Forest Service

Forest Service forest and rangeland research For necessary expenses of forest and rangeland research as authorized by law, $305,000,000, to remain available through September 30, 2023: Provided, That of the funds provided, $77,000,000 is for the forest inventory and analysis program: Provided further, That all authorities for the use of funds, including the use of contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements, available to execute the Forest and Rangeland Research appropriation, are also available in the utilization of these funds for Fire Science Research. state and private forestry For necessary expenses of cooperating with and providing technical and financial assistance to States, territories, possessions, and others, and for forest health management, and conducting an international program as authorized, $346,990,000, to remain available through September 30, 2023, as authorized by law; of which $63,990,000 is to be derived from the Land and Water Conservation Fund to be used for the Forest Legacy Program, to remain available until expended. national forest system For necessary expenses of the Forest Service, not otherwise provided for, for management, protection, improvement, and utilization of the National Forest System, and for hazardous fuels management on or adjacent to such lands, $1,957,510,000, to remain available through September 30, 2023: Provided, That of the funds provided, $40,000,000 shall be deposited in the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Fund for ecological restoration treatments as authorized by 16 U.S.C. 7303(f): Provided further, That of the funds provided, $373,000,000 shall be for forest products: Provided further, That of the funds provided, $445,310,000 shall be for hazardous fuels management activities, of which not to exceed $15,000,000 may be used to make grants, using any authorities available to the Forest Service under the “State and Private Forestry” appropriation, for the purpose of creating incentives for increased use of biomass from National Forest System lands: Provided further, That $20,000,000 may be used by the Secretary of Agriculture to enter into procurement contracts or cooperative agreements or to issue grants for hazardous fuels management activities, and for training or monitoring associated with such hazardous fuels management activities on Federal land, or on non-Federal land if the Secretary determines such activities benefit resources on Federal land: Provided further, That funds made available to implement the Community Forestry Restoration Act, Public Law 106-393, title VI, shall be available for use on non-Federal lands in accordance with authorities made available to the Forest Service under the “State and Private Forestry” appropriations: Provided further, That notwithstanding section 33 of the Bankhead Jones Farm Tenant Act (7 U.S.C. 1012), the Secretary of Agriculture, in calculating a fee for grazing on a National Grassland, may provide a credit of up to 50 percent of the calculated fee to a Grazing Association or direct permittee for a conservation practice approved by the Secretary in advance of the fiscal year in which the cost of the conservation practice is incurred. And, that the amount credited shall remain available to the Grazing Association or the direct permittee, as appropriate, in the fiscal year in which the credit is made and each fiscal year thereafter for use on the project for conservation practices approved by the Secretary.[43 USC 1751 note.] capital improvement and maintenance (including transfer of funds) For necessary expenses of the Forest Service, not otherwise provided for, $455,000,000, to remain available through September 30, 2023, for construction, capital improvement, maintenance and acquisition of buildings and other facilities and infrastructure; and for construction, reconstruction, decommissioning of roads that are no longer needed, including unauthorized roads that are not part of the transportation system, and maintenance of forest roads and trails by the Forest Service as authorized by 16 U.S.C. 532-538 and 23 U.S.C. 101 and 205: Provided, That funds becoming available in fiscal year 2020 under the Act of March 4, 1913 (16 U.S.C. 501) shall be transferred to the General Fund of the Treasury and shall not be available for transfer or obligation for any other purpose unless the funds are appropriated. land acquisition (including rescission of funds) For expenses necessary to carry out the provisions of chapter 2003 of title 54, United States Code, including administrative expenses, and for acquisition of land or waters, or interest therein, in accordance with statutory authority applicable to the Forest Service, $78,898,000, to be derived from the Land and Water Conservation Fund and to remain available until expended.Of the unobligated balances from amounts made available for Forest Service and derived from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, $2,000,000 is hereby permanently rescinded from projects with cost savings or failed projects or partially failed that had funds returned: Provided, That no amounts may be rescinded from amounts that were designated by the Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant to the Concurrent Resolution on the Budget or the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985. acquisition of lands for national forests special acts For acquisition of lands within the exterior boundaries of the Cache, Uinta, and Wasatch National Forests, Utah; the Toiyabe National Forest, Nevada; and the Angeles, San Bernardino, Sequoia, and Cleveland National Forests, California; and the Ozark-St. Francis and Ouachita National Forests, Arkansas; as authorized by law, $700,000, to be derived from forest receipts. acquisition of lands to complete land exchanges For acquisition of lands, such sums, to be derived from funds deposited by State, county, or municipal governments, public school districts, or other public school authorities, and for authorized expenditures from funds deposited by non-Federal parties pursuant to Land Sale and Exchange Acts, pursuant to the Act of December 4, 1967 (16 U.S.C. 484a), to remain available through September 30, 2023, (16 U.S.C. 516-617a, 555a; Public Law 96-586; Public Law 76-589, 76-591; and Public Law 78-310). range betterment fund For necessary expenses of range rehabilitation, protection, and improvement, 50 percent of all moneys received during the prior fiscal year, as fees for grazing domestic livestock on lands in National Forests in the 16 Western States, pursuant to section 401(b)(1) of Public Law 94-579, to remain available through September 30, 2023, of which not to exceed 6 percent shall be available for administrative expenses associated with on-the-ground range rehabilitation, protection, and