Bill > S476

This bill establishes a comprehensive national strategy for white oak restoration and conservation, involving multiple federal agencies and stakeholders. The bill creates the White Oak Restoration Initiative Coalition, a voluntary collaborative group tasked with coordinating restoration efforts, making policy recommendations, and submitting a report to Congress within two years. The legislation directs both the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Interior to conduct pilot projects in national forests and on federal lands to restore white oak forests, assess white oak presence, and develop regeneration strategies. It establishes a nonregulatory White Oak and Upland Oak Habitat Regeneration Program to improve white oak growth, create a voluntary grant and technical assistance program, and collaborate with various entities including land-grant universities, state governments, and conservation partners. The bill also mandates research on white oak genetics, stress tolerance, and seedling development, and creates initiatives through the Natural Resources Conservation Service to re-establish and manage white oak forests. Additionally, the legislation addresses tree nursery shortages by developing a national strategy to increase white oak seedling production and support regional economic development. The ultimate goals are to improve white oak forest health, enhance wildlife habitat, and increase the resilience of white oak ecosystems in the face of changing climate conditions.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/476/all-info