United States through the performance of recovery projects in 
designated recovery areas.
    (b) Standards and Criteria.--
            (1) Initial publication.--Not later than one year after the 
        date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall publish 
        in the Federal Register the standards and criteria to be used 
        for the designation of, and the assignment of management 
        priority rankings to, recovery areas. In establishing the 
        standards and criteria, the Secretary shall consider the 
        standards and criteria recommended by the Scientific Advisory 
        Panel under section 5. The Secretary shall include in the 
        Federal Register entry required by this paragraph an 
        explanation of any significant differences between the 
        recommendations of the Scientific Advisory Panel and the 
        standards and criteria actually established by the Secretary.
            (2) Modification.--The Secretary may modify the standards 
        and criteria established pursuant to paragraph (1). Any such 
        modification shall also be published in the Federal Register.
    (c) Annual National Program Decision.--
            (1) Decision required.--To carry out the national program, 
        the Secretary shall render a decision for each fiscal year 
        during the period of the national program regarding the 
        designation and ranking of recovery areas and the selection of 
        recovery projects for inclusion in the national program. In 
        rendering the decision, the Secretary shall comply with the 
        requirements of subsections (d) and (e).
            (2) Proposed decision.--For each fiscal year during the 
        period of the national program, the Secretary shall publish in 
        the Federal Register a proposed decision regarding the 
        designation and ranking of recovery areas and the selection of 
        recovery projects. The proposed decision shall be published not 
        later than the following:
                    (A) In the case of the initial proposal, the 
                implementation date.
                    (B) In the case of each subsequent proposed 
                decision, August 31 of each fiscal year after the 
                fiscal year in which the implementation date occurs.
            (3) Final decision.--Not later than 120 days after the date 
        on which the proposed decision is published for a fiscal year 
        under paragraph (2), the Secretary shall publish in the Federal 
        Register the final decision of the Secretary for that fiscal 
        year regarding the designation and ranking of recovery areas 
        and the selection of recovery projects (including the 
        determinations required under subsection (e)(3)).
    (d) Requirements for Area Designation and Ranking.--In making the 
annual decision required by subsection (c), the Secretary shall, in 
accordance with the standards and criteria established and in effect 
under subsection (b)--
            (1) determine the total acreage requiring treatment under 
        the national program during the fiscal year;
            (2) identify recovery areas within which recovery projects 
        would be appropriate; and
            (3) rank the recovery areas for the purpose of determining 
        the order in which the recovery areas will receive recovery 
        projects.
    (e) Requirements for Recovery Project Selection.--
            (1) Compliance with land management plans.--In making the 
        annual decision required by subsection (c), the Secretary shall 
        ensure that each recovery project selected is consistent with 
        the land management plan applicable to the recovery area within 
        which the project will occur.
            (2) Consideration of economic benefits.--To the extent 
        practicable, the Secretary shall select recovery projects that 
        improve forest health while also providing economic benefits to 
        local communities.
            (3) Treatment acreage and costs.--As part of the selection 
        of each forest project, the Secretary shall determine the total 
        acreage requiring treatment and the estimated costs for 
        preparation and implementation of the project.
            (4) Total acreage.--The total acreage included in recovery 
        projects selected for a fiscal year under the national program 
        shall not be less than the total acreage determined by the 
        Secretary under paragraphs (2) and (3) of subsection (c).
            (5) Prohibited project locations.--The Secretary may not 
        select or implement a recovery project under the authority of 
        this Act in any unit of the National Wilderness Preservation 
        System, any roadless area on Federal forest lands designated by 
        Congress for study for possible inclusion in such System, or 
        any other area in which the implementation of recovery projects 
        is prohibited by law, a court order, or the applicable land 
        management plan.
    (f) Petition Process.--
            (1) Request for designation.--Not later than May 31 of each 
        fiscal year after the fiscal year in which the implementation 
        date occurs, any interested person may petition the Secretary 
        to designate a specific area of the Federal forest lands of at 
        least one thousand acres in size as a recovery area.
            (2) Content.--The petition shall contain a reasonably 
        precise description of the boundaries of the area included in 
        the petition and the reasons why the petitioner believes the 
        area meets the standards and criteria, established pursuant to 
        subsection (b), required for designation as a recovery area.
