H.R. 471: Fix Our Forests Act

Bill · 119th Congress (2025–2026). Passed House, 23 Jan 2025. Introduced 16 Jan 2025.

Official title: To expedite under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and improve forest management activities on National Forest System lands, on public lands under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management, and on Tribal lands to return resilience to overgrown, fire-prone forested lands, and for other purposes.

Vote results

House, 23 Jan 2025: Passed, 279 Yea, 141 Nay, 0 Present, 13 Not voting. The House’s roll call
Senate: not yet considered.
President: Not before the President yet: both chambers must pass it first.

How each member voted

Senate

Not yet considered.

House

Yea (279): Harold Rogers (R-KY-5); Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ-4); Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD-5); Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-9); Maxine Waters (D-CA-43); Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-GA-2); Ken Calvert (R-CA-41); James E. Clyburn (D-SC-6); Frank D. Lucas (R-OK-3); Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-18); Robert B. Aderholt (R-AL-4); Brad Sherman (D-CA-32); John B. Larson (D-CT-1); Michael K. Simpson (R-ID-2); Mike Thompson (D-CA-4); Pete Sessions (R-TX-17); Sam Graves (R-MO-6); Joe Wilson (R-SC-2); John R. Carter (R-TX-31); Tom Cole (R-OK-4); Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL-26); Mike Rogers (R-AL-3); Michael R. Turner (R-OH-10); Darrell Issa (R-CA-48); Jim Costa (D-CA-21); Henry Cuellar (D-TX-28); Virginia Foxx (R-NC-5); Michael T. McCaul (R-TX-10); Doris O. Matsui (D-CA-7); Gus M. Bilirakis (R-FL-12); Vern Buchanan (R-FL-16); Steve Cohen (D-TN-9); Jim Jordan (R-OH-4); Adrian Smith (R-NE-3); Robert E. Latta (R-OH-5); Robert J. Wittman (R-VA-1); Steve Scalise (R-LA-1); Tim Walberg (R-MI-5); Brett Guthrie (R-KY-2); James A. Himes (D-CT-4); Tom McClintock (R-CA-5); Glenn Thompson (R-PA-15); Judy Chu (D-CA-28); Eric A. "Rick" Crawford (R-AR-1); Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-4); Charles J. "Chuck" Fleischmann (R-TN-3); Paul A. Gosar (R-AZ-9); H. Morgan Griffith (R-VA-9); Andy Harris (R-MD-1); Bill Huizenga (R-MI-4); Mike Kelly (R-PA-16); David Schweikert (R-AZ-1); Austin Scott (R-GA-8); Terri A. Sewell (D-AL-7); Daniel Webster (R-FL-11); Steve Womack (R-AR-3); Mark E. Amodei (R-NV-2); Thomas Massie (R-KY-4); Andy Barr (R-KY-6); Joyce Beatty (D-OH-3); Ami Bera (D-CA-6); Richard Hudson (R-NC-9); David P. Joyce (R-OH-14); Scott Perry (R-PA-10); Scott H. Peters (D-CA-50); Raul Ruiz (D-CA-25); Marc A. Veasey (D-TX-33); Ann Wagner (R-MO-2); Randy K. Weber, Sr. (R-TX-14); Jason Smith (R-MO-8); Pete Aguilar (D-CA-33); Rick W. Allen (R-GA-12); Brian Babin (R-TX-36); Mike Bost (R-IL-12); Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (R-GA-1); Tom Emmer (R-MN-6); Glenn Grothman (R-WI-6); J. French Hill (R-AR-2); Ted Lieu (D-CA-36); Barry Loudermilk (R-GA-11); John R. Moolenaar (R-MI-2); Dan Newhouse (R-WA-4); Gary J. Palmer (R-AL-6); David Rouzer (R-NC-7); Elise M. Stefanik (R-NY-21); Norma J. Torres (D-CA-35); Bruce Westerman (R-AR-4); Bradley Scott Schneider (D-IL-10); David G. Valadao (R-CA-22); Trent Kelly (R-MS-1); Darin LaHood (R-IL-16); Warren Davidson (R-OH-8); James Comer (R-KY-1); Jodey C. Arrington (R-TX-19); Don Bacon (R-NE-2); Jack Bergman (R-MI-1); Andy Biggs (R-AZ-5); Salud O. Carbajal (D-CA-24); Neal P. Dunn (R-FL-2); Brian K. Fitzpatrick (R-PA-1); Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX-34); Clay Higgins (R-LA-3); Steven Horsford (D-NV-4); Mike Johnson (R-LA-4); David Kustoff (R-TN-8); Brian J. Mast (R-FL-21); Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-19); John H. Rutherford (R-FL-5); Lloyd Smucker (R-PA-11); Ron Estes (R-KS-4); Ralph Norman (R-SC-5); Jimmy Gomez (D-CA-34); Thomas R. Suozzi (D-NY-3); Michael Cloud (R-TX-27); Troy Balderson (R-OH-12); Kevin Hern (R-OK-1); Marlin A. Stutzman (R-IN-3); James R. Baird (R-IN-4); Tim Burchett (R-TN-2); Ben Cline (R-VA-6); Angie Craig (D-MN-2); Dan Crenshaw (R-TX-2); Sharice Davids (D-KS-3); Russ Fulcher (R-ID-1); Jared F. Golden (D-ME-2); Lance Gooden (R-TX-5); Michael Guest (R-MS-3); Josh Harder (D-CA-9); Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA-6); Dusty Johnson (R-SD-AL); John Joyce (R-PA-13); Susie Lee (D-NV-3); Mike Levin (D-CA-49); Daniel Meuser (R-PA-9); Carol D. Miller (R-WV-1); Chris Pappas (D-NH-1); Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA-14); John W. Rose (R-TN-6); Chip Roy (R-TX-21); Kim Schrier (D-WA-8); Greg Stanton (D-AZ-4); Pete Stauber (R-MN-8); Bryan Steil (R-WI-1); W. Gregory Steube (R-FL-17); William R. Timmons IV (R-SC-4); Jefferson Van Drew (R-NJ-2); Claudia Tenney (R-NY-24); Gregory F. Murphy (R-NC-3); Thomas P. Tiffany (R-WI-7); Ryan K. Zinke (R-MT-1); Jake Auchincloss (D-MA-4); Cliff Bentz (R-OR-2); Stephanie I. Bice (R-OK-5); Lauren Boebert (R-CO-4); Kat Cammack (R-FL-3); Andrew S. Clyde (R-GA-9); Byron Donalds (R-FL-19); Pat Fallon (R-TX-4); Randy Feenstra (R-IA-4); Michelle Fischbach (R-MN-7); Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI-5); Scott Franklin (R-FL-18); Andrew R. Garbarino (R-NY-2); Diana Harshbarger (R-TN-1); Ashley Hinson (R-IA-2); Ronny Jackson (R-TX-13); Young Kim (R-CA-40); Nancy Mace (R-SC-1); Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY-11); Tracey Mann (R-KS-1); Lisa C. McClain (R-MI-9); Mary E. Miller (R-IL-15); Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA-1); Barry Moore (R-AL-1); Blake D. Moore (R-UT-1); Troy E. Nehls (R-TX-22); Jay Obernolte (R-CA-23); Burgess Owens (R-UT-4); August Pfluger (R-TX-11); Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL-27); Victoria Spartz (R-IN-5); Beth Van Duyne (R-TX-24); Julia Letlow (R-LA-5); Jake Ellzey (R-TX-6); Mike Carey (R-OH-15); Mike Flood (R-NE-1); Brad Finstad (R-MN-1); Rudy Yakym III (R-IN-2); Mark Alford (R-MO-4); Aaron Bean (R-FL-4); Josh Brecheen (R-OK-2); Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13); Eric Burlison (R-MO-7); Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ-6); Mike Collins (R-GA-10); Elijah Crane (R-AZ-2); Donald G. Davis (D-NC-1); Monica De La Cruz (R-TX-15); Chuck Edwards (R-NC-11); Mike Ezell (R-MS-4); Russell Fry (R-SC-7); Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA-3); Harriet M. Hageman (R-WY-AL); Erin Houchin (R-IN-9); Val T. Hoyle (D-OR-4); Wesley Hunt (R-TX-38); John James (R-MI-10); Thomas H. Kean, Jr. (R-NJ-7); Jennifer A. Kiggans (R-VA-2); Kevin Kiley (I-CA-3); Nick LaLota (R-NY-1); Nicholas A. Langworthy (R-NY-23); Michael Lawler (R-NY-17); Laurel M. Lee (R-FL-15); Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL-13); Morgan Luttrell (R-TX-8); Seth Magaziner (D-RI-2); Richard McCormick (R-GA-7); Max L. Miller (R-OH-7); Cory Mills (R-FL-7); Nathaniel Moran (R-TX-1); Jared Moskowitz (D-FL-23); Kevin Mullin (D-CA-15); Zachary Nunn (R-IA-3); Andrew Ogles (R-TN-5); Hillary J. Scholten (D-MI-3); Keith Self (R-TX-3); Eric Sorensen (D-IL-17); Dale W. Strong (R-AL-5); Derrick Van Orden (R-WI-3); Gabe Vasquez (D-NM-2); Celeste Maloy (R-UT-2); Vince Fong (R-CA-20); Michael A. Rulli (R-OH-6); Tony Wied (R-WI-8); Tom Barrett (R-MI-7); Michael Baumgartner (R-WA-5); Nicholas J. Begich III (R-AK-AL); Sheri Biggs (R-SC-3); Robert P. Bresnahan, Jr. (R-PA-8); Janelle S. Bynum (D-OR-5); Jeff Crank (R-CO-5); Troy Downing (R-MT-2); Gabe Evans (R-CO-8); Julie Fedorchak (R-ND-AL); Laura Friedman (D-CA-30); Brandon Gill (R-TX-26); Laura Gillen (D-NY-4); Craig A. Goldman (R-TX-12); Maggie Goodlander (D-NH-2); Adam Gray (D-CA-13); Abraham J. Hamadeh (R-AZ-8); Mike Haridopolos (R-FL-8); Pat Harrigan (R-NC-10); Mark Harris (R-NC-8); Jeff Hurd (R-CO-3); Brian Jack (R-GA-3); Mike Kennedy (R-UT-3); Brad Knott (R-NC-13); Sam T. Liccardo (D-CA-16); Ryan Mackenzie (R-PA-7); April McClain Delaney (D-MD-6); Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-MI-8); Addison P. McDowell (R-NC-6); John J. McGuire III (R-VA-5); Mark B. Messmer (R-IN-8); Riley M. Moore (R-WV-2); Tim Moore (R-NC-14); Derek Schmidt (R-KS-2); Jefferson Shreve (R-IN-6); David J. Taylor (R-OH-2); Derek Tran (D-CA-45); Eugene Simon Vindman (D-VA-7); Eric Swalwell (D-CA-14); Doug LaMalfa (R-CA-1); Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ-11); Mark E. Green (R-TN-7); Tony Gonzales (R-TX-23); Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA-14).

