Expediting Forest Restoration and Recovery Act of 2025

Senate Bill

S. 449

119th Congress

Expediting Forest Restoration and Recovery Act of 2025

In Committee

Introduced:Feb 6, 2025

Primary Sponsor

John Thune

Senator

Republican

SD

Cosponsors

2

Quick Stats

Policy Area

Environmental Protection

Summary

This bill speeds up the process for the U.S. Forest Service to conduct projects that reduce wildfire risk and combat insect and disease problems in national forests. It allows the Forest Service to use faster environmental review processes in areas designated as at-risk for insects, disease, or wildfire, and lets states keep and reuse money from timber sales conducted under cooperative agreements.

Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. (text: CR S794)

SponsorJohn Thune (R-SD)

Introduced2/6/2025

StatusRead twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. (text: CR S794)

ChamberSenate

Data from Congress.gov

See this page through your district lens

Enter ZIP to personalize representatives and vote context.

Stay on top of this issue

Subscribe for weekly bill and representative updates.

Vote Prediction

Expediting Forest Restoration and Recovery Act of 2025

This bill speeds up the process for the U.S. Forest Service to conduct projects that reduce wildfire risk and combat insect and disease problems in national forests. It allows the Forest Service to use faster environmental review processes in areas designated

Community Breakdown

Pass

0%

Fail

0%

0 predictions

This bill speeds up the process for the U.S. Forest Service to conduct projects that reduce wildfire risk and combat insect and disease problems in national forests. It allows the Forest Service to use faster environmental review processes in areas designated as at-risk for insects, disease, or wildfire, and lets states keep and reuse money from timber sales conducted under cooperative agreements.

Bill Number: 449
Sponsor: John Thune (R-SD)
Introduced: 2/6/2025
Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. (text: CR S794)
Policy Area: Environmental Protection

Data from Congress.gov

AI-generated summary

Fact Sheet

Title: Expediting Forest Restoration and Recovery Act of 2025
Bill Number: 449
Sponsor: John Thune (R-SD)
Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. (text: CR S794)
Introduced: 2/6/2025
Summary: This bill speeds up the process for the U.S. Forest Service to conduct projects that reduce wildfire risk and combat insect and disease problems in national forests. It allows the Forest Service to use faster environmental review processes in areas designated as at-risk for insects, disease, or wild

Data from Congress.gov

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

This bill speeds up the process for the U.S. Forest Service to conduct projects that reduce wildfire risk and combat insect and disease problems in national forests. It allows the Forest Service to use faster environmental review processes in areas designated as at-risk for insects, disease, or wildfire, and lets states keep and reuse money from timber sales conducted under cooperative agreements.

Last updated: 3/5/2026

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

The Forest Service must use expedited environmental review procedures when conducting hazardous fuel reduction or insect and disease treatment projects in designated at-risk forest areas.
In certain forest areas suitable for timber production, the Forest Service can use a categorical exclusion that skips lengthy environmental reviews.
The bill requires the Forest Service to prioritize reducing wildfire and insect infestation risks over other forest management goals in at-risk areas.
States can now keep revenue from timber sales conducted under Good Neighbor Authority agreements and use it for additional forest restoration projects within the state.
The expedited procedures do not apply to designated wilderness areas or most roadless areas.

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

This bill primarily affects how the U.S. Forest Service manages national forests, particularly in areas facing high wildfire risk or insect and disease problems. It impacts state forestry agencies by allowing them to retain and reinvest timber sale revenue from cooperative projects. Environmental groups and communities near national forests may see faster implementation of forest management projects, though with less extensive environmental review in some cases.

Policy Areas

Primary Policy Area

Environmental Protection

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

449, 119th Congress (2025). "Expediting Forest Restoration and Recovery Act of 2025". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-s-449