S. 745 — Introduced in Senate

II 113th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 745 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES April 17, 2013 Mr. Bennet (for himself, Mr. Baucus, Mr. Wyden, and Mr. Udall of Colorado) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry A BILL To amend the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to provide for the designation of treatment areas, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the National Forest Insect and Disease Treatment Act of 2013. 2. Designation of treatment areas Title VI of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6591 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 602. Designation of Treatment Areas (a) Designation of treatment areas (1) Initial areas Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of the National Forest Insect and Disease Treatment Act of 2013, the Secretary shall, in consultation with the Governor of the State, designate as part of an insect and disease treatment program 1 or more subwatersheds (sixth-level hydrologic units, according to the System of Hydrologic Unit Codes of the United States Geological Survey) in at least 1 national forest in each State that is experiencing an insect or disease epidemic. (2) Additional areas After the end of the 60-day period described in paragraph (1), the Secretary may designate additional subwatersheds under this section as needed to address insect and disease threats. (b) Requirements A subwatershed designated under subsection (a) shall be— (1) experiencing substantially increased tree mortality due to insect or disease infestation, based on annual forest health surveys conducted by the Secretary; (2) at risk of experiencing substantially increased tree mortality over the next 15 years due to insect or disease infestation, based on the most recent National Insect and Disease Risk Map published by the Forest Service; or (3) in an area in which the risk of hazard trees poses an imminent risk to public infrastructure, health, or safety. (c) Treatment of areas (1) In general The Secretary may carry out priority projects on Federal land in the subwatersheds designated under subsection (a) to reduce the risk or extent of, or increase the resilience to, insect or disease infestation in the subwatersheds. (2) Authority Any project under paragraph (1) for which a public notice to initiate scoping is issued on or before September 30, 2018, may be carried out in accordance with subsections (b), (c), (d), and (g) (other than paragraph (4)) of section 102, and sections 104, 105, and 106. (3) Effect Projects carried out under this subsection shall be considered authorized hazardous fuel reduction projects for purposes of the authorities described in paragraph (2). (4) Report Not later than September 30, 2018, the Secretary shall issue a report that includes— (A) an evaluation of the progress towards project goals; and (B) recommendations for modifications to the projects and management treatments. (d) Tree retention The Secretary shall carry out projects under subsection (b) in a manner that maximizes the retention of old-growth and large trees, as appropriate for the forest type, to the extent that the trees promote stands that are resilient to insects and disease. (e) Authorization of appropriations There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $200,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2014 through 2018. .