Seedlings for Sustainable Habitat Restoration Act of 2025

This bill lets the U.S. Forest Service team up more easily with states, Tribes, colleges, nonprofits, and regional groups to restore forests and habitats. It allows contracts, grants, and agreements to collect and store native seeds (including from seed orchards) and grow seedlings for replanting after fires, floods, and other damage. It also adds colleges and universities as eligible partners in a key forest restoration program, encouraging more research and hands-on help in the field .

In plain terms, this aims to speed up replanting, boost the supply of native seeds and young trees, and support local and Tribal groups who do on-the-ground restoration work.

• Who is affected: State forestry agencies, Tribal governments, local nonprofits, colleges/universities, and multistate coalitions can receive funding and partner with the Forest Service; communities near damaged forests benefit from faster recovery .
• What changes: New authority to fund seed collection and storage and to produce seedlings for revegetation; colleges are explicitly included as partners in a major restoration program .
• When: These changes would take effect upon enactment, enabling new agreements and projects going forward.