To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to require the Secretary of Agriculture to establish the forest conservation easement program, and for other purposes.
Summary
What This Bill Does
The bill amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to insert a new Subtitle I establishing a Forest Conservation Easement Program for conservation and restoration of eligible forest land through acquisition of conservation easements, directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a forest conservation easement program to protect forest land viability, enhance ecosystems and biodiversity, promote carbon sequestration, restore watersheds, protect, and defines key terms for the Forest Conservation Easement Program including beginning forest landowner, eligible entity (government agencies, tribes, conservation organizations), eligible land (private or tribal forest. It relies on mandate, program creation, subsidy, and eligibility expansion. The main policy areas are Environment, Agriculture, Public Finance, and Defense.
Who Benefits and How
Forest Conservation Easement Program could gain revenue opportunities, Beginning/socially disadvantaged/veteran forest landowners could gain revenue opportunities, and Indian Tribes could gain revenue opportunities.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Commodity Credit Corporation could face higher costs, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service would take on compliance duties, and Real estate developers near forests could face higher barriers.
Key Provisions
- Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to insert a new Subtitle I establishing a Forest Conservation Easement Program for conservation and restoration of eligible forest land through acquisition of conservation easements...
- Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a forest conservation easement program to protect forest land viability, enhance ecosystems and biodiversity, promote carbon sequestration, restore watersheds, protect...
- Defines key terms for the Forest Conservation Easement Program including beginning forest landowner, eligible entity (government agencies, tribes, conservation organizations), eligible land (private or tribal forest...
- Establishes forest land easement provisions with 50-75% federal cost-share for purchases by eligible entities, requiring conservation plans, right of enforcement, and landowner protections including continued...
- Creates forest reserve easement program for endangered species habitat, offering permanent, 30-year, or tribal-specific easements with cost-share assistance for restoration activities and 10-year safe harbor assurances...
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
The bill amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to insert a new Subtitle I establishing a Forest Conservation Easement Program for conservation and restoration of eligible forest land through acquisition of conservation easements, directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a forest conservation easement program to protect forest land viability, enhance ecosystems and biodiversity, promote carbon sequestration, restore watersheds, protect, and defines key terms for the Forest Conservation Easement Program including beginning forest landowner, eligible entity (government agencies, tribes, conservation organizations), eligible land (private or tribal forest.
Key Policy Areas
Environment, Agriculture, Public Finance, Defense
Primary Purpose
The bill amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to insert a new Subtitle I establishing a Forest Conservation Easement Program for conservation and restoration of eligible forest land through acquisition of conservation easements, directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a forest conservation easement program to protect forest land viability, enhance ecosystems and biodiversity, promote carbon sequestration, restore watersheds, protect, and defines key terms for the Forest Conservation Easement Program including beginning forest landowner, eligible entity (government agencies, tribes, conservation organizations), eligible land (private or tribal forest.
Policy Domains
Section 2 — Forest Conservation Easement Program
Identified Gains
- Forest Conservation Easement Program
- Beginning/socially disadvantaged/veteran forest landowners
- Indian Tribes
- Private forest landowners selling easements
- Private forest landowners
Identified Costs
- Commodity Credit Corporation
- USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
- Real estate developers near forests
- Military installations near forests
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Kelly of Mississippi (for himself, Ms. Goodlander, Mr. Moore …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Beginning forest landowners, Beginning/socially disadvantaged/veteran forest landowners, Existing Healthy Forests Reserve Program participants
Conservation nonprofits (501(c)(3)), Conservation organizations, Eligible entities (third-party enforcement)
Commodity Credit Corporation, Forest Conservation Easement Program, Indian Tribes
Positive-direction: Forest Conservation Easement Program, Indian Tribes
Negative-direction: Commodity Credit Corporation, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Agriculture
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Agriculture
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Agriculture
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
A person who has not previously owned forest land or has owned forest land for not more than 10 years.
An agency of State or local government, Indian Tribe, or conservation organization under IRC 170(h)(4)(A) and 501(c)(3).
Private or Tribal land that is forest land or being restored to forest land, subject to a pending easement offer or enrollment criteria for reserve easements.
A forest landowner who is a member of a socially disadvantaged group, defined as one subjected to racial or ethnic prejudice per section 2501(a) of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology