,,ii #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #ahdi ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,june #ac1 #bjai ,ms4 ,mc,sally introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,energy and ,natural ,resources ,a ,,bill ,to provide flexibility and improve the effectiveness of the ,four ,forests ,restoration ,initiative in the ,state of ,arizona4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,accelerating ,forest ,restoration ,act of #bjai4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds that-- 7#a7 there is an urgent need in the ,state of ,arizona-- 7,a7 to restore the ponderosa pine forest ecosystems2 7,b7 to reestablish beneficial natural fire regimes2 7,c7 to sustain native biological diversity2 and 7,d7 to protect communities from unnaturally severe fires2 7#b7 the low and zero values of forest restoration byproducts undermine the success of establishing and maintaining a private sector wood industry2 7#c7 ,forest ,service appraisal1 sale1 and accountability procedures for conventional timber production overemphasize capturing marginal wood value at the expense of accelerating treatments and private sector success2 7#d7 the economic and natural resource benefits of a restored acre1 such as wildfire avoidance1 watershed protection1 wildlife habitat1 and recreational opportunities1 exceed the value of the wood removed and provide greater benefit to taxpayers2 7#e7 ,forest ,service analyses do not capture the low value of timber under #d;,,fri as a byproduct of restoration or reflect the cost of removal and transportation of that timber to available markets2 7#f7 landscape-scale forest restoration under #d;,,fri can and should be accelerated in an economically and socially viable manner that promotes ecological sustainability1 forest resilience1 and shared forest stewardship across multiple users of national forests2 and 7#g7 progress under #d;,,fri has not kept pace with stated goals to partner with industry to mechanically treat approximately #a1jjj1jjj acres of ponderosa pine forests within #bj years4 #c4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 #d;,,fri ,the term #d;,,fri means the ,four ,forests ,restoration ,initiative under the ,restoration ,program1 which-- 7,a7 aims to restore #b1djj1jjj acres of ponderosa pine forests and associated ecosystems in the ,state of ,arizona through a combination of mechanical thinning1 prescribed fires1 and comprehensive restoration activities2 7,b7 is a joint effort between the ,restoration ,program administered by the ,forest ,service and the ,four ,forests ,restoration ,initiative ,stakeholder ,group2 and 7,c7 takes place on portions of the ,coconino1 ,kaibab1 ,apache-,sitgreaves1 and ,tonto national forests along the ,mogollon ,rim in the ,state of ,arizona4 7#b7 ,forest restoration byproduct ,the term forest restoration byproduct means a forest product derived from active ecological restoration through commercial timber sales and permits1 stewardship contracts1 special forest product sales and permits1 and woody biomass utilization 7as defined in the implementation guidelines of the ,restoration ,program74 7#c7 ,low-value restoration byproduct ,the term low-value restoration byproduct means a forest restoration byproduct the value of which is not more than #be percent of industry expectations for high value restoration byproducts4 7#d7 ,no-value restoration byproduct ,the term no-value restoration byproduct means a forest restoration byproduct that has zero or negative value after stumpage1 harvest1 processing1 and transport costs are deducted from the price charged by a mill1 power plant1 or other processing facility to sell that forest restoration byproduct4 7#e7 ,partner ,the term partner means any #d;,,fri contractor or agent of a contractor that has a contract or agreement with1 or permit from1 the ,forest ,service to implement an approved project in accordance with the ,restoration ,program4 7#f7 ,project ,the term project means an activity conducted under any timber-related sale1 contract1 or stewardship agreement-- 7,a7 to which the ,forest ,service is a party2 and 7,b7 that implements an approved #d;,,fri restoration treatment under a contract1 agreement1 or permit that complies with the requirements of the ,restoration ,program4 7#g7 ,restoration ,program ,the term ,restoration ,program means the ,collaborative ,forest ,landscape ,restoration ,program established under section #djjc of the ,omnibus ,public ,land ,management ,act of #bjji 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #gcjc74 7#h7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,agriculture4 #d4 ,classification of restoration byproducts as low-value or no-value ,the ,secretary may designate as a low-value or no-value restoration byproduct a forest restoration byproduct that is not a low-value or no-value restoration byproduct if that forest restoration byproduct was harvested-- 7#a7 in a manner consistent with the requirements of the ,restoration ,program2 and 7#b7 within any geographic area on which #d;,,fri takes place4 #e4 ,exception to whole log export limitation for project timber ,the ,secretary shall revise section #bbc4afb of title #cf1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations1 to permit unprocessed forest restoration byproducts and low-value and no-value restoration byproducts to be exported from the ,united ,states if those byproducts were harvested-- 7#a7 in a manner consistent with the requirements of the ,restoration ,program2 and 7#b7 within any geographic area on which #d;,,fri takes place4 #f4 ,exemption to identifying and marking project timber ,the ,secretary shall revise section #bbc4aie of title #cf1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations1 to exclude low-value or no-value forest restoration byproducts from the requirement to paint1 brand1 or hammerstamp timber under that section if those byproducts were harvested-- 7#a7 in a manner consistent with the requirements of the ,restoration ,program2 and 7#b7 within any geographic area on which #d;,,fri takes place4 #g4 ,transportation of forest restoration byproducts 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall not require a partner to weigh a vehicle used for a project4 7b7 ,average truck weight ,the ,secretary may assign an average truck weight for a truck carrying forest restoration byproducts from a project using-- 7#a7 existing load ticket data2 and 7#b7 an average product weight that is mutually agreed on by the ,forest ,service and each partner for that project4 7c7 ,maximum truck weight ,notwithstanding any other provision of law1 on request of the ,governor of ,arizona1 for a logging truck on a project-- 7#a7 the ,secretary shall increase the maximum truck weight limit on ,forest ,service roads and bridges to #ia1hjj pounds 7or the multi-axle equivalent72 and 7#b7 the ,secretary of ,transportation shall increase the maximum truck weight limit on any route on the ,interstate ,system in the ,state of ,arizona to #ia1hjj pounds 7or the multi-axle equivalent74 7d7 ,waiver of cleaning and inspection requirements ,at the request of a partner1 the ,secretary shall waive any applicable cleaning or inspection requirement for any piece of equipment or any truck that-- 7#a7 is used in harvesting under the project2 and 7#b7 has passed at least #a prior inspection4 #h4 ,adjustment to time-since-cut requirements ,the ,secretary shall allow forest restoration byproducts harvested under a project to remain at the project site for not more than #abj days before removal by the partner on that project4