Forest Conservation Easement Program Act of 2025

H.R. 3476, the Forest Conservation Easement Program Act of 2025, would create a new Forest Conservation Easement Program under Title XII of the Food Security Act of 1985. The core idea is to conserve forest land by allowing eligible entities (including land trusts, state/local government agencies, and Indian Tribes) to acquire conservation easements or other interests in land. There are two main pathways: forest land easements (allowing continued working forest uses) and forest reserve easements (administered by the Secretary and oriented toward restoration and enhancement of habitat, biodiversity, and related values). The act sets out purposes (habitat protection, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, watershed protection, and preventing encroachment around military bases, among others) and creates a framework for eligibility, cost-sharing, and administration. It also introduces specific provisions to support beginning farmers, socially disadvantaged landowners, and veterans, and it includes tribal-specific enrollment options. In practice, the bill would obligate the Secretary of Agriculture to establish and fund this program, determine land and entity eligibility, set up a certification process for eligible entities, and establish criteria for evaluating and ranking proposals. It would also provide for technical assistance, plan requirements (including voluntary or required forest management plans), enforcement provisions, and potential safe-harbor protections under the Endangered Species Act for activities that result in net conservation benefits. Administration could be delegated to other federal or state agencies. The exact funding levels are not specified in the text provided, but the bill prescribes share percentages and caps for federal and non-federal contributions.