S 950119th CongressIn Committee

Save Our Forests Act of 2025

Introduced: Mar 11, 2025

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

The Save Our Forests Act of 2025 is a Senate bill that aims to ensure the U.S. Forest Service is fully staffed to manage National Forest System lands and protect forest health, diversity, and productivity for current and future generations. It requires the Secretary of Agriculture to swiftly increase Forest Service staffing and to reinstate any employees who were involuntarily removed or terminated during a brief window in early 2025. The bill also authorizes the Forest Service to continue carrying out projects funded under certain existing laws (the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, the Great American Outdoors Act, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022) using funds that have already been appropriated. No new funding is added by the bill; it relies on previously appropriated dollars to meet its staffing and project-continuation goals. In short, the bill seeks to stabilize Forest Service operations by restoring staff levels and preserving ongoing federally funded forest projects, thereby reducing disruption to forest management, recreation, infrastructure, and conservation initiatives.

Key Points

1The act’s short title is the “Save Our Forests Act of 2025.”
2Section 3 mandates the Secretary of Agriculture to, using funds already appropriated, (a) increase staffing to sustain health, diversity, and productivity on National Forest System land and (b) reinstate individuals involuntarily removed or terminated from the Forest Service between January 20, 2025 and February 25, 2025.
3Section 4 gives the Secretary authority to continue Forest Service projects funded under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, the Great American Outdoors Act, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.
4The bill defines key terms, including “National Forest System,” “Secretary,” and “Service,” to align with existing Forest Service and federal law terminology.
5The act relies on funds that have already been appropriated; it does not create new federal appropriations.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected: Forest Service workforce and National Forest System management. The bill directly targets staffing levels and reinstatement of employees, which could affect forest health programs, wildfire management, recreation staffing, and other federal land management activities.Secondary group/area affected: Public land users and stakeholders who rely on Forest Service programs funded under FLREA, GAOA, IIJA, and IRA 2022 (e.g., recreation access, infrastructure projects, land conservation and restoration initiatives).Additional impacts:- Fiscal/administrative: By directing use of previously appropriated funds, the bill avoids new appropriations but may require reallocation or reprogramming of existing budgets and a rapid staffing expansion.- Operational continuity: Continuation of ongoing projects helps prevent interruptions in recreation programs, infrastructure work, conservation efforts, and land management projects that depend on current funding streams.- Legal/eligibility considerations: Reinstatement provisions are tightly scoped to a specific date window in early 2025, which could raise questions about reinstatement processes and labor/administrative rules.

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