House subcommittee reviews 'Forest Act' to expand tribal co‑management, sawmill pilots and cultural burning on federal forests

The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands on May 20, 2025, heard testimony on the discussion draft Fostering Opportunities to Restore Ecosystems Through Sound Tribal Stewardship Act (Forest Act), a bill intended to increase tribal participation in management of fire‑prone federal forests and to support infrastructure and workforce capacity for restoration.

The Forest Act would authorize pilots to treat certain federal forest lands as Indian forest lands for planning and stewardship purposes, expand the Tribal Forest Protection Act (TFPA) authorities, create tribal sawmill and biomass/biochar demonstration projects, authorize tribal prescribed and cultural burn pilots, clarify tribal participation in Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) and stewardship contracting, and require a report on parity in pay between federal and tribal firefighters.

Supporters said the bill would harness tribal ecological knowledge, speed restoration work and create local jobs; Forest Service and other witnesses warned the draft raises legal and operational issues that need technical fixes and additional agency coordination.

Representative Hurd, the bill sponsor, told the panel the Forest Act "harnesses the profound knowledge and experience of tribes to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire and make forests more resilient to drought, insects, and disease." He described provisions to expand stewardship contracting, extend pilot programs and establish tribal sawmill demonstration projects, including 20‑year stewardship contracts intended to provide long‑term certainty to sawmill investors.

John Crockett,…