Sponsors (16)
The bill directs targeted federal funding to build forestry workforce training and economic opportunity for eligible rural and tribal communities, but its eligibility limits, award-size threshold, and administrative requirements narrow who can access those benefits and impose an ongoing federal cost.
Residents in eligible rural, low-income nonmetropolitan, and tribal communities receive new federally funded forestry workforce grants and training programs (grants $500K–$2M) that create job skills, placement opportunities, and support local economic development.
Students at partner secondary, vocational, and community colleges gain expanded hands-on forestry training and stronger connections to employers, improving career pathways and workforce-readiness.
Tribal communities can apply and compete for program funding to build forestry workforce programs tailored to local cultural and workforce needs.
Small communities, grassroots organizations, and startups are likely excluded or disadvantaged because the program's $500,000 minimum award threshold and capacity requirements favor larger or established institutions.
Communities with forestry needs but that don't meet the bill's eligibility definitions (low-income nonmetro, specific broadband access/plan, population ≤50,000) are left out of the program's benefits.
Administrative, reporting, and sustainability requirements inherent in grant competition may advantage established providers over newer or smaller local organizations, reducing equitable access to funds.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Creates a USDA competitive grant program to fund career-pathway forestry training in eligible rural areas, authorizing $10M annually for FY2026–2030.
Establishes a new competitive grant program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture to fund career-pathway training in forestry operations and forestry products industries in eligible, mostly nonmetropolitan areas. Grants run up to four years, range from $500,000 to $2,000,000, and are available to nonprofits, States, Indian Tribes, local governments, and colleges; the program is authorized at $10 million per year for FY2026–2030 and must be set up within one year of enactment. Applications must show organizational capacity, local need, plans for reaching trainees, and program sustainability; proposals that address an aging workforce and youth out-migration, partner with secondary or community colleges, or demonstrate strong hiring/placement pathways will be prioritized. Eligible areas must meet low-income, broadband access/plan, and population (≤50,000) criteria.
Introduced July 21, 2025 by Marie Gluesenkamp Perez · Last progress July 21, 2025