Wildfire Resilient Communities Act
Wildfire Resilient Communities Act would create large, mandatory funding for reducing hazardous fuels on federal lands managed by key agencies (National Park Service, Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Indian Affairs). The bill directs $30 billion to be transferred to these agency heads on the first October 1 after enactment to support hazardous fuels reduction projects, prioritizing areas near at-risk communities, high-value watersheds, and zones with high wildfire hazard or specific fire regimes. Projects may use prescribed fire, thinning, removal of brush and debris, and other ecologically appropriate methods. The act also adds new funding, planning, and governance provisions to related conservation programs and creates a County Stewardship Fund using forest product receipts to provide local funding. Overall, the bill aims to advance fire-adapted communities, resilient landscapes, and safer fire response, while expanding collaborative forest restoration efforts and increasing resources for community wildfire defense. In addition to the large mandatory funding for fuels reduction, the bill expands and retools several related programs (collaborative restoration, county-directed funding, and community wildfire defense) and authorizes additional appropriations for the Community Wildfire Defense Grant program for 2027–2031. It also updates monitoring and collaboration provisions, increases proposed project scope, and fosters cross-boundary, watershed-focused, and land-management coordination efforts.
Key Points
- 1Mandatory funding for hazardous fuels reduction: On the first Oct. 1 after enactment, $30,000,000,000 is transferred from the Treasury to federal land-management agencies to carry out hazardous fuels reduction on covered lands, with up to 10% allowed for administrative and planning costs. Funds remain available until expended.
- 2Priorities for fuels reduction: Projects should target areas near at-risk communities, high-value watersheds, or zones with very high wildfire hazard; or pursue goals aligned with the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy (fire-adapted communities, resilient landscapes, safe and effective fire response).
- 3Additional Community Wildfire Defense Grant funding: Authorization of $3,000,000,000 for 2027–2031 to support community wildfire defense activities through the Agriculture Department, supplementing existing Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding.
- 4Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program updates: Reauthorization with expanded criteria (monitoring indicators, federal staffing for collaborative processes, and evaluation of innovative implementation mechanisms). Enhancements include broader cross-landscape planning, added considerations for pathogens, and increased eligible project scope and funding (higher counts/metrics and future-year funding of $100 million annually beginning in 2026, up from earlier levels).
- 5County Stewardship Fund: Creation of a new fund within the Treasury to distribute payments to counties where federal forest management contracts occur. Payments are 25% of the appraised value of forest products or 25% of contract excess receipts, and funds may be used for any governmental purpose by the county, with funds remaining available until expended.