,,ii  #aaeth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #ajcc  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,may #c1 #bjag 
,mr4 ,roberts introduced the following  
bill2 which was read twice and referred 
to the ,committee on ,agriculture1      
,nutrition1 and ,forestry  ,a ,,bill    
,to amend the ,healthy ,forests         
,restoration ,act of #bjjc to provide   
for stewardship contracting projects1   
and for other purposes4  #a4            
,stewardship contracting projects  7a7  
,in general ,the ,healthy ,forests      
,restoration ,act of #bjjc is amended-- 
7#a7 by striking section #fjd 7#af      
,u4,s4,c4 #feia;c72  7#b7 by            
redesignating sections #fja1 #fjb1 and  
#fjc 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #feia1 #feia;a1     
#feia;b7 as sections #gja1 #gjb1 and    
#gjc1 respectively2  7#c7 by            
redesignating title ,,vi 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 
#feia et seq47 7as amended by paragraphs
 7#a7 and 7#b77 as title ,,vii2  7#d7 in
 section #gjc7;a7 7as so redesignated71 
in the matter preceding paragraph 7#a71 

by striking section #fjb7;d7 and        
inserting section #gjb7;d72 and  7#e7 by
 inserting after title ,v 7#af ,u4,s4,c4
 #fega et seq47 the following3  ,,vi    
,stewardship ,contracting  #fja4        
,definitions ,in this title3 7#a7 ,chief
 ,the term ,chief means the ,secretary1 
acting through the ,chief of the ,forest
 ,service4  7#b7 ,secretary ,the term   
,secretary means the ,secretary of      
,agriculture4  7#c7 ,stewardship        
contract ,the term stewardship contract 
means a contract or agreement entered   
into under section #fjb4  #fjb4         
,projects ,the ,chief may enter into a  
stewardship contracting project contract
 or agreement1 as appropriate1 with a   
private person or another public entity 
to perform services to achieve land     
management goals described in section   
#fjc for the ,national ,forest ,system  
that meet local and rural community     
needs4  #fjc4 ,land management goals    
,the land management goals of a project 
under section #fjb may include any of   

the following3 7#a7 ,road and trail     
maintenance or obliteration to restore  
or maintain water quality4  7#b7 ,soil  
productivity1 habitat for wildlife and  
fisheries1 or other resource values4    
7#c7 ,setting of prescribed fires to    
improve the composition1 structure1     
condition1 and health of stands or to   
improve wildlife habitat4  7#d7         
,removing vegetation or other           
activities-- 7,a7 to promote healthy    
forest stands2  7,b7 to reduce fire     
hazards2 or  7,c7 to achieve other land 
management objectives4  7#e7 ,watershed 
restoration and maintenance4  7#f7      
,restoration and maintenance of wildlife
 and fish4  7#g7 ,control of noxious and
 exotic weeds and reestablishing native 
plant species4  #fjd4 ,agreements or    
contracts  7a7 ,procurement procedure ,a
 private person or public entity for the
 performance of services under a        
stewardship contract shall be selected  
on a best-value basis1 including        
consideration of the private person or  

public entity under other public or     
private agreements or contracts4  7b7   
,contract for sale of property          
,notwithstanding any other provision of 
law1 a contract entered into under      
section #fjb may1 at the discretion of  
the ,secretary1 be considered a contract
 for the sale of property under such    
terms as the ,secretary may establish4  
7c7 ,term  7#a7 ,in general ,except as  
provided in paragraph 7#b71 the ,chief  
may enter into a contract under section 
#fjb in accordance with section #cijc of
 title #da1 ,united ,states ,code4  7#b7
 ,maximum ,the period of a stewardship  
contract shall be not longer than #aj   
years4  7d7 ,offsets  7#a7 ,in general  
,the ,chief may apply the value of      
timber or other forest products removed 
as an offset against the cost of        
services received under a stewardship   
contract4  7#b7 ,methods of appraisal   
,the value of timber or other forest    
products used as an offset under        
paragraph 7#a7-- 7,a7 shall be          

determined using appropriate methods of 
appraisal commensurate with the quantity
 of products to be removed2 and  7,b7   
may-- 7i7 be determined using a unit of 
measure appropriate to the stewardship  
contracts2 and  7ii7 include valuing    
products on a per-acre basis4  7e7      
,relation to other laws ,notwithstanding
 subsections 7d7 and 7g7 of section #ad 
of the ,national ,forest ,management    
,act of #aigf 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #dgb;a71   
the ,chief may enter into a stewardship 
contract4  7f7 ,contracting officer     
,notwithstanding any other provision of 
law1 the ,secretary may determine the   
appropriate contracting officer to enter
 into and administer a stewardship      
contract4  7g7 ,fire liability          
provisions ,not later than #ij days     
after ,february #g1 #bjad1 the ,chief   
shall issue for use in each stewardship 
contract fire liability provisions that 
are in substantially the same form as   
the fire liability provisions contained 
in--  7#a7 integrated resource timber   

