Wildfire Protection Assistance.—

Sec. 401. Wildfire Protection Assistance.—In older to shield human and natural resources, financial investments, and environmental quality from losses due to wildfires in unprotected or poorly protected rural areas there is a need to strengthen and synergize Federal, State, and local efforts to establish an adequate protection capability wherever the lives and property of Americans are endangered by wildfire in rural communities and areas. The Congress hereby finds that inadequate fire protection and the resultant threat of substantial losses of life and property is a significant deterrent to the investment of the labor and capital needed to help revitalize rural America, and that well-organized, equipped, and trained firefighting forces are needed in many rural areas to encourage and safeguard public and private investments in the improvement and development of areas of rural America where organized protection against losses from wildfire is lacking or inadequate. To this end, the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized and directed to provide financial, technical, and other assistance to State foresters or other appropriate officials of the several States in cooperative efforts to organize, train, and equip local forces, including those of Indian tribes on Federal and State reservations or other federally recognized Indian tribal groups to prevent, control, and suppress wildfires threatening human life, livestock, wildlife, crops, pastures, orchards, rangeland, woodland, farmsteads, or other improvements, and other values in rural areas as defined in section 306(a) (7) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act.