            (3) Determination.--If the Secretary determines that an 
        area described in a petition under this subsection warrants 
        designation as a recovery area, the Secretary shall include the 
        area in the proposed and final decisions issued under 
        paragraphs (2) and (3) of subsection (c). If the Secretary 
        determines that the area does not warrant designation as a 
        recovery area, the Secretary shall provide the reasons therefor 
        in the same Federal Register entry containing the proposed or 
        final decision under such subsection.
    (g) Annual Report to Congress.--
            (1) Report required.--Not later than the implementation 
        date, and each August 31 thereafter, the Secretary shall submit 
        to Congress a report on the proposed decision regarding the 
        designation and ranking of recovery areas and the selection of 
        recovery projects to be published pursuant to subsection 
        (c)(2).
            (2) Report contents.--Each report required by paragraph (1) 
        shall include the following:
                    (A) The reasons for each proposed designation of a 
                recovery area and each proposed selection of a recovery 
                project.
                    (B) The total acreage requiring treatment during 
                the fiscal year and the acreage proposed to be treated 
                by each proposed recovery project.
                    (C) The estimated preparation and implementation 
                costs of each proposed recovery project.
            (3) Additional requirements.--After the initial report 
        required by paragraph (1), each subsequent report shall also 
        include the following:
                    (A) A description of the improvements to forest 
                health achieved by each recovery project covered by the 
                previous report.
                    (B) An explanation of why any proposed recovery 
                projects covered by the previous report were not 
                undertaken or completed.
                    (C) A comparison of projected and actual 
                preparation and implementation costs for each completed 
                recovery project.
                    (D) A description of the economic benefits to local 
                communities achieved by each completed recovery 
                project.
            (4) Notice of availability.--The Federal Register entry 
        required for each fiscal year under subsection (c)(2) shall 
        contain a notice of availability of the most-recent report to 
        Congress required by this subsection.
    (h) Agency Action.--The proposed decision of the Secretary to 
designate and rank recovery areas and to select recovery projects under 
subsection (c), the publication of such proposed decision in the 
Federal Register, and the preparation and submission of the annual 
report to Congress under subsection (g) do not constitute agency 
actions.
    (i) Rulemaking.--To ensure commencement of the national program by 
the implementation date, the Secretary shall promulgate rules governing 
operation of the national program by that date. The rules shall address 
the development of procedures that, within the discretion provided by 
other laws, would permit the Secretary to make the final decision on 
the designation and ranking of recovery areas and the selection of 
recovery projects within the 120-day period required by subsection 
(c)(3).
    (j) Administrative Appeals.--Section 322 of the Department of the 
Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1993 (Public Law 102-
381; 16 U.S.C. 1612 note) shall apply with respect to actions 
undertaken to implement this Act, including the final decision 
designating and ranking recovery areas and selecting recovery projects, 
except that the administrative stay required by subsection (e) of that 
section shall apply only to the specific recovery area or areas or 
recovery project or projects that are the subject of the administrative 
appeal.

SEC. 5. SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY PANEL.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established a panel of scientific 
advisers to the Secretary to be known as the ``Scientific Advisory 
Panel''.
    (b) Membership.--The Scientific Advisory Panel shall consist of the 
following members:
            (1) Two members, consisting of one forest scientist and one 
        State forester (or an individual with similar management or 
        supervisory experience), appointed jointly by the Chairman of 
        the Committee on Agriculture and the Chairman of the Committee 
        on Resources of the House of Representatives, in consultation 
        with their respective ranking minority members.
            (2) Two members, consisting of one forest scientist and one 
        State forester (or an individual with similar management or 
        supervisory experience), appointed jointly by the Chairman of 
        the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and the 
        Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of 
        the Senate, in consultation with their respective ranking 
        minority members.
            (3) Two members, consisting of one forest scientist and one 
        State forester (or an individual with similar management or 
        supervisory experience), appointed by the Secretary of 
        Agriculture.
            (4) One member, consisting of a forest scientist, appointed 
        by the National Academy of Sciences.
    (c) Appointment.--
            (1) Time for appointment.--Appointments shall be made 
        within 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
        Appointments shall be published in the Federal Register.
            (2) Term.--A member of the Scientific Advisory Panel shall 
        be appointed for a term beginning on the date of the 
        appointment and ending on the implementation date. A vacancy on 
        the Scientific Advisory Panel shall be filled within 90 days in 
        the manner in which the original appointment was made.