Nay (141): Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ-6); Richard E. Neal (D-MA-1); Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT-3); Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-12); Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA-3); Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY-7); Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS-2); Lloyd Doggett (D-TX-37); Danny K. Davis (D-IL-7); Diana DeGette (D-CO-1); James P. McGovern (D-MA-2); Adam Smith (D-WA-9); Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY-5); Janice D. Schakowsky (D-IL-9); Rick Larsen (D-WA-2); Betty McCollum (D-MN-4); Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA-8); Linda T. Sánchez (D-CA-38); Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO-5); Al Green (D-TX-9); Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL-25); Kathy Castor (D-FL-14); Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY-9); Joe Courtney (D-CT-2); Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. (D-GA-4); André Carson (D-IN-7); Chellie Pingree (D-ME-1); Paul Tonko (D-NY-20); Mike Quigley (D-IL-5); Bill Foster (D-IL-11); William R. Keating (D-MA-9); Frederica S. Wilson (D-FL-24); Dina Titus (D-NV-1); Kweisi Mfume (D-MD-7); Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-1); Suzan K. DelBene (D-WA-1); Julia Brownley (D-CA-26); Joaquin Castro (D-TX-20); Lois Frankel (D-FL-22); Jared Huffman (D-CA-2); Hakeem S. Jeffries (D-NY-8); Grace Meng (D-NY-6); Mark Pocan (D-WI-2); Mark Takano (D-CA-39); Juan Vargas (D-CA-52); Robin L. Kelly (D-IL-2); Katherine M. Clark (D-MA-5); Alma S. Adams (D-NC-12); Donald Norcross (D-NJ-1); Donald S. Beyer, Jr. (D-VA-8); Brendan F. Boyle (D-PA-2); Ed Case (D-HI-1); Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA-10); Debbie Dingell (D-MI-6); Seth Moulton (D-MA-6); Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ-12); Dwight Evans (D-PA-3); Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA-44); Adriano Espaillat (D-NY-13); Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-5); Ro Khanna (D-CA-17); Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-8); Jamie Raskin (D-MD-8); Darren Soto (D-FL-9); Joseph D. Morelle (D-NY-25); Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA-5); Sean Casten (D-IL-6); Jason Crow (D-CO-6); Madeleine Dean (D-PA-4); Veronica Escobar (D-TX-16); Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX-7); Sylvia R. Garcia (D-TX-29); Jesús G. "Chuy" García (D-IL-4); Jahana Hayes (D-CT-5); Lucy McBath (D-GA-6); Joe Neguse (D-CO-2); Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14); Ilhan Omar (D-MN-5); Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-7); Haley M. Stevens (D-MI-11); Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-12); Lori Trahan (D-MA-3); Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14); Cleo Fields (D-LA-6); Sara Jacobs (D-CA-51); Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM-3); Deborah K. Ross (D-NC-2); Marilyn Strickland (D-WA-10); Ritchie Torres (D-NY-15); Nikema Williams (D-GA-5); Troy A. Carter (D-LA-2); Melanie A. Stansbury (D-NM-1); Shontel M. Brown (D-OH-11); Patrick Ryan (D-NY-18); Becca Balint (D-VT-AL); Greg Casar (D-TX-35); Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. (D-CA-31); Jasmine Crockett (D-TX-30); Christopher R. Deluzio (D-PA-17); Valerie P. Foushee (D-NC-4); Maxwell Frost (D-FL-10); Robert Garcia (D-CA-42); Daniel S. Goldman (D-NY-10); Glenn Ivey (D-MD-4); Jonathan L. Jackson (D-IL-1); Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA-37); Greg Landsman (D-OH-1); Summer L. Lee (D-PA-12); Morgan McGarvey (D-KY-3); Robert Menendez (D-NJ-8); Delia C. Ramirez (D-IL-3); Andrea Salinas (D-OR-6); Emilia Strong Sykes (D-OH-13); Shri Thanedar (D-MI-13); Jill N. Tokuda (D-HI-2); Jennifer L. McClellan (D-VA-4); Gabe Amo (D-RI-1); Timothy M. Kennedy (D-NY-26); LaMonica McIver (D-NJ-10); Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ-3); Wesley Bell (D-MO-1); Herbert C. Conaway, Jr. (D-NJ-3); Maxine Dexter (D-OR-3); Sarah Elfreth (D-MD-3); Shomari Figures (D-AL-2); Julie Johnson (D-TX-32); George Latimer (D-NY-16); John W. Mannion (D-NY-22); Sarah McBride (D-DE-AL); Dave Min (D-CA-47); Kelly Morrison (D-MN-3); Johnny Olszewski, Jr. (D-MD-2); Nellie Pou (D-NJ-9); Emily Randall (D-WA-6); Luz M. Rivas (D-CA-29); Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12); Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA-10); David Scott (D-GA-13); Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA-11); Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL-20); Sylvester Turner (D-TX-18).