improvements. gifts, donations and bequests for forest and rangeland research For expenses authorized by 16 U.S.C. 1643(b), $45,000, to remain available through September 30, 2023, to be derived from the fund established pursuant to the above Act. management of national forest lands for subsistence uses For necessary expenses of the Forest Service to manage Federal lands in Alaska for subsistence uses under title VIII of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 3111 et seq.), $2,500,000, to remain available through September 30, 2023. wildland fire management (including transfers of funds) For necessary expenses for forest fire presuppression activities on National Forest System lands, for emergency wildland fire suppression on or adjacent to such lands or other lands under fire protection agreement, and for emergency rehabilitation of burned-over National Forest System lands and water, $2,350,620,000, to remain available until expended: Provided, That such funds including unobligated balances under this heading, are available for repayment of advances from other appropriations accounts previously transferred for such purposes: Provided further, That any unobligated funds appropriated in a previous fiscal year for hazardous fuels management may be transferred to the “National Forest System” account: Provided further, That such funds shall be available to reimburse State and other cooperating entities for services provided in response to wildfire and other emergencies or disasters to the extent such reimbursements by the Forest Service for non-fire emergencies are fully repaid by the responsible emergency management agency: Provided further, That funds provided shall be available for support to Federal emergency response: Provided further, That the costs of implementing any cooperative agreement between the Federal Government and any non-Federal entity may be shared, as mutually agreed on by the affected parties: Provided further, That of the funds provided under this heading, $1,011,000,000 shall be available for wildfire suppression operations, and is provided to the meet the terms of section 251(b)(2)(F)(ii)(I) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended. wildfire suppression operations reserve fund (including transfers of funds) In addition to the amounts provided under the heading “Department of Agriculture—Forest Service—Wildland Fire Management” for wildfire suppression operations, $1,950,000,000, to remain available until transferred, is additional new budget authority as specified for purposes of section 251(b)(2)(F) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985: Provided, That such amounts may be transferred to and merged with amounts made available under the headings “Department of the Interior—Department-Wide Programs—Wildland Fire Management” and “Department of Agriculture—Forest Service—Wildland Fire Management” for wildfire suppression operations in the fiscal year in which such amounts are transferred: Provided further, That amounts may be transferred to the “Wildland Fire Management” accounts in the Department of the Interior or the Department of Agriculture only upon the notification of the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations that all wildfire suppression operations funds appropriated under that heading in this and prior appropriations Acts to the agency to which the funds will be transferred will be obligated within 30 days: Provided further, That the transfer authority provided under this heading is in addition to any other transfer authority provided by law. communications site administration Amounts collected in this fiscal year pursuant to section 8705(f)(2) of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-334), as amended by this Act, shall be deposited in the special account established by section 8705(f)(1) of such Act, shall be available to cover the costs described in subsection (c)(3) of such section of such Act, and shall remain available until expended: Provided, That such amounts shall be transferred to the “National Forest System” account. [16 USC 556i.] administrative provisions—forest service (including transfers of funds) Appropriations to the Forest Service for the current fiscal year shall be available for: (1) purchase of passenger motor vehicles; acquisition of passenger motor vehicles from excess sources, and hire of such vehicles; purchase, lease, operation, maintenance, and acquisition of aircraft to maintain the operable fleet for use in Forest Service wildland fire programs and other Forest Service programs; notwithstanding other provisions of law, existing aircraft being replaced may be sold, with proceeds derived or trade-in value used to offset the purchase price for the replacement aircraft; (2) services pursuant to 7 U.S.C. 2225, and not to exceed $100,000 for employment under 5 U.S.C. 3109; (3) purchase, erection, and alteration of buildings and other public improvements (7 U.S.C. 2250); (4) acquisition of land, waters, and interests therein pursuant to 7 U.S.C. 428a; (5) for expenses pursuant to the Volunteers in the National Forest Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 558a, 558d, and 558a note); (6) the cost of uniforms as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 5901-5902; and (7) for debt collection contracts in accordance with 31 U.S.C. 3718(c).Any appropriations or funds available to the Forest Service may be transferred to the Wildland Fire Management appropriation for forest firefighting, emergency rehabilitation of burned-over or damaged lands or waters under its jurisdiction, and fire preparedness due to severe burning conditions upon the Secretary’s notification of the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations that all fire suppression funds appropriated under the heading “Wildland Fire Management” will be obligated within 30 days: Provided, That all funds used pursuant to this paragraph must be replenished by a supplemental appropriation which must be requested as promptly as possible.Not more than $50,000,000 of funds appropriated to the Forest Service shall be available for expenditure or transfer to the Department of the Interior for wildland fire management, hazardous fuels management, and State fire assistance when such transfers would facilitate and expedite wildland fire management programs and projects.Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, the Forest Service may transfer unobligated balances of discretionary funds appropriated to the Forest Service by this Act to or within the National Forest System Account, or reprogram funds to be used for the purposes of hazardous fuels management and urgent rehabilitation of burned-over National Forest System lands and water, such transferred funds shall remain available through September 30, 2023: Provided, That none of the funds transferred pursuant to this section shall be available for obligation without written notification to and the prior approval of the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress: Provided further, That this section does not apply to funds derived from the Land and Water Conservation Fund.Funds appropriated to the Forest Service shall be available for assistance to or through the Agency for International Development in connection with forest and rangeland research, technical information, and assistance in foreign countries, and shall be available to support forestry and related natural resource activities outside the United States and its territories and possessions, including technical assistance, education and training, and cooperation with U.S., private, and international organizations. The Forest Service, acting for the International Program, may sign direct funding agreements with foreign governments and institutions as well as other domestic agencies (including the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Department of State, and the Millennium Challenge Corporation), U.S. private sector firms, institutions and organizations to provide technical assistance and training programs overseas on forestry and rangeland management.Funds appropriated to the Forest Service shall be available for expenditure or transfer to the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, for removal, preparation, and adoption of excess wild horses and burros from National Forest System lands, and for the performance of cadastral surveys to designate the boundaries of such lands.None of the funds made available to the Forest Service in this Act or any other Act with respect to any fiscal year shall be subject to transfer under the provisions of section 702(b) of the Department of Agriculture Organic Act of 1944 (7 U.S.C. 2257), section 442 of Public Law 106-224 (7 U.S.C. 7772), or section 10417(b) of Public Law 107-171 (7 U.S.C. 8316(b)).Not more than $82,000,000 of funds available to the Forest Service shall be transferred to the Working Capital Fund of the Department of Agriculture and not more than $14,500,000 of funds available to the Forest Service shall be transferred to the Department of Agriculture for Department Reimbursable Programs, commonly referred to as Greenbook charges. Nothing in this paragraph shall prohibit or limit the use of reimbursable agreements requested by the Forest Service in order to obtain information technology services, including telecommunications and system modifications or enhancements, from the Working Capital Fund of the Department of Agriculture.Of the funds available to the Forest Service, up to $5,000,000 shall be available for priority projects within the scope of the approved budget, which shall be carried out by the Youth Conservation Corps and shall be carried out under the authority of the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 (16 U.S.C. 1721 et seq.).Of the funds available to the Forest Service, $4,000 is available to the Chief of the Forest Service for official reception and representation expenses.Pursuant to sections 405(b) and 410(b) of Public Law 101-593, of the funds available to the Forest Service, up to $3,000,000 may be advanced in a lump sum to the National Forest Foundation to aid conservation partnership projects in support of the Forest Service mission, without regard to when the Foundation incurs expenses, for projects on or benefitting National Forest System lands or related to Forest Service programs: Provided, That of the Federal funds made available to the Foundation, no more than $300,000 shall be available for administrative expenses: Provided further, That the Foundation shall obtain, by the end of the period of Federal financial assistance, private contributions to match funds made available by the Forest Service on at least a one-for-one basis: Provided further, That the Foundation may transfer Federal funds to a Federal or a non-Federal recipient for a project at the same rate that the recipient has obtained the non-Federal matching funds. Pursuant to section 2(b)(2) of Public Law 98-244, up to $3,000,000 of the funds available to the Forest Service may be advanced to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in a lump sum to aid cost-share conservation projects, without regard to when expenses are incurred, on or benefitting National Forest System lands or related to Forest Service programs: Provided, That such funds shall be matched on at least a one-for-one basis by the Foundation or its sub-recipients: Provided further, That the Foundation may transfer Federal funds to a Federal or non-Federal recipient for a project at the same rate that the recipient has obtained the non-Federal matching funds.Funds appropriated to the Forest Service shall be available for interactions with and providing technical assistance to rural communities and natural resource-based businesses for sustainable rural development purposes.Funds appropriated to the Forest Service shall be available for payments to counties within the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, pursuant to section 14(c)(1) and (2), and section 16(a)(2) of Public Law 99-663.Any funds appropriated to the Forest Service may be used to meet the non-Federal share requirement in section 502(c) of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3056(c)(2)).The Forest Service shall not assess funds for the purpose of performing fire, administrative, and other facilities maintenance and decommissioning.Notwithstanding any other provision of law, of any appropriations or funds available to the Forest Service, not to exceed $500,000 may be used to reimburse the Office of the General Counsel (OGC), Department of Agriculture, for travel and related expenses incurred as a result of OGC assistance or participation requested by the Forest Service at meetings, training sessions, management reviews, land purchase negotiations and similar matters unrelated to civil litigation. Future budget justifications for both the Forest Service and the Department of Agriculture should clearly display the sums previously transferred and the sums requested for transfer.An eligible individual who is employed in any project funded under title V of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3056 et seq.) and administered by the Forest Service shall be considered to be a Federal employee for purposes of chapter 171 of title 28, United States Code.Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, through the Office of Budget and Program Analysis, the Forest Service shall report no later than 30 business days following the close of each fiscal quarter all current and prior year unobligated balances, by fiscal year, budget line item and account, to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations.