AN ACTTo improve the capacity of the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to conduct hazardous fuels reduction projects on National Forest System lands and Bureau of Land Management lands aimed at protecting communities, watersheds, and certain other at-risk lands from catastrophic wildfire, to enhance efforts to protect watersheds and address threats to forest and rangeland health, including catastrophic wildfire, across the landscape, 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. [16 U.S.C. 6501 note] SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. (a) Short Title.—This Act may be cited as the “Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003”. (b) Table of Contents.—The table of contents for this Act is as follows: Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. Sec. 2. Purposes. Sec. 3. Definitions. TITLE I—HAZARDOUS FUEL REDUCTION ON FEDERAL LAND Sec. 101. Definitions. Sec. 102. Authorized hazardous fuel reduction projects. Sec. 103. Prioritization. Sec. 104. Environmental analysis. Sec. 105. Special administrative review process. Sec. 106. Judicial review in United States district courts. Sec. 107. Effect of title. Sec. 108. Authorization of appropriations. TITLE II—BIOMASS Sec. 201. Improved biomass use research program. Sec. 202. Rural revitalization through forestry. TITLE III—WATERSHED FORESTRY ASSISTANCE Sec. 301. Findings and purposes. Sec. 302. Watershed forestry assistance program. Sec. 303. Tribal watershed forestry assistance. Sec. 303. Water Source Protection Program. Sec. 304. Watershed Condition Framework. TITLE IV—INSECT INFESTATIONS AND RELATED DISEASES Sec. 401. Findings and purpose. Sec. 402. Definitions. Sec. 403. Accelerated information gathering regarding forest-damaging insects. Sec. 404. Applied silvicultural assessments. Sec. 405. Relation to other laws. Sec. 406. Termination of effectiveness. TITLE V—HEALTHY FORESTS RESERVE PROGRAM Sec. 501. Establishment of healthy forests reserve program. Sec. 502. Eligibility and enrollment of lands in program. Sec. 503. Restoration plans. Sec. 504. Financial assistance. Sec. 505. Technical assistance. Sec. 506. Protections and measures Sec. 507. Involvement by other agencies and organizations. Sec. 508. Authorization of appropriations. TITLE VI—MISCELLANEOUS Sec. 601. Forest stands inventory and monitoring program to improve detection of and response to environmental threats. Sec. 602. Designation of treatment areas. Sec. 603. Administrative review. Sec. 604. Stewardship end result contracting projects. Sec. 605. Wildfire resilience projects. Sec. 606. Categorical exclusion for greater sage-grouse and mule deer habitat.

SEC. 2. [16 U.S.C. 6501] PURPOSES. The purposes of this Act are— (1) to reduce wildfire risk to communities, municipal water supplies, and other at-risk Federal land through a collaborative process of planning, prioritizing, and implementing hazardous fuel reduction projects; (2) to authorize grant programs to improve the commercial value of forest biomass (that otherwise contributes to the risk of catastrophic fire or insect or disease infestation) for producing electric energy, useful heat, transportation fuel, and petroleum-based product substitutes, and for other commercial purposes; (3) to enhance efforts to protect watersheds and address threats to forest and rangeland health, including catastrophic wildfire, across the landscape; (4) to promote systematic gathering of information to address the impact of insect and disease infestations and other damaging agents on forest and rangeland health; (5) to improve the capacity to detect insect and disease infestations at an early stage, particularly with respect to hardwood forests; and (6) to protect, restore, and enhance forest ecosystem components— (A) to promote the recovery of threatened and endangered species; (B) to improve biological diversity; and (C) to enhance productivity and carbon sequestration.

SEC. 3. [16 U.S.C. 6502] DEFINITIONS. In this Act: (1) Federal land.—The term “Federal land” means— (A) land of the National Forest System (as defined in section 11(a) of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1609(a))) administered by the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service; and (B) public lands (as defined in section 103 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1702)), the surface of which is administered by the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the Bureau of Land Management. (2) Indian tribe.—The term “Indian tribe” has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b).