The "Fix Our Forests Act" is a legislative bill aimed at improving forest health and reducing wildfire risks, featuring measures such as landscape-scale restoration, wildfire risk reduction programs, and enhanced use of technology, as well as reforms to litigation and stewardship contracting related to forest management. The Act is organized into multiple titles addressing different aspects of forest and community protection.

The section provides definitions for various terms used in the Act, such as "Director," "fireshed," "forest plan," "Governor," and "hazardous fuels management activities." It specifies the different meanings these terms have within the context of the legislation.

The section establishes guidelines for identifying and managing "fireshed management areas" to reduce wildfire risks. These areas are selected based on wildfire exposure risks, and the selection process includes consultation with relevant authorities and uses mapping updates every five years. The selection is exempt from the National Environmental Policy Act requirements.

The bill proposes establishing a Fireshed Center, jointly run by various federal agencies, to predict and manage wildland fires and smoke. The Center aims to improve data sharing, reduce duplication, and provide support for planning and recovery from wildfires, while also allowing partnerships with state, tribal, and other organizations to enhance its operations.

The section requires the Secretary, through the Director of the Fireshed Center, to maintain a publicly accessible Fireshed Registry that includes detailed geospatial data on wildfire risks and management activities for individual firesheds. It also mandates the availability of this data for local communities to aid in developing community wildfire protection plans, as well as the maintenance of a database to track federal environmental reviews and the effectiveness of fireshed management projects.

The section outlines that the Secretary must, within 90 days of receiving a request, make a shared stewardship agreement with a state's Governor or an Indian Tribe to work together on reducing wildfire risks and assessing areas prone to fires. It also mentions that these agreements can be updated to include more areas or to address new wildfire dangers if the Governor or Tribe asks for it.

The section outlines the process for conducting fireshed assessments, where government officials and Indian Tribes evaluate wildfire risks in designated areas, plan projects to reduce these risks, and ensure public access to the findings. Local governments can participate upon request, and the assessments use advanced technologies and comprehensive data, including traditional ecological knowledge. These assessments are exempt from the National Environmental Policy Act requirements.

The section outlines the responsibilities of officials to manage areas prone to wildfires by conducting activities like removing hazardous trees and creating fire breaks. It allows the use of existing laws and streamlined procedures to quickly implement these projects and expands certain size limitations for projects related to forest and vegetation management.

The authority granted by this section of the law will end 7 years after the law is first put into action.

The text modifies the Agricultural Act of 2014 to include Indian tribes in the management and usage of funds from good neighbor agreements, which involve collaboration between states, tribes, or counties for forest restoration projects. It also extends the time period for using these funds and updates the circumstances under which the changes apply.

The text amends the Healthy Forests Restoration Act to ensure forest management contracts can last up to 20 years and introduces provisions that require 10% of the contract value to be paid to contractors if long-term contracts are canceled. A long-term contract is defined as one lasting more than 5 years.

The section establishes intra-agency strike teams to help with reviewing various environmental and historic regulations, preparing sites for fireshed management projects, and carrying out these projects. These teams can be made up of federal employees, private contractors, and volunteers, and the authority for these teams will end seven years after the law is enacted.

The amendment to the National Forest Management Act of 1976 increases the threshold amount from $10,000 to $55,000 and further adjusts this amount annually for changes in the Consumer Price Index starting in 2025. Additionally, it mandates the Secretary to seek bids for fireshed management projects 30 days after the law is enacted.

The Joint Chiefs landscape restoration partnership program in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act has been revised to include additional goals such as recovery from wildfires and enhancement of natural resources. It also updates certain priorities and reporting timelines, extending requirements through 2028 for some provisions.

The amendments to Section 4003 of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 aim to improve the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program by including support for addressing species or pathogens, innovative implementation proposals, wildfire risk reduction, and enhancing watershed health. Additionally, changes were made to the funding structure for proposals, and the program's authorization has been extended through 2029.

