Sponsors (5)
This bill channels federal coordination, grants, nursery capacity, and research toward restoring white oak and strengthening rural forest resilience—delivering concrete support to landowners and communities—but it requires new or reallocated funding, shifts responsibilities and oversight, and may produce uneven geographic and species-level trade-offs.
Private landowners and rural communities will get direct technical assistance, outreach, grant opportunities, and access to seedlings to restore and manage white oak, lowering the cost and difficulty of on-the-ground restoration.
Public and private forests near communities will see improved habitat, biodiversity, and resilience to wildfire, pests, and climate stressors from coordinated restoration and science-based practices.
Federal agencies can use and better coordinate existing authorities (e.g., stewardship contracts, Good Neighbor Authority) to accelerate hazardous fuel reduction and restoration projects, potentially lowering administrative barriers and speeding work.
American taxpayers and federal budgets are likely to face increased spending for grants, pilots, nursery expansion, and research support across multiple program elements.
Program funding and federal research support may divert resources from other conservation, agricultural, or NIFA priorities, creating opportunity costs for existing programs.
Combining authorities and exempting advisory bodies from the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) can reduce formal oversight, transparency, and normal procurement/accountability standards for some restoration activities.
Based on analysis of 11 sections of legislative text.
Creates federal programs, pilots, grants, a national coalition, nursery capacity planning, and research partnerships to restore white oak forests and expand seedling supply and resilience.
Introduced February 6, 2025 by Addison Mitchell McConnell · Last progress February 6, 2025
Creates a coordinated federal effort to restore white oak and upland oak forests by directing USDA and DOI to run restoration initiatives, pilots, assessments, grants, nursery capacity-building, and research partnerships. It establishes a voluntary national coalition, funds grant-making through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, requires pilot projects on national forests and DOI lands, and directs research and nursery strategies to increase seedling supply and genetic resilience.