1. Short title This Act may be cited as the National Forest System Vegetation Management Pilot Program Act of 2017 . 2. Utility infrastructure rights-of-way vegetation management pilot program (a) Pilot program required To encourage owners or operators of rights-of-way on National Forest System land to partner with the Forest Service to voluntarily perform vegetation management on a proactive basis to better protect utility infrastructure from potential passing wildfires, the Secretary shall conduct a limited, voluntary pilot program, in the manner described in this section, to permit vegetation management projects on National Forest System land adjacent to or near such rights-of-way. (b) Eligible participants A participant in the pilot program must have a right-of-way on National Forest System land. In selecting participants, the Secretary shall give priority to holders of a right-of-way who have worked with Forest Service fire scientists and used technologies, such as Light Detection and Ranging surveys, to improve utility infrastructure protection prescriptions. (c) Project elements A vegetation management project under the pilot program involves limited and selective vegetation management activities, which— (1) shall create the least amount of disturbance reasonably necessary to protect utility infrastructure from passing wildfires based on applicable models, including Forest Service fuel models; (2) may include thinning, fuel reduction, creation and treatment of shaded fuel breaks, and other measures as appropriate; (3) shall only take place adjacent to the participant’s right-of-way or within 75 feet of the participant’s right-of-way; (4) shall not take place in any designated wilderness area, wilderness study area, or inventoried roadless area