    (d) Qualifications.--
            (1) Forest scientists.--Forest scientists who are appointed 
        as members of the Scientific Advisory Panel shall be required 
        to have expertise in, and experience with, matters related to 
        forest health, taking into account their breadth of knowledge 
        in forest and management science and their familiarity with 
        specific issues regarding Federal forest lands likely to be 
        designated as recovery areas.
            (2) Other members.--State foresters (or individuals with 
        similar management or supervisory experience) who are appointed 
        as members of the Scientific Advisory Panel shall be required 
        to have expertise with, and experience in, matters relating to 
        forest management, taking into account their breadth of 
        knowledge in management science and their familiarity with 
specific issues regarding Federal forest lands likely to be designated 
as recovery areas.
    (e) Chairperson; Initial Meeting.--The Scientific Advisory Panel 
shall conduct its initial meeting as soon as possible after the first 
four members of the Panel are appointed. At the initial meeting, the 
members of the Scientific Advisory Panel shall select one member to 
serve as chairperson.
    (f) Duties In Connection With Implementation.--During the period 
beginning on the initial meeting of the Scientific Advisory Panel and 
ending on the implementation date, the Scientific Advisory Panel shall 
be responsible for the following:
            (1) The preparation and submission to the Secretary and the 
        Congress of recommendations regarding the standards and 
        criteria that should be used to designate recovery areas.
            (2) The preparation and submission to the Secretary and the 
        Congress of recommendations regarding the ranking of recovery 
        areas in the order in which the areas should host recovery 
        projects.
            (3) The preparation of and submission to the Secretary and 
        the Congress of a monitoring plan for the national program.
    (g) Considerations.--In the development of its recommendations 
under subsection (f), the Scientific Advisory Panel shall consider--
            (1) the most current scientific literature regarding the 
        duties undertaken by the Panel, including the Report on Forest 
        Health of the United States by the Forest Health Science Panel 
        (April 4 1997); and
            (2) information gathered during the implementation of the 
        advance recovery projects required under section 6.
    (h) Allocation of Forest Service Personnel.--The Forest Service 
shall allocate administrative support staff to the Scientific Advisory 
Panel to assist the Panel in the performance of its duties as outlined 
in this section.

SEC. 6. ADVANCE RECOVERY PROJECTS.

    (a) Selection of Advance Projects.--During the 18-month period 
beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
conduct a limited number (as determined by the Secretary) of advance 
recovery projects on Federal forest lands. Advance recovery projects 
shall be selected by regional foresters of the Forest Service, in 
consultation with State foresters of the States included in such areas, 
and subject to the approval of the Secretary. The Secretary shall 
publish a list of selected advance recovery projects (including the 
determinations required under subsection (e)(3) of section 4) in the 
Federal Register within the time period specified in subsection (c).
    (b) Selection Criteria.--To be eligible for selection as an advance 
recovery project, a proposed project shall be required to satisfy the 
requirements of section 4(e) for recovery projects conducted under the 
national program. Priority shall be given to those Federal forest 
lands--
            (1) that pose a significant risk of loss to human life and 
        property or serious resource degradation or destruction due to 
        wildfire, disease epidemic, or severe insect infestation; or
            (2) for which thorough forest health assessments and 
        inventories have been completed, including Federal forest lands 
        in the Pacific Northwest, the Interior Columbia Basin, the 
        Sierra Nevada, the Southern Appalachian Region, and the 
        Northern Forests of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, and New 
        York.
    (c) Time Periods for Selection, Implementation, and Completion.--
Final selection of advance recovery projects shall be completed within 
the 90-day period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, 
and the Secretary shall publish the list of selected advance recovery 
projects in the Federal Register by the end of that period. An advance 
recovery project shall be initiated (if the project is to be conducted 
by Federal employees) or awarded (if the project is to be conducted by 
an outside party) within 180 days after the date of the enactment of 
this Act and shall be completed within one year of that date.
    (d) Reporting Requirements.--
            (1) Design, implementation, and results.--The Federal 
        official in charge of each advance recovery project shall 
        submit to the Secretary a report on the design, implementation, 
        and results of the project. The report shall include any 
        recommendations for future recovery projects under the national 
        program that may arise from the experience gained from the 
        advance project.
