Title V—Healthy Forests Reserve Program

Title V directs the USDA to establish a Healthy Forests Reserve Program to acquire short- and long-term agreements and easements on private land to promote the recovery of endangered species, improve biodiversity, and enhance carbon sequestration. It:

• Directs the Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with the Secretaries of the Interior and Commerce, to designate rare forest ecosystems that are eligible for the reserve program
  
  
• Specifies lands eligible for enrollment and lists eligibility and enrollment requirements for program participants, including enrollment priorities for land with threatened and endangered species
  
  
• Allows lands to be enrolled based on a 10-year cost-share agreement, a 30-year easement, or an easement of not more than 99 years
  
  
• Specifies a maximum enrollment of 2 million acres
  
  
• Requires the Secretary to consider the cost effectiveness of each agreement and its restoration plans to maximize the environmental benefits per dollar expended

Title V does not designate an implementing agency. The USDA is conducting a detailed assessment to determine the capacities that are needed to deliver the Healthy Forests Reserves Program. Once the assessment is complete, the USDA will proceed with our ongoing assessment of the agency or agencies that would best be positioned to deliver this program.