Forest Health and Wildfire Risk Reduction Act
Sponsored By: Representative Hurd, Jeff [R-CO-3]
In Committee
Summary
Creates a NEPA categorical exclusion for certain tree density modification projects under 5,000 acres. This bill would let the Bureau of Land Management move ahead with thinning, chipping, pile burning, planting, and small-group selection treatments without an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement, while excluding some regeneration harvest methods and requiring disclosure of project design features.
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- Federal land managers would face less NEPA paperwork and could start eligible fuels-reduction actions more quickly, changing how small-scale forest treatments are scheduled.
- Communities and firefighters near public forests could see faster on-the-ground wildfire-risk reduction work because eligible projects would skip EA and EIS steps.
- Project design limits would still apply. The bill allows up to 5 miles of new permanent road and temporary roads at up to 2.5 miles per 1,000 acres. It bars clearcutting and conversions to non-forest and requires disclosures on snags, erosion control, soil compaction, riparian buffers, invasive species measures, prescribed fire constraints, and temporary road decommissioning.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Faster BLM tree thinning projects
If enacted, this bill would let the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) treat certain tree density projects under 5,000 acres without preparing a NEPA environmental assessment or environmental impact statement. Covered activities would include cutting and yarding, chipping or removing slash, small group-selection openings (no patch over 2 acres and no more than 10% of the area), pile or underburning, and seeding or planting. The bill would allow up to 5 miles of new permanent road per project, and temporary roads up to 2.5 miles per 1,000 treatment acres; temporary roads must not be added to the permanent system and must be decommissioned and stabilized. When BLM finds a project is excluded, its documentation would have to disclose design features for snag and downed wood, erosion control, soil compaction, logging systems and seasonal limits, invasive species measures, riparian buffers, prescribed-fire constraints, and temporary-road decommissioning standards.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Hurd, Jeff [R-CO-3]
CO • R
Cosponsors
Rep. Newhouse, Dan [R-WA-4]
WA • R
Sponsored 5/7/2026
Edwards
NC • R
Sponsored 5/12/2026
Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17]
NY • R
Sponsored 5/12/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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