            (2) Final report.--Not later than the implementation date, 
        the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the 
        implementation of advance recovery projects consisting of the 
        following:
                    (A) a description of the accomplishments of the 
                advance recovery projects incorporating the 
                requirements under section 4(g)(3); and
                    (B) a compilation of the reports submitted by 
                Federal officials to the Secretary under paragraph (1).
    (e) Rulemaking.--No new rulemaking is required in order for the 
Secretary to carry out this section.

SEC. 7. FOREST RECOVERY AND PROTECTION FUND.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established on the books of the 
Treasury a revolving fund to be known as the ``Forest Recovery and 
Protection Fund''. The Chief of the Forest Service shall be responsible 
for administering the Fund.
    (b) Credits to Fund.--There shall be credited to the Fund the 
following:
            (1) Amounts authorized for and appropriated to the Fund.
            (2) Unobligated amounts in the roads and trails fund 
        provided for in the fourteenth paragraph under the heading 
        ``FOREST SERVICE'' of the Act of March 4, 1913 (37 Stat. 843; 
        16 U.S.C. 501) as of the date of the enactment of this Act, and 
        all amounts which would otherwise be deposited in such fund 
        after such date.
            (3) A one-time transfer of $50,000,000 from amounts 
        appropriated for fire operations under the heading ``wildland 
        fire management'' in the Department of the Interior and Related 
        Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998.
            (4) Subject to subsection (f), revenues generated by 
        recovery projects undertaken pursuant to sections 4 and 6.
            (5) Amounts required to be deposited in the Fund under 
        subsection (d).
    (c) Use of Fund.--During the time period specified under section 
8(a), amounts in the Fund shall be available to the Secretary, without 
further appropriation, to carry out the national program, to plan, 
carry out, and administer recovery projects under sections 4 and 6, and 
to administer the Scientific Advisory Panel.
    (d) Effect of Failure To Comply With Time Limitations.--If the 
final selection of a recovery project under the national program is not 
made within the time period specified in section 4(c)(3), the Secretary 
may not use amounts in the Fund to carry out the project and shall 
promptly reimburse the Fund for any expenditures previously made from 
the Fund in connection with the project. In the case of an advance 
recovery project under section 6, if the project is not selected, 
implemented, and completed within the time periods specified in 
subsection (c) of such section, the Secretary may not use amounts in 
the Fund to carry out the project and shall promptly reimburse the Fund 
for any expenditures previously made from the Fund in connection with 
the project.
    (e) Limitation on Overhead Expenses.--Overhead expenses for a 
fiscal year for administration of the national program, including the 
preparation of reports required by this Act and administration of the 
Fund, shall not exceed 12 percent of the amounts made available from 
the Fund for that fiscal year. In addition, not more than $1,000,000 
may be expended from the Fund to finance the operation of the 
Scientific Advisory Panel.
    (f) Treatment of Revenues as Moneys Received.--Revenues generated 
by recovery projects undertaken pursuant to sections 4 and 6 shall be 
considered to be money received for purposes of the sixth paragraph 
under the heading ``FOREST SERVICE'' in the Act of May 23, 1908 (35 
Stat. 260; 16 U.S.C. 500) and section 13 of the Act of March 1, 1911 
(36 Stat. 963; commonly known as the Weeks Act; 16 U.S.C. 500).
    (g) Conforming Amendment.--The fourteenth paragraph under the 
heading ``FOREST SERVICE'' of the Act of March 4, 1913 (37 Stat. 843; 
16 U.S.C. 501) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
sentence: ``During the term of the Forest Recovery and Protection Fund, 
as established by section 7 of the Forest Recovery and Protection Act 
of 1997, amounts reserved under the authority of this paragraph shall 
be deposited into that Fund.''.

SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out the provisions 
of this Act for fiscal year 1998 and each fiscal year thereafter 
through the fifth full fiscal year following the implementation date.
    (b) Deposit in Fund.--All sums appropriated pursuant to this 
section shall be deposited in the Forest Recovery and Protection Fund.
    (c) Effect on Existing Projects.--Any contract regarding a recovery 
project entered into before the end of the final fiscal year specified 
in subsection (a), and still in effect at the end of such fiscal year, 
shall remain in effect until completed pursuant to the terms of the 
contract.

SEC. 9. AUDIT REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) Audit Required.--The Comptroller General and the Inspector 
General of the Department of Agriculture shall jointly conduct an audit 
of the national program at the end of the fourth-full fiscal year of 
the national program and submit such audit to the Congress by June 1 of 
the next fiscal year.
