S 1662119th CongressIn Committee

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program Reauthorization Act of 2025

Introduced: May 7, 2025

Environment & Climate

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

The Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program Reauthorization Act of 2025 would reauthorize and expand the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP), originally established in the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009. The bill extends the program’s authorization (through 2034) and broadens its scope and tools. Key changes include adding pathogens to the list of considerations, requiring standardized monitoring indicators, and mandating a Federal staffing plan to support collaboratives. The bill also opens the door to additional implementation approaches (such as conservation finance agreements and Good Neighbor Authority-style arrangements) and expands restoration opportunities across land ownerships (including state, Tribal, and private land) and the wildland-urban interface. It increases certain program thresholds and funding authorities and emphasizes governance mechanisms and conflict resolution in collaborative work. In short, the bill would provide a longer-term reauthorization with a broader, more flexible toolbox for landscape-scale forest restoration, while placing greater emphasis on monitoring, cross-ownership work, wildfire risk reduction, watershed health, and water quality.

Key Points

1Reauthorization and extended timeline
2- Reauthorizes the CFLRP under the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 and extends authorization through 2034.
3Expanded scope and monitoring
4- Adds pathogens to the program’s considerations (alongside species).
5- Requires standardized monitoring questions and indicators to track progress and results.
6- Adds a Federal Government staffing plan to support collaboratives formed under the program.
7Innovative mechanisms and cross-ownership focus
8- Encourages use of innovative implementation mechanisms, including conservation finance agreements and Good Neighbor-like agreements under the Agriculture Act of 2014, and similar approaches.
9- Expands project proposals to reduce uncharacteristic wildfire and increase ecological restoration across land ownership boundaries (including State, Tribal, and private land) and in the wildland-urban interface.
10- Includes proposals aimed at enhancing watershed health and drinking water sources.
11Funding and program thresholds
12- Increases certain numeric thresholds in the program (from 10 to 20; from 2 to 4), expanding the scale or number of eligible activities or participants (specifics depend on the related subparagraphs in CFLRP’s statutory language).
13- Doubles a particular funding amount from $4,000,000 to $8,000,000, increasing the program’s funding capacity for eligible activities.
14Governance and collaboration
15- Adds emphasis on conflict resolution and collaborative governance within CFLRP projects and processes.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected- Federal agencies (notably the U.S. Forest Service) and landscape-scale restoration collaboratives, including state, Tribal, and private landowners who participate in CFLRP projects.- Communities and local governments in forested regions that rely on forest health, wildfire risk reduction, and water quality.Secondary group/area affected- Wildlife habitat and ecological health across restoration landscapes.- Watersheds and drinking water sources that depend on healthy forest ecosystems.Additional impacts- Potential cost and budgeting implications for federal programs due to extended authorization and increased funding caps.- Encouragement of cross-boundary restoration and governance approaches may require more coordination among multiple landowners, agencies, and stakeholders.- Adoption of standardized monitoring could improve accountability and learning across CFLRP projects.The bill cites specific new authorities and mechanisms, such as conservation finance and Good Neighbor agreements, and references the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 and the Agriculture Act of 2014 for related authorities.The exact interpretation of the numeric changes (10→20 and 2→4) depends on the specific CFLRP provisions those subsections replace; the bill clearly intends to expand the program’s scale or participation and associated funding.

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