Sponsors (5)
The bill mobilizes federal coordination, grants, pilots, and research to accelerate white oak restoration and spur rural economic and wildfire-risk benefits, but it increases taxpayer exposure, channels limited resources toward a single species and favored institutions, and raises transparency and administrative trade‑offs.
Private landowners, farmers, and rural communities will receive grants, technical assistance, and greater access to white oak seedlings and expanded nursery capacity, making it easier and cheaper to replant and restore white oak on private and nearby lands.
Communities near national forests and other public lands will see faster hazardous-fuel reduction and forest-restoration projects through mandated use of existing 'good neighbor' and stewardship contracting authorities, reducing local wildfire risk.
Rural economies, nursery and timber industries, and small businesses stand to gain jobs, increased timber productivity, and market opportunities from coordinated seedling production, industry linkages, and applied research/technology transfer.
Taxpayers could face higher federal costs or see funds redirected from other programs to pay for pilots, grants, nursery expansion, research, and implementation of restoration activities.
Concentrating funding, research, and capacity-building on white oak risks diverting resources and attention away from other species, broader reforestation priorities, or other USDA research needs.
Exempting the new Coalition from the Federal Advisory Committee Act and altering Foundation oversight could reduce transparency and public oversight of recommendations and grant administration.
Based on analysis of 11 sections of legislative text.
Establishes federal programs, pilots, a coalition, grants, nursery strategy, and research partnerships to restore white oak forests and expand seedling supply.
Introduced February 6, 2025 by Addison Mitchell McConnell · Last progress February 6, 2025
Creates a coordinated federal effort to restore white oak forests and expand white oak seedling supply across federal, state, tribal, and private lands. It directs the Departments of Agriculture and the Interior to run pilot restoration projects, assess public lands for white oak potential, set up a nonregulatory grant and technical-assistance program, build nursery capacity, and fund research partnerships with qualifying land-grant universities. A voluntary White Oak Restoration Initiative Coalition will advise and report recommendations to Congress, and several deadlines require reports or plans within 180 days to one year.