05/20/2025 at 10:15AM
On Tuesday, May 20, 2025, at 10:15 a.m., in room 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Federal Lands will hold a legislative hearing on the following bill:
- Discussion Draft of H.R. ___ (Rep. Hurd), “Fostering Opportunities to Restore Ecosystems through Sound Tribal Stewardship Act” or the “FORESTS Act.”
Witnesses:
Panel I (Members of Congress):
- To Be Announced
Panel II (Federal Officials):
- Mr. John Crockett, Deputy Chief for State, Private, and Tribal Forestry, U.S. Forest Service
Panel III (Outside Experts):
- Cody Desautel, President, Intertribal Timber Council, Nespelem, Washington
- Sara Clark, Co-Lead, The Stewardship Project, San Francisco, California
- Tim Vredenburg, Director of Forest Management, Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, Roseburg, Oregon
- Austin Lowes, Chairman, Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan [Minority Witness]
The “Fostering Opportunities to Restore Ecosystems through Sound Tribal Stewardship (FORESTS) Act” is comprehensive legislation that empowers cross-boundary forest management on Tribal forest lands and federal forest lands where Tribes have a principally relevant tribal interest.
To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to enter into agreements with Indian Tribes for the performance of certain forest management activities on Federal lands, including the performance of forest land management activities, biochar demonstration projects, and sawmill infrastructure demonstration projects, and for other purposes.