A bill section outlines rules for courts regarding agency actions related to fireshed management projects. It restricts court interventions unless there is a significant environmental risk and limits judicial reviews to certain conditions, while also setting time frames for filing claims and defining relevant terms like "agency document" and "covered agency action."

The proposed changes to the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act state that no additional consultations are needed when new species are listed or critical habitats are designated, or when new information highlights effects on such species or habitats, as long as these occur after a land or forest management plan has been approved, amended, or revised. This means that ongoing plans do not have to be reviewed each time new species or critical habitats are recognized unless they impact the plan in ways not previously considered.

The Community Wildfire Risk Reduction Program is established by several federal agencies working together to help communities, including tribal areas, lower the risk of wildfires. This program aims to advance research, support fire-resistant building practices, and provide technical and financial assistance through a simplified application process for related grants, and it will be active for seven years.

The Community Wildfire Defense Research Program expands wildfire research to develop innovative ways to make buildings and communities more resistant to fires. It includes testing new materials and designs, hosting a competition for innovative ideas, and awarding prizes for scalable designs. The program will end seven years after it begins.

The section amends the Federal Land Policy and Management Act by expanding the distance within which hazard trees must be managed near power lines to 150 feet, requiring consultation with private landowners about tree removal, and establishing a timeline for the plan review process, including automatic approval procedures and detailed correspondence for plans needing modifications.

The section establishes a categorical exclusion for certain forest management activities related to electric utility line rights-of-way, exempting them from environmental assessments unless they occur in protected wilderness areas or places where vegetation removal is prohibited by Congress. It also specifies that permanent roads cannot be built, though existing roads can be maintained, and temporary roads must be removed within three years.

The "Seeds of Success strategy" is a plan, to be developed within two years, aimed at boosting the domestic supply of seeds by enhancing interagency coordination, promoting the use of native plants after wildfires, creating partnerships for plant restoration, expanding seed storage, and improving permit processes. This strategy requires collaboration between the Secretaries and the Secretary of Defense, and they must report progress to the relevant Congressional Committees.

The bill section focuses on promoting the development of biochar, a sustainable product made from biomass. It sets up demonstration projects and a research grant program to test biochar's effectiveness in environmental conservation, health, and creating new business opportunities, especially in rural areas.

The bill mandates the creation of annual reports by the Secretary of Agriculture or Interior to detail hazardous fuels reduction activities on Federal lands, specifying the number of acres treated, activities completed, costs, and effectiveness in reducing wildfire risks. It also introduces standardized data tracking methods, with no extra funding provided, while requiring a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study to evaluate the system's efficacy within two years.

The section outlines a pilot program for deploying and testing new wildfire technologies, involving public-private partnerships with multiple federal agencies and entities like private companies, nonprofits, and universities. It prioritizes technologies like AI and 5G communication, sets criteria for participation, mandates annual reports to Congress, and will end in 7 years.

The section mandates that the Comptroller General of the United States has 3 years from the enactment of the Act to conduct a study on the Forest Service. This study will evaluate the Forest Service's wildland firefighting effectiveness, budget transparency, and the idea of creating a new federal agency for handling wildland fires. A report of the study's findings must then be submitted to Congress.

The Chief of the Forest Service is required to conduct a study within 5 years to evaluate locations for a new Western headquarters, considering options in at least three states west of the Mississippi River. The study will examine the benefits of this new headquarters, such as better customer service, improved employee recruitment and retention, and operational efficiency. A report on the findings must then be submitted to Congress.

The section outlines duties for the Secretary to ensure forest plans are up-to-date and shared publicly, emphasizing compliance with legal requirements, prioritizing revisions for outdated plans, and establishing a central website for forest plans and reports. Additionally, if the Secretary fails to act quickly and honestly on these tasks due to insufficient funding, these directives become invalid for the affected plans, and a court can expedite plan completion.