Bill > HR3553

This bill directs the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a comprehensive study within one year of enactment to evaluate wildfire mitigation methods in shrubland ecosystems. The study will assess the effectiveness of various strategies such as hazardous fuel management, maintaining native ecosystem health, preventing ember ignitions, and understanding the conditions that impact wildfire risks. Specifically, the Secretary will evaluate activities like creating strategic fuel breaks, mitigating invasive species, improving native shrub species recovery, and examining how weather, topography, and seasonality affect fire mitigation techniques. The study will also identify administrative and budgetary challenges that impede fire management efforts and assess partnerships between the Forest Service and non-federal entities. The research will cover multiple types of shrubland ecosystems including chaparral, coastal sage scrub, sagebrush, and other dryland shrub environments. Within 90 days of completing the study, the Secretary must submit a public report to Congressional committees that includes study results, best practices for land managers, recommendations for further research, and opportunities to improve coordination between federal and non-federal entities in wildfire resilience efforts.

Agriculture and Natural Resources, Government Affairs

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3553/all-info