Not voting (13): Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-11); Gwen Moore (D-WI-4); John Garamendi (D-CA-8); Roger Williams (R-TX-25); J. Luis Correa (D-CA-46); Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-7); Carlos A. Gimenez (R-FL-28); Frank J. Mrvan (D-IN-1); Brittany Pettersen (D-CO-7); Robert F. Onder, Jr. (R-MO-3); Josh Riley (D-NY-19); George Whitesides (D-CA-27); Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ-7).

Not in office (12): Randy Fine (R-FL-6); Jimmy Patronis (R-FL-1); James R. Walkinshaw (D-VA-11); Adelita S. Grijalva (D-AZ-7); Matt Van Epps (R-TN-7); Christian D. Menefee (D-TX-18); Clay Fuller (R-GA-14); Analilia Mejia (D-NJ-11); James Gallagher (R-CA-1); Everton Blair Jr. (D-GA-13); Aisha Wahab (D-CA-14); Michael Waltz (R-FL-6).

Summary

Main subject: Sets up fireshed management areas, a Fireshed Center and a Fireshed Registry, and changes project authorities, environmental review, consultation and court review rules for forest management and wildfire risk reduction on federal, Tribal and other lands, along with related programs, studies and firefighter casualty assistance. Sec. 101, Sec. 102, Sec. 106, Sec. 121, Title II, Title III, Title IV

Its core areas: Fireshed management areas, the Fireshed Center and the Fireshed Registry; Forest management projects and categorical exclusions under the National Environmental Policy Act; Good neighbor agreements and stewardship contracting; Court review and injunction limits for fireshed management projects; Endangered Species Act consultation on forest and land use plans; Community wildfire risk reduction and electric utility rights-of-way; Biochar, wildfire technology and white oak restoration programs; Casualty assistance for wildland firefighters.

Unexpected Items: 14 provisions

These provisions fall outside the bill’s main subject or apply narrowly. This describes the text; it is not a judgment.

