S1981-119

What This Bill Does

Requires Agriculture and Interior to evaluate and use livestock grazing as a wildfire-risk reduction tool on National Forest System and public lands, including identifying grazing opportunities, coordinating with permit holders, and reporting implementation.

Who Benefits and How

Grazing permittees benefit because the bill pushes federal land managers to use livestock grazing as a fuel-reduction tool and may create more grazing opportunities or more flexible permit coordination. At-risk communities benefit if targeted grazing reduces hazardous grasses or other fuels that carry wildfire toward homes, roads, watersheds, or infrastructure. Forest Service and BLM wildfire planners benefit from another treatment option where mechanical thinning or prescribed fire is less suitable.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Forest Service grazing staff and BLM grazing staff must evaluate where grazing can reduce wildfire risk, coordinate with current or potential permittees, and document results. Wildlife habitat managers and recreation users may face site-specific tradeoffs if grazing is expanded in sensitive areas, so those effects are uncertain and depend on local management. Federal land permit administrators bear additional workload.

Key Provisions

• Defines National Forest System, public lands, Secretary, and Secretary concerned.
• Directs Agriculture and Interior to evaluate livestock grazing for wildfire-risk reduction.
• Encourages use of grazing to reduce hazardous fuels where appropriate.
• Requires coordination with grazing permittees or prospective permittees.
• Creates implementation and reporting work for federal land managers.