    (b) Elements.--The audit shall include an analysis of--
            (1) whether the program was carried out in a manner 
        consistent with the provisions of this Act;
            (2) the impact on the development and implementation of the 
        national program of the advance recovery projects conducted 
        under section 6 and the reports submitted to the Secretary by 
        Federal officials under such section;
            (3) the extent to which the recommendations of the 
        Scientific Advisory Panel were used to develop and implement 
        the national program;
            (4) the current and projected future financial status of 
        the Forest Recovery and Protection Fund; and
            (5) the cost savings and efficiencies achieved under the 
        national program.

SEC. 10. FOREST INVENTORYING, MONITORING, AND ANALYSIS.

    (a) Program Required.--The Secretary shall establish a program to 
inventory, monitor, and analyze public and private forests and their 
resources in the United States for the purpose of--
            (1) updating annually inventories of forests and their 
        resources in each State;
            (2) preparing periodic reports on each State's inventory 
        and on forests and their resources from a nationwide 
        perspective; and
            (3) ensuring that the updates and reports are made 
        available to managers of public and private forests and to the 
        public.
    (b) Annual Inventory Updates.--
            (1) Preparation.--By the end of each full fiscal year after 
        the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
        prepare an inventory of forests and their resources for each 
        State. The Secretary shall prepare the inventory for a State in 
        cooperation with the State forester for that State. For 
        purposes of preparing an inventory for a State, the Secretary 
        shall measure annually 20 percent of all sample plots that are 
        included in the inventory program for that State.
            (2) Availability.--Upon completion of each annual 
        inventory, the Secretary shall make available to the public a 
        compilation of all data collected from the year's measurements 
        of sample plots and any analysis of such samples.
    (c) Five-Year Reports.--
            (1) Preparation and publication.--At intervals no greater 
        than every five full fiscal years after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall prepare and 
        publish--
                    (A) in cooperation with each State forester, a 
                report on each State inventory of forests and their 
                resources, incorporating all sample plot measurements 
                conducted during the previous five fiscal years; and
                    (B) a report which displays and analyzes the 
                results of the State reports required by subparagraph 
                (A) on a nationwide basis.
            (2) Availability.--The reports required by this subsection 
        shall be made available to the public.
            (3) Forest health analyses.--Each report under this 
        subsection shall contain an analysis of forest health 
        conditions and trends over the previous two decades, with an 
        emphasis on such conditions and trends during the period 
        subsequent to the immediately preceding report.
    (d) Uniform Standards.--To ensure uniform and consistent data 
collection for all public and private forest ownerships and each State, 
the Secretary shall develop and publish national standards and 
definitions to be applied in inventorying, monitoring, and analyzing 
forests and their resources under this section, including a core set of 
variables to be measured on all sample plots under subsection (b) and a 
standard set of tables to be included in the reports under subsection 
(c). The Secretary shall develop the national standards and definitions 
in consultation with State foresters and Federal land management 
agencies not within the jurisdiction of the Secretary.
    (e) Strategic Plan.--
            (1) Required.--Within 180 days after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall prepare and submit 
        to the Congress a strategic plan to implement and carry out 
        this section, including the annual updates required by 
        subsection (b) and the reports required by subsection (c).
            (2) Content.--The strategic plan shall describe in detail--
                    (A) the financial resources required to implement 
                and carry out this section, including the 
                identification of any resources required in excess of 
                the amounts provided for forest inventorying and 
                analysis in recent appropriations Acts;
                    (B) the personnel necessary to implement and carry 
                out this section, including any personnel in addition 
                to personnel currently performing inventorying and 
                analysis functions;
                    (C) the organization and procedures necessary to 
                implement and carry out this section, including 
                proposed coordination with Federal land management 
                agencies and State foresters;
                    (D) the schedules for annual sample plot 
                measurements in each State inventory required by 
                subsection (b) within the first five-year interval 
                after the date of the enactment of this Act;
                    (E) the core set of variables to be measured in 
                each sample plot under subsection (b) and the standard 
                set of tables to be used in each State and national 
                report pursuant to subsection (c); and
                    (F) the process for employing, in coordination with 
                the Department of Energy and the National Aeronautics 
                and Space Administration, remote sensing, global 
                positioning systems, and other advanced technologies to 
                carry out this section, and the subsequent use of such 
                technologies.
                                 <all>