contracts1 as described in the ,forest  
,service contract numbered #bdjj-ac1    
part ,h1 section ,h4#d2 and  7#b7 timber
 sale contracts conducted pursuant to   
section #ad of the ,national ,forest    
,management ,act of #aigf 7#af ,u4,s4,c4
 #dgb;a74  #fje4 ,receipts  7a7 ,in     
general ,the ,chief may collect amounts 
from a stewardship contract if the      
collection is a secondary objective of  
negotiating the stewardship contract    
that will best achieve the purposes of  
this title4  7b7 ,use ,amounts from a   
stewardship contract-- 7#a7 may be      
retained by the ,chief2 and  7#b7 shall 
be available for expenditure without    
further appropriation-- 7,a7 at the     
project site from which the amounts are 
collected2 or  7,b7 at another project  
site4  7c7 ,relation to other laws  7#a7
 ,in general ,notwithstanding any other 
provision of law1 the value of services 
received by the ,chief under a          
stewardship contract1 and any payments  
made or resources provided by the       

contractor or the ,chief1 shall not be  
considered amounts received from the    
,national ,forest ,system4  7#b7        
,knutson-,vandenberg ,act ,the ,act of  
,june #i1 #aicj 7commonly known as the  
,knutson-,vandenberg ,act7 7#af         
,u4,s4,c4 #egf et seq471 shall not apply
 to a stewardship contract4  #fjf4      
,costs of removal ,the ,chief may       
collect deposits from a contractor to   
cover the costs of removal of timber or 
other forest products 7including timber 
that the contractor did not harvest7    
under--  7#a7 the ,act of ,august #aa1  
#aiaf 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #dij72 and  7#b7   
the ,act of ,june #cj1 #aiad 7#af       
,u4,s4,c4 #dih74  #fjg4 ,performance and
 payment guarantees  7a7 ,in general    
,the ,chief may require performance and 
payment bonds under sections #bh4ajc-b  
and #bh4ajc-c of the ,federal           
,acquisition ,regulation1 in an amount  
that the contracting officer considers  
sufficient to protect the investment in 
receipts by the ,federal ,government    

generated by the contractor from the    
estimated value of the forest products  
to be removed under a stewardship       
contract4  7b7 ,excess offset value ,if 
the offset value of the forest products 
described in subsection 7a7 exceeds the 
value of the resource improvement       
treatments1 the ,chief may--  7#a7      
collect any residual receipts under the 
,act of ,june #i1 #aicj 7commonly known 
as the ,knutson-,vandenberg ,act7 7#af  
,u4,s4,c4 #egf et seq472 and  7#b7 apply
 the excess to other authorized         
stewardship projects4  #fjh4 ,monitoring
 and evaluation  7a7 ,in general ,the   
,chief shall establish and participate  
in a multiparty monitoring and          
evaluation process that assesses the    
stewardship contracting projects        
conducted under this title4  7b7        
,participants ,participants in the      
process described in subsection 7a7 may 
include--  7#a7 any cooperating         
governmental agency1 including a tribal 
government2 and  7#b7 any other         

interested group or individual4  #fji4  
,reporting ,not later than #a year after
 ,february #g1 #bjad1 and annually      
thereafter1 the ,chief shall submit to  
the ,committee on ,agriculture1         
,nutrition1 and ,forestry of the ,senate
 and the ,committee on ,agriculture of  
the ,house of ,representatives a report 
on--  7#a7 the status of development1   
execution1 and administration of        
stewardship contracts2  7#b7 the        
specific accomplishments that have      
resulted from stewardship contracts2 and
  7#c7 the role of local communities in 
the development of stewardship contract 
plans4  4  7b7 ,conforming amendments   
,the table of contents for the ,healthy 
,forests ,restoration ,act of #bjjc 7#af
 ,u4,s4,c4 #feja note2 ,public ,law     
#ajh-adh7 is amended by striking the    
items relating to title ,,vi and        
inserting the following3  ,,title       
,,vi--,stewardship ,contracting ,sec4   
#fja4 ,definitions4 ,sec4 #fjb4         
,projects4 ,sec4 #fjc4 ,land management 

goals4 ,sec4 #fjd4 ,agreements or       
contracts4 ,sec4 #fje4 ,receipts4 ,sec4 
#fjf4 ,costs of removal4 ,sec4 #fjg4    
,performance and payment guarantees4    
,sec4 #fjh4 ,monitoring and evaluation4 
,sec4 #fji4 ,reporting4,,title          
,,vii--,miscellaneous,sec4 #gja4 ,forest
 stands inventory and monitoring program
 to improve detection of and response to
 environmental threats4,sec4 #gjb4      
,designation of treatment areas4,sec4   
#gjc4 ,administrative review4  4