These include programs to support management of nonfederal forests, forestry research, and management of federal forests. It then presents information on forestry in the 2014 farm bill, the Agricultural Act of 2014. In addition, the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (HFRA) was referred to and reported by the agriculture committees. The 2014 Farm Bill Forestry Title

For nearly three years, Congress considered an omnibus farm bill—which included a forestry title—to establish the direction of agriculture and food policy for the next several years. A conference agreement was reached in late January 2014; it was approved by both chambers within eight days and was signed into law ( P.L. 113-79 ) by the President on February 7, 2014. Several of these provisions were included in both the House and Senate bills. 2642 provisions to establish national critical areas within the National Forest System. Some provisions in the farm bill may also apply to federal land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in the Department of the Interior (DOI), such as the stewardship contracting and good neighbor authorities. Administrative Appeals

Section 8006 of the 2014 farm bill modifies two administrative appeals requirements for land and resource management planning in the National Forest System. Good Neighbor Authority

Section 8206 permanently reauthorizes the Forest Service's and BLM's Good Neighbor Authority and extends the authority nationwide. The Secretary of Agriculture may implement priority projects to reduce the risk of or increase the resilience to insect or disease infestations in the designated areas. Miscellaneous National Forest Management Provisions

The 2014 farm bill also included several miscellaneous provisions related to national forest management:
Section 8301 requires the Forest Service to revise the strategic plan for the forest inventory and analysis program for public and private forests and their resources, established by Forest and Rangelands Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974. In addition, several of the forestry issues that were debated but ultimately not included in the enacted 2014 farm bill could be debated again in future farm bills or legislation. The House-passed version of the farm bill proposed to eliminate the permanent authority of the Forest Legacy Program and the Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program to receive annual appropriations, and instead would have authorized the programs through FY2018. Brief History of Forestry Provisions in Previous Farm Bills
Past farm bills also have included forestry provisions, primarily addressing the forestry assistance programs. The Forestry title:
established national priorities for private forest management and assistance; required statewide forest assessments and strategies for assistance; provided for competitive funding for certain programs; created new programs for open space conservation and for emergency reforestation; established a FS tribal relations program for cultural and heritage cooperation and a competitive grants program for Hispanic-serving institutions; reauthorized four existing programs, but did not reauthorize several other programs, including the Forest Land Enhancement Program; amended the Lacey Act Amendments to prohibit imports of illegally logged wood products; and modified three national forest boundaries and certain timber contract provisions.
The Agricultural Act of 2014 (P.L. 113-79, the 2014 farm bill) was signed into law by President Obama on February 7, 2014, after both the House and Senate voted to approve a conference agreement. The 2014 farm bill establishes agricultural and food policy for the next several years, and also addresses several aspects of federal forestry policy.
Forestry provisions were included in the Forestry title (Title VIII) of the 2014 farm bill as well as in some of the other titles. The 2014 farm bill generally repeals, reauthorizes, and modifies existing forestry assistance programs and provisions under two main authorities: the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act (CFAA; P.L. 95-313; 16 U.S.C. §§2101-2114), as amended, and the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (HFRA; P.L. 108-148; 16 U.S.C. §§6501-6591), as amended. Several forestry assistance programs were reauthorized through FY2018. However, many federal forestry assistance programs are permanently authorized, and thus do not require reauthorization in the farm bill. The farm bill also repeals programs that had expired or had never received appropriations.
The 2014 farm bill includes provisions addressing the management of the National Forest System. For example, it permanently reauthorizes stewardship contracting and extends the good neighbor authority nationwide, both tools the Forest Service uses to conduct restoration and other forest management projects. The farm bill also authorizes the designation of treatment areas within the National Forest System due to insect or disease infestation, and allows for expedited project planning within those designated areas. In addition, the farm bill includes provisions to modify the existing public notice, comment, and appeals process for land and resource management plans.
Congress considered other forestry provisions which were not included in the final law, but which might be debated in other legislation. Protecting communities from wildfire continues to be a priority for some, while controlling invasive species is a priority for others. How to address these issues was debated in terms of both federal assistance programs to nonfederal forest owners and management of the National Forest System. In addition, some wanted to change the funding mechanisms and amounts for several forestry assistance programs. Issues from this and previous farm bills may also become of interest again in the future, such as assisting forest-dependent communities in diversifying their economies or providing payments for ecosystem services—forest values that have not traditionally been sold in the marketplace.