Not related to the bill’s main subject (9)

Sec. 118: Water source protection program: Amends the Water Source Protection Program so watershed projects can protect water supply, water quality and water infrastructure, and adds new eligible entity types and project priorities.
Sec. 205: Seeds of success: Requires the Secretaries and the Secretary of Defense to develop a Seeds of Success strategy for the domestic native seed supply chain, including seed storage and Bureau of Land Management warehouse expansion.
Sec. 206: Program to support priority reforestation and restoration projects of Department of the Interior: Directs the Secretary of the Interior to set up a program supporting annually listed reforestation and restoration projects on Interior-administered lands after unplanned disturbances.
Sec. 207: Fire department repayment: Requires standard operating procedures on payment timelines for fire suppression cost share agreements and reimbursement of local fire departments that submit invoices.
Sec. 304: GAO study on Forest Service policies: Requires a GAO study of Forest Service wildland firefighting operations, budget and accounting transparency, and whether to establish a new Federal agency for wildland fire response.
Sec. 305: Forest Service Western headquarters study: Requires the Chief of the Forest Service to study potential locations and benefits of a Western headquarters for the Forest Service.
Sec. 307: Container Aerial Firefighting System (CAFFS): Requires the Secretaries to evaluate and report on the container aerial firefighting system for wildfire mitigation and suppression.
Sec. 308: Study on pine beetle infestation: Requires a Forest Service study and report on the causes, effects and solutions for pine beetle infestation in the Northeastern region.
Sec. 315: Tree nursery shortages: Requires a national strategy to increase capacity of Federal, State, Tribal and private tree nurseries to address the nationwide tree seedling shortage.

Funds a specific named project or event (2)

Sec. 311: White Oak Restoration Initiative Coalition: Establishes the White Oak Restoration Initiative Coalition under a named charter and allows the Secretary to make funds available to it from an account under the Food Security Act of 1985.
Sec. 314: White oak regeneration and upland oak habitat: Directs the Secretary to enter a cooperative agreement with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to run the white oak grant program, with the Foundation receiving each year's amounts as one advance payment.

Exception or delay for a subset (1)

Sec. 204: Categorical exclusion for electric utility lines rights-of-way: Sets a NEPA categorical exclusion for electric utility right-of-way vegetation management plans and routine activities, but it does not apply in National Wilderness Preservation System components or on National Forest System lands where an Act of Congress restricts vegetation removal.

Changes a government process (2)

Sec. 306: Keeping forest plans current and monitored: Provides that the Secretary is not in violation of the forest plan revision requirement solely because more than 15 years passed without revision, and sets plan publication and website requirements.
Sec. 114: Locally-led restoration: Raises the dollar threshold in section 14(d) of the National Forest Management Act from $10,000 to $55,000, adds annual Consumer Price Index adjustment starting January 1, 2027, and requires bids for fireshed management projects to be solicited under that section.

What it does

Sec. 101: Designates fireshed management areas for 5 years after enactment, made up of firesheds identified as high risk in the Forest Service's January 2022 "Wildfire Crisis Strategy" or in the top 20 percent of 7,688 firesheds for wildfire exposure.
Sec. 102: Requires the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to jointly establish an interagency Fireshed Center with four divisions and representatives from listed agencies to assess and predict fire and smoke.
Sec. 106: Requires the Secretary concerned to carry out fireshed management projects in fireshed management areas and treats those projects as authorized under listed categorical exclusions in the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 and other laws.
Sec. 113: Requires the Secretary concerned to establish intra-agency strike teams of not more than 10 individuals to assist with NEPA, National Historic Preservation Act and Endangered Species Act reviews and with carrying out fireshed management projects.
Sec. 121: Bars a court from enjoining a covered agency action unless the plaintiff is likely to succeed on the merits, limits remedies to a 180-day remand in certain cases, and sets a 120-day deadline for filing claims.
Sec. 122: Provides that the Secretary is not required to reinitiate Endangered Species Act consultation on Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management plans when a new species is listed, critical habitat is designated, or new information about effects emerges.
Sec. 111: Amends section 8206 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 to add Indian Tribes and special districts alongside Governors in good neighbor agreements and to allow new permanent road construction on Federal lands in specified cases.
Sec. 203: Amends the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to change the hazard tree distance from an electric power line from "10" to "150" feet and to set 120-day approval timing for vegetation management plans.
Sec. 301: Requires the covered Secretaries, subject to appropriations, to establish a program of partnerships with eligible entities for biochar demonstration projects within 2 years of enactment.
Sec. 401: Requires the Secretary of the Interior to develop, within 6 months, a Wildland Fire Management Casualty Assistance Program for next-of-kin of firefighters and wildland fire support personnel who are ill, critically injured or killed in the line of duty.

Written automatically from the official text by Claude Sonnet 5.5, an AI model. Written 29 Sep 2026 and published after the automatic checks, without a person reading it first. Every line names the section it came from.