S. 476 — White Oak Resiliency Act of 2025

This section defines the term “land-grant college or university” for purposes of this Act to mean (1) an 1862 Institution, (2) an 1890 Institution, or (3) a 1994 Institution (as defined in section 2 of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7601), and section 532 of the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 301 note)). (As background, 1862 Institutions are colleges established under the Morrill Act of 1862 (7 U.S.C. 301 et seq.); 1890 Institutions are historically Black land-grant colleges established under the Second Morrill Act of 1890 (7 U.S.C. 321 et seq.); and 1994 Institutions are tribal colleges.)

This section establishes the White Oak Restoration Initiative Coalition as a voluntary collaborative group of public, state, private, and nongovernmental organizations to coordinate white oak restoration; make policy recommendations on federal and state policies, cross-boundary collaboration, research, outreach, and nursery improvements; and submit a report on its activities to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and the House Committees on Natural Resources and Agriculture not later than two years after enactment. The Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior must provide the Coalition with administrative support, technical services, staff support, and educational materials as necessary. The Federal Advisory Committee Act does not apply to the Coalition, and the Secretary of Agriculture may provide funding to the Coalition from Commodity Credit Corporation accounts established under 16 U.S.C. 3841(f).

This section directs the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, to establish and carry out five pilot projects in national forests to restore white oak through restoration and natural regeneration practices, with at least three projects in national forests reserved or withdrawn from the public domain. The section authorizes the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements to carry out the pilot projects.

This section directs the Secretary of the Interior to assess lands under the department's jurisdiction (covered land, including National Wildlife Refuge System units and abandoned mine lands) for white oak presence and restoration potential, using information from sources such as the White Oak Restoration Initiative Coalition and the Forest Service Chief if available. Not later than 180 days after enactment, the Secretary must submit a report on the assessment to congressional committees of jurisdiction and publish it on the department's website; thereafter, the Secretary must establish and carry out five pilot projects on various covered lands to restore and naturally regenerate white oak forests and may enter into cooperative agreements for that purpose.

This section directs the Secretary of Agriculture, not later than 180 days after enactment, to establish a nonregulatory White Oak and Upland Oak Habitat Regeneration Program to restore and conserve white oak forests and associated wildlife habitat using best available science. In carrying out the program, the Secretary must (1) identify, prioritize, and implement restoration activities; (2) collaborate with the White Oak Restoration Initiative Coalition; (3) adopt a restoration strategy emphasizing cost-effective, measurable outcomes with no net gain in federal full-time equivalent employees; and (4) consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and relevant state governors. The program's purposes include coordinating restoration among federal, state, local, Tribal, and private entities; regenerating oak forests on various lands; enhancing climate resilience; public outreach; and building scientific capacity for planning, monitoring, and research. This section further establishes a voluntary grant and technical assistance program to achieve these purposes, to be administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF)—a congressionally chartered nonprofit that partners with public and private entities to fund conservation projects—pursuant to a cooperative agreement with the Secretary. (NFWF receives annual advance payments, which it invests and uses to support public-private partnerships.) Amounts provided to NFWF for this purpose are subject to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act (16 U.S.C. 3701 et seq.), excluding section 10(a) (16 U.S.C. 3709(a)) (i.e., excluding the specified annual appropriations of $15 million to Interior, $5 million each to Agriculture and Commerce through FY2030 and related 1-to-1 matching and administrative restrictions). (Thus, funding for these grants must be separately appropriated to USDA.)

This section directs the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, to develop and implement, not later than one year after the date of enactment, a national strategy to increase the capacity of federal, state, tribal, and private tree nurseries to address the nationwide shortage of white oak tree seedlings. The strategy must (1) be based on best available science and data from land-grant colleges and universities demonstrating (A) scientific expertise relating to white oak, (B) ability to transfer technologies to the stave industry, (C) geographic proximity to concentrated white oak areas, and (D) support for regional economic development; and (2) identify and address (A) regional shortages of bareroot and container white oak seedlings, (B) regional reforestation opportunities and necessary seedling supply, (C) opportunities to enhance white oak seedling diversity and seed inventories, and (D) barriers to expanding, enhancing, or creating nursery infrastructure.

This section directs the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, to enter into a memorandum of understanding with a land-grant college or university to conduct research on (1) white oak genes with resistance and stress tolerance; (2) white oak trees that exhibit vigor for increasing survival and growth; (3) establishing a diverse white oak seed bank capable of responding to stressors; (4) providing a sustainable supply of white oak seedlings and genetic resources; (5) reforestation of white oak through natural and artificial regeneration; and (6) best methods for white oak reforestation on abandoned mine land sites. It further authorizes the land-grant college or university to consult with states, nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, and other scientific bodies as appropriate.

This section directs the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, to enter into a partnership with an eligible land-grant college or university to conduct research on improving white oak species resiliency, health, and preservation, including (1) population-scale sequencing, (2) stress response traits, (3) seedling physiology and performance, and (4) white oak product development. An eligible entity must demonstrate (A) scientific expertise relating to white oak, (B) the ability to rapidly transfer technologies to the stave industry, (C) geographic proximity to concentrated areas of white oak, and (D) support for regional economic development. The section further prioritizes research relating to white oak resistance to disease, pest, heat, and drought in cultivated, new, and old-growth timber stands.

This section directs the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, to establish a white oak initiative that (1) re-establishes white oak forests where appropriate, (2) improves the management of existing white oak forests to foster natural regeneration of white oak, and (3) provides technical assistance to private landowners to re-establish, improve management of, and naturally regenerate white oak.

This section directs the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture, to the maximum extent practicable, to carry out activities under this Act using authorities provided under this Act and its amendments in combination with other legal authorities, including (1) good neighbor agreements under 16 U.S.C. 2113a (i.e., cooperative agreements authorizing states and counties to perform forest, rangeland, and watershed restoration services on eligible federal lands) and (2) stewardship contracting projects under 16 U.S.C. 6591c.