After wildfires and other disasters, the Forest Service often needs to replant large areas — but sourcing native seeds and growing enough seedlings can be a bottleneck. This bill would let the Forest Service enter into contracts, grants, and agreements with state forestry agencies, nonprofits, universities, and Tribes specifically for collecting native seeds and producing seedlings for revegetation. It also expands existing collaborative forest restoration partnerships to include universities and to cover seed collection and seedling production activities.
Congressional Summary
Seedlings for Sustainable Habitat Restoration Act of 2025This bill provides support for the collection and maintenance of native seeds and production of tree seedlings.First, the bill expands the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to allow the Forest Service to enter into contracts, grants, or agreements with state forestry agencies, institutions of higher education, Indian tribes, and other entities for the (1) collection and maintenance of native seeds, including material from managed seed orchards; and (2) production of seedlings for revegetation.Second, the bill modifies requirements for forest landscape restoration proposals for funding under the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program. Specifically, the bill adds institutions of higher education to the list of entities that may provide employment or training opportunities under a proposal and allows the employment or training opportunities to include the collection and maintenance of native seeds for revegetation or the production of seedlings.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- Senate
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in Senate
- Action Date
- 2025-08-01
- Date Added
- 2026-04-09