Search

Table 4.8 Legal framework, main laws and regulations, 2022
Instrument - Conservation
Overview - Regulations governing the Forest Service and related matters, etc.
Reference - 16 U.S.C.

4.86. (...), matters such as land ownership and use, intrastate commerce, regulation of businesses and professions, and use of natural resources are all generally regulated at the state level. Forestry administration, policy, and planning matters on private lands are usually determined individually by each state, aside from certain federal environmental laws that apply to all landownership types. The exception are federal forests, in particular National Forests (19% of U.S. forests), which fall under the purview of the Federal Government and are administered by the U.S. Forest Service; other federal forests (12%) are administered by the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (...)

4.88. (...) Individuals may collect forest products from federal forests but generally must obtain a permit to do so. In 2020, the Forest Service issued a new Rule that revised categorical exclusions to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations, thereby providing easier approval processes for more logging activities in National Forests.

4.89. In January 2021, the President issued an Executive Order, which put the climate crisis at the center of U.S. foreign policy and national security. The E.O. puts in place multiple actions across the Administration to address the climate crisis, with several points impacting the forest sector, including developing a Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry (CSAF) strategy. Based on comments received regarding the CSAF strategy, in February 2022 USDA launched the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities, to provide support for the production and marketing of climate-smart commodities via a set of pilot projects lasting one to five years.

4.90. (...). There is a 10% federal tax credit and amortization for certain reforestation expenses, which has been notified to the WTO (Expensing and Seven-Year Amortization for Reforestation Expenditure scheme). (...) federal tax measures include income exclusions for conservation-oriented programs: the Forest Health Protection Program, the Conservation Reserve Program, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, and certain state programs.

Table 4.9 Forestry support measures, FY2021
Program/Reference - Collaborative Forest Restoration, P.L. 106 393
Activity - Forest restoration
Budget (USD) - 13.8 million

Table 4.9 Forestry support measures, FY2021
Program/Reference - Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program, 16 U.S.C. 2103d
Activity - Purchase of forestlands for conservation
Budget (USD) - 4 million

Table 4.9 Forestry support measures, FY2021
Program/Reference - Cooperative Fire Protection, 16 U.S.C. 2106
Activity - Wildfire prevention
Budget (USD) - 92.4 million

Table 4.9 Forestry support measures, FY2021
Program/Reference - Forest Health Protection, 16 U.S.C. 2104
Activity - To combat forest pests and diseases
Budget (USD) - 46.2 million

Table 4.9 Forestry support measures, FY2021
Program/Reference - Landscape Scale Restoration Program, 16 U.S.C. 2109a
Activity - Forest restoration
Budget (USD) - 14 million