Federal program funds forest replanting after disasters for seven years.

What it does

The bill creates a program to replant and restore forests and grasslands. It covers land owned by the government and tribal nations after wildfires, pests, or bad weather. The Department of Interior will find damaged areas and pick which ones to fix first each year. It will pay for the work through grants and contracts with states, tribes, and universities. The program lasts seven years and must report to Congress every year.

Who it affects

People who use public lands benefit from healthier forests and grasslands. Tribal nations get a say in what gets restored on their lands. States and local governments help plan the work.

One thing to notice

The program stops after seven years unless Congress votes to keep it going. Money for the work must be approved by Congress each year.

From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.

Where it stands

2 cosponsors: 2 Republicans.

• Jan 16, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Jan 16, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Agriculture and House Committee on Natural Resources · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period…”
• Apr 29, 2025 — Hearing held · Congress.gov: “Subcommittee Hearings Held”
• Jul 23, 2025 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”
• Jul 23, 2025 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Ordered to be Reported by Unanimous Consent”
• Mar 16, 2026 — Passed the House · Congress.gov: “On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H2524)”
• Mar 16, 2026 — Floor vote scheduled · Congress.gov: “Mr. Wittman moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

2 groups reported lobbying about this bill. They filed 3 reports from Dec 2025 to Jun 2026.

Those reports show $3,590,000 in lobbying spending. Each report lists about 123 bills. So that money was not all for this bill.

More groups named this bill than 41% of bills with any report.

Brittany Pettersen, who sponsored the bill, received $1,031,365 from PACs for the 2026 election.

• American Property Casualty Insurance Association — $3,540,000 in 2 reports
• Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership — $50,000 in 1 report

Lobbying is legal. These reports show who lobbied about this bill, not what changed.

Words to know

• Department of Interior — The federal agency that manages public lands, wildlife, and natural resources.
• grants — Money given by the government that does not have to be paid back.
• contracts — Written deals where one side agrees to do work and the other pays.
• tribal nations — American Indian groups with their own governments and lands.
• lobbying — Trying to influence lawmakers about a bill. Companies and groups pay people to do this.
• PACs — Groups that collect money and give it to candidates for office.