; (3) increased development in the wildland-urban interface near overgrown forest landscapes has increased the number of people living in areas that are at risk of wildfire; (4) despite legislation enacted over the last 20 years to facilitate hazardous fuels reduction, certain statutory, regulatory, and administrative requirements, including studies, publication periods, season-specific surveys, and objection processes, and litigation can significantly impede rapid implementation of hazardous fuels reduction projects necessary to protect lives and property; (5) increasing the pace and scale of science-based, publicly developed forest management activities that reduce hazardous fuels, including through mechanical thinning and controlled burning, can reduce the size and scope of wildfires, as well as protect watersheds, improve fish and wildlife habitat, expand recreational opportunities, protect air quality, and increase the sequestration of carbon on National Forest System and Bureau of Land Management land; (6) in 2019, 11,800,000 acres of National Forest System land in the State of California and 6,300,000 acres of National Forest System land in the State of Montana were at high or very high wildfire hazard potential, of which 3,100,000 acres and 1,600,000 acres, respectively, were within proximity to populated areas; and (7) the Governor of the State of California has proclaimed a State of Emergency due to a vast tree die-off throughout the State that has increased the risk of wildfires and has created extremely dangerous fire conditions. 4. Definitions In this Act: (1) Federal land The term Federal land means— (A) land of the National Forest System (as defined in section 11(a) of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 ( 16 U.S.C. 1609(a) ))