§6512 Authorized Hazardous Fuel Reduction Projects

Summary

The Secretary must start authorized hazardous fuel-reduction projects as soon as possible after December 3, 2003. These projects can be done on federal land in wildland-urban interface areas; on condition class 3 lands or certain condition class 2 lands that are close enough to municipal water supplies to threaten water quality if a big fire happens; on federal land damaged by wind, ice, or insect or disease outbreaks that threaten nearby resources; and on federal land with threatened or endangered species habitat if specific protection steps are met. Projects must follow the applicable resource management plan and other rules, must not treat more than 20,000,000 acres total, and may not be done in National Wilderness areas, lands where removing vegetation is banned by law or proclamation, or Wilderness Study Areas. Projects should focus on removing small trees, thinning, building strategic fuel breaks, and using prescribed fire, while keeping large trees whenever appropriate to help stands resist fire. The law defines a few key terms in one line each: Applicable period — either the 2-year period starting December 3, 2003 (or 3 years for plans being revised); Covered project — a fuel-reduction project on the lands listed above; Management direction — the plan rules for old-growth stands; Old growth stand — what those plan rules call old growth. For covered projects, the Secretary must keep or restore old-growth structure and large trees to the pre-fire-suppression conditions for that forest type, follow newer management direction made on or after December 15, 1993, and review older direction during the applicable period (and stop work in stands identified as old growth if that review is not finished until it is done or the 20,000,000-acre limit is reached). The Secretary must monitor a representative sample of projects by region and State Office, issue reports not later than 5 years after December 3, 2003 and every 5 years after that with evaluations and recommendations, encourage multiparty monitoring with diverse stakeholders (including tribes), use contracts or grants for data collection when helpful, track acres burned by severity for large wildfires, and set up a process to monitor and maintain treated areas over time.