Post-Disaster Reforestation and Restoration Act of 2025

This bill creates a national program to replant trees and restore damaged lands after disasters. Each year, the Department of the Interior must find federal and tribal lands hurt by unplanned events—like wildfires, insect or disease outbreaks, or severe weather—that won’t recover on their own, then set a list of top projects to fix them . The work can be done through grants, contracts, or partnerships, and the program can also support seed and seedling supplies so projects have what they need to succeed. Agencies must reach out to tribes, states, local governments, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian organizations, universities, and other federal land agencies to plan and carry out the work. Interior must report after two years and then every year on progress, needs, and gaps, including any backlog and funding needs for reforestation and restoration.

Key points

• Who is affected: Federal lands run by the National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Forest Service, and Bureau of Indian Affairs, plus Indian Forest Lands and Rangelands; also tribes, states, local governments, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian organizations, universities, and nearby federal agencies .
• What changes: Annual identification of damaged lands; yearly “priority project” list; use of grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements; support for seed and seedling availability; required outreach; and regular public reporting on progress and needs.
• When: Interior must start identifying lands within one year of the law taking effect, set priorities each year, and submit reports two years after enactment and annually after that.