No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section establishes a categorical exclusion from environmental assessment or environmental impact statement requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act for tree density modification activities carried out by the Bureau of Land Management on treatment areas of less than 5,000 acres. The exclusion applies to covered actions including cutting and removal of commercial and non-commercial trees, chipping or removal of slash, group selection treatments in patches up to 2 acres covering no more than 10 percent of the treatment area, pile burning or underburning, and seeding or planting to accelerate native species re-establishment, but excludes even-aged regeneration harvests such as clearcutting and any vegetation management that converts forest or woodland to non-forest cover. Covered activities may include construction of up to 5 miles of new permanent roads and temporary roads not exceeding 2.5 miles per 1,000 acres, subject to decommissioning and stabilization requirements, and must disclose design features addressing snag retention, erosion control, soil compaction, logging systems, seasonal restrictions, invasive species prevention, riparian buffers, and prescribed fire operations.