US Sen. Mike Rounds is reintroducing the Timber Harvesting Restoration Act.
It is introduced with the goal of improving the US Forest Service’s timber sale numbers in the Black Hills.
Rounds said in recent years sales in the forest have steadily decreased. He said this has caused local timber businesses to eat the additional shipping costs to bring timber from farther away.
Rounds said this bill would return timber production levels to normal.
Specifically, the Timber Harvesting Restoration Act would:
- Require superintendents of National Forest System units (individual national forests) to submit harvesting improvement reports to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) if they have historically fallen well below annual Allowable Sale Quantity numbers laid out in forest plans.
- Require superintendent reports to identify any of the following actions: 1) forest areas that could be used to help meet harvesting targets 2) any actionable steps that may help meet harvesting targets, including expediting environmental review processes, and increasing the use of Good Neighbor Authority when applicable.
- Require superintendents to consult with private industry, advisory committees, local, tribal and state governments and relevant stakeholder groups when drafting improvement reports.
- Require superintendents to submit improvement reports to the Secretary within 180 days of enactment of the Act.
- Require superintendents to demonstrate actionable steps towards improving timber sale numbers within one year of enactment. If a forest supervisor does not increase timber sales from the preceding year, they will be required to submit another improvement report within 180 days after the actionable step deadline.
- If a superintendent does not demonstrate harvesting improvements one year after submitting a harvesting improvement report, the Secretary is directed to take any reasonable steps to improve harvesting outputs. This may include providing additional personnel, expanding the use of Good Neighbor Authority and finding any feasible actions to expedite environmental review processes.
