S 449119th CongressIn Committee

Expediting Forest Restoration and Recovery Act of 2025

Introduced: Feb 6, 2025

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

The Expediting Forest Restoration and Recovery Act of 2025 would amend the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to require the Forest Service (Department of Agriculture) to accelerate hazardous-fuel reduction and insect-and-disease risk reduction projects on certain National Forest System lands. It does this by expanding the use of streamlined environmental reviews (including a categorical exclusion) in designated insect-and-disease treatment areas, while preserving standard NEPA processes when areas or circumstances require fuller analysis. The bill also prioritizes pest and wildfire risk reduction in these areas, broadens exclusions to include Fire Regime Group IV lands, and requires annual public reporting on acres treated. Additionally, it makes a technical adjustment to how timber revenues under Good Neighbor Authority agreements are used by state governors to support restoration work. In short, the bill aims to speed up restoration work on forests by narrowing the environmental-review burden in specific, risk-focused areas and by clarifying funding flows for restoration projects. It also establishes new reporting to improve transparency about treated acres.

Key Points

1Expanded use of categorical exclusion for certain hazardous-fuel and insect/disease projects: In designated insect-and-disease treatment areas, the Forest Service may use a categorical exclusion (a streamlined NEPA pathway) if the area is suitable for timber production or timber harvest is not prohibited.
2Environmental analyses for other areas: If a project is outside designated treatment areas or raises other significant resource concerns, the agency must prepare environmental assessments (EAs) and/or environmental impact statements (EISs) in line with the amended section, including consideration of the proposed action and a no-action alternative.
3Priority to reduce insect infestation and wildfire risk: In designated insect-and-disease treatment areas, reducing insect infestation and wildfire risk takes precedence over other planning objectives, unless a mandatory standard already constrains decisions.
4Inclusion of Fire Regime Group IV areas and exclusions: The bill requires applying the streamlined exclusion to Fire Regime Group IV areas, while excluding most components of the National Wilderness Preservation System and inventoried roadless areas (with limited exceptions for activities permitted under specific roadless-area rules).
5Public reporting: The Secretary must publicly release annual data on the acreage treated under hazardous-fuel or insect/disease risk reduction projects in insect-and-disease treatment areas.
6Good Neighbor Authority funding: The bill revises how timber sale proceeds under good neighbor agreements are used, directing states to retain funds to fund restoration activities under that and other good neighbor agreements within the state.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected- National Forest System lands and the U.S. Forest Service: faster decision-making and potential shifts in how projects are reviewed and approved, especially in designated treatment areas.- States and governors under Good Neighbor Authority: revised use of timber-revenue proceeds to fund restoration both under the original agreement and, if funds remain, under other in-state agreements.- Timber industry and forest-management interests: potential for quicker project implementation in designated areas due to the use of categorical exclusions.Secondary group/area affected- Local communities and downstream users near treated forests: potential changes in landscape-scale risk reduction timelines and implementation.- Environmental groups and public stakeholders: altered NEPA process in designated areas may affect public participation and monitoring; transparency is enhanced via annual reporting, but some areas receive expedited review.- Areas within Wilderness or inventoried roadless areas: largely protected from these streamlined procedures, with limited exceptions for certain roadless-area allowances.Additional impacts- Environmental review practices: broader use of CE could shorten review timelines for many projects in designated areas but may raise concerns about adequacy of assessment in high-risk or resource-constrained areas.- Land-management planning: could influence how fire regimes are treated in planning, especially concerning Fire Regime Group IV lands.- Transparency and accountability: annual acreage data publication increases visibility into how much land is being treated and under what review pathway.Categorical Exclusion (CE): A NEPA pathway for actions that do not individually or cumulatively have a significant impact on the environment, meaning no detailed EA or EIS is required. The bill ties CE use to specific designated insect/disease treatment areas and certain timber-production conditions.Insect and disease treatment area: Any area designated by the Secretaries under HFRA or identified as at-risk/hazard on the latest Forest Service risk map.Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) 5 watershed: A mid-scale watershed boundary used to define geographic study areas; the bill uses a threshold of at least a HUC-5 watershed for some CE analyses.Fire Regime Group IV: A category of land characterized by infrequent but high-intensity fires; the bill extends streamlined review to these areas.Good Neighbor Authority: A program allowing state and tribal governments to conduct certain restoration activities on federal lands; the bill modifies how timber-sale proceeds are used to fund restoration within the state.

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