Trillion Trees and Natural Carbon Storage Act

II 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. 4985 To establish forestry policies that facilitate reforestation, conservation, inter- national cooperation, and other ecologically sound management practices that reduce atmospheric carbon, to support United States efforts in partnership with the One Trillion Trees Initiative, to encourage the sustainable management, restoration, and conservation of global forests, grasslands, wetlands, and coastal habitats, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES DECEMBER 9, 2020 Mr. BRAUN (for himself, Mr. COONS, Mr. YOUNG, and Mr. KING) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry A BILL To establish forestry policies that facilitate reforestation, con- servation, international cooperation, and other eco- logically sound management practices that reduce atmos- pheric carbon, to support United States efforts in part- nership with the One Trillion Trees Initiative, to encour- age the sustainable management, restoration, and con- servation of global forests, grasslands, wetlands, and coastal habitats, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:57 Dec 20, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4985.IS S4985 khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •S 4985 IS SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 1 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 2 ‘‘Trillion Trees and Natural Carbon Storage Act’’. 3 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 4 this Act is as follows: 5 Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. Sec. 2. Sense of Congress. Sec. 3. Definitions. TITLE I—CARBON SEQUESTRATION THROUGH FOREST CONSERVATION AND LAND MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES Sec. 101. Domestic forest carbon stock objectives. Sec. 102. Renewable resource assessment and survey update. Sec. 103. Forest nursery revival program. Sec. 104. Carbon sequestration through wetland and grassland. Sec. 105. Carbon sequestration through the healthy forest reserve program. Sec. 106. National Forest Foundation activities. Sec. 107. Carbon sequestration on State and private land. Sec. 108. Carbon sequestration research and monitoring programs. TITLE II—MARKET INCENTIVES FOR CARBON SEQUESTRATION Sec. 201. Clarification of research and development program for cellulosic bio- chemical and bioplastics. Sec. 202. Rural Forest Market Investment Program. TITLE III—ENGAGING AMERICA’S ALLIES IN CONSERVATION AND STRONGER LAND MANAGEMENT Sec. 301. Statement of policy. Sec. 302. International support for conservation. Sec. 303. Establishment of foundation. Sec. 304. International sustainable land-use management plans. Sec. 305. Blue carbon monitoring. Sec. 306. Report to Congress. Sec. 307. International forestry cooperation. Sec. 308. Modifications to authorities relating to tropical forests. SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 6 It is the sense of Congress that— 7 (1) forests and other ecosystems, including 8 grasslands and coastal wetlands, sequester and store 9 atmospheric carbon on climatologically relevant 10 timescales; 11 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:57 Dec 20, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4985.IS S4985 khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •S 4985 IS (2) conserving, protecting, and restoring forest, 1 grassland, and wetland ecosystems globally would se- 2 quester a substantial amount of atmospheric carbon 3 and constitute a pragmatic step towards addressing 4 global carbon emissions and the degradation of bio- 5 diversity; 6 (3) blue carbon habitat can also store a sub- 7 stantial amount of atmospheric carbon and provide 8 numerous other environmental, cultural, and eco- 9 nomic benefits; 10 (4) as methods to address the changing climate, 11 restore ecosystems, and benefit human health, the 12 United States Government should take a leadership 13 role, both domestically and abroad, in— 14 (A) ending deforestation; 15 (B) supporting tree planting, natural re- 16 generation, forest landscape restoration, wildfire 17 risk reduction, and sustainable forest manage- 18 ment; and 19 (C) conserving and restoring grasslands, 20 wetlands, blue carbon habitats, and other lands 21 and waters at scale; and 22 (5) the 1t.org trillion trees platform established 23 by the World Economic Forum, the Global Environ- 24 ment Facility, and other domestic and international 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:57 Dec 20, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4985.IS S4985 khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •S 4985 IS efforts to conserve and expand healthy forest and 1 tree cover, grasslands, wetlands, and blue carbon 2 habitats globally should be supported. 3 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 4 In this Act: 5 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis- 6 trator’’ means the Administrator of the United 7 States Agency for International Development. 8 (2) BLUE CARBON HABITAT.—The term ‘‘blue 9 carbon habitat’’ means a coastal habitat in the soils 10 and vegetation of which carbon is stored, including 11 a tidal wetland, a mangrove forest, a seagrass bed, 12 a kelp forest, and other saltwater and estuarine 13 coastal systems. 14 (3) CARBON SEQUESTRATION.—The term ‘‘car- 15 bon sequestration’’ means the processes of capturing 16 and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide for a cli- 17 matologically relevant period of time. 18 (4) FOREST LANDSCAPE RESTORATION.—The 19 term ‘‘forest landscape restoration’’ means a process 20 that aims to regain ecological functionality and en- 21 hance human well-being in deforested or degraded 22 landscapes. 23 (5) NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM.—The term 24 ‘‘National Forest System’’ has the meaning given 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:57 Dec 20, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4985.IS S4985 khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with BILLS 5 •S 4985 IS the term in section 11(a) of the Forest and Range- 1 land Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 2 U.S.C. 1609(a)). 3 (6) NATURALLY REGENERATE.—The term 4 ‘‘naturally regenerate’’ means the regeneration of 5 natural tree growth from— 6 (A) available seed sources native to the 7 specific forest area; or 8 (B) any other natural process that does 9 not primarily involve planting. 10 (7) NET CARBON STOCK.—The term ‘‘net car- 11 bon stock’’ means the absolute quantity of carbon 12 held within a discrete portion of the biosphere (in- 13 cluding carbon held within a discrete portion of 14 aboveground forest biomass and forest soil) at a 15 specified time. 16 (8) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 17 the Secretary of Agriculture. 18 (9) SUSTAINABLE.—The term ‘‘sustainable’’ 19 means the manner in which a land-use activity will, 20 over the long-term— 21 (A) satisfy the human and ecological needs 22 associated with the use of land; 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:57 Dec 20, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4985.IS S4985 khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with BILLS 6 •S 4985 IS (B) conserve critical habitat and conserve 1 and enhance the environmental quality of the 2 land; and 3 (C) optimize current and future land uses 4 to ensure any enhancements in productivity are 5 at a rate and in a manner that does not threat- 6 en decline. 7 TITLE I—CARBON SEQUESTRA- 8 TION THROUGH FOREST CON- 9 SERVATION AND LAND MAN- 10 AGEMENT ACTIVITIES 11 SEC. 101. DOMESTIC FOREST CARBON STOCK OBJECTIVES. 12 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after the 13 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in collabora- 14 tion with the Administrator of the National Oceanic and 15 Atmospheric Administration, shall establish— 16 (1) objectives for increased net carbon stock for 17 the forest, grassland, wetland, and coastal blue car- 18 bon habitat ecosystems of the United States that are 19 owned or managed by the Federal Government; and 20 (2) objectives that shall be developed collabo- 21 ratively between 1 or more non-Federal entities and 22 1 or more Federal partners for increased net carbon 23 stock for the forest, grassland, wetland, and coastal 24 blue carbon habitat ecosystems of the United States 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:57 Dec 20, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4985.IS S4985 khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with BILLS 7 •S 4985 IS that are owned or managed by a State or local gov- 1 ernment, an Indian Tribe, or a private person. 2 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—Objectives established under 3 subsection (a)— 4 (1) shall be based on the best available sci- 5 entific and commercial information, including cur- 6 rent and reference net carbon stock conditions for 7 each ecosystem; 8 (2) shall be based on information relating to the 9 maintenance or restoration of the ecological integrity 10 of the ecosystems described in subsection (a), includ- 11 ing maintaining or restoring ecologically appropriate 12 forest, grassland, wetland, and blue carbon habitat 13 structure, function, composition, and connectivity; 14 (3) shall consider naturally regenerated plant 15 growth and planted growth; 16 (4) shall be established at levels that assist in 17 achieving— 18 (A) the optimally feasible and ecologically 19 appropriate increase in the total net carbon 20 stock that private domestic, State, and Tribal 21 landowners and the Federal Government can 22 achieve by January 1, 2030, and every 10 years 23 thereafter through January 1, 2100; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:57 Dec 20, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4985.IS S4985 khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with BILLS 8 •S 4985 IS (B) the maximum practicable retention, re- 1 cruitment, and restoration of critical habitats, 2 as appropriate for the forest type, to the extent 3 that the trees promote increased net carbon 4 stock; 5 (5) shall be informed by data collected through 6 the Forest Inventory and Analysis program of the 7 Forest Service and other relevant data; 8 (6) shall not negatively impact forest ecological 9 integrity, forest function, forest composition, forest 10 connectivity, and sustained yield and multiple uses; 11 (7) shall be published in the Federal Register, 12 after notice and an opportunity for public comment, 13 together with a statement of the basis and justifica- 14 tion for the objectives; 15 (8) shall consider input from and the interests 16 of local stakeholders; and 17 (9) shall consider— 18 (A) the conservation of existing ecosystems 19 that sequester carbon; and 20 (B) the impact that a changing climate 21 may have on— 22 (i) existing net carbon stocks in for- 23 est, grassland, wetland, and coastal blue 24 carbon habitat ecosystems; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:57 Dec 20, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4985.IS S4985 khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with BILLS 9 •S 4985 IS (ii) the carbon sequestration potential 1 of the ecosystems described in clause (i). 2 SEC. 102. RENEWABLE RESOURCE ASSESSMENT AND SUR- 3 VEY UPDATE. 4 (a) RENEWABLE RESOURCE ASSESSMENT.—Section 5 3 of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Plan- 6 ning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1601) is amended— 7 (1) in subsection (a)— 8 (A) in each of paragraphs (4) and (5), by 9 striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 10 (B) in paragraph (6), by striking the 11 comma at the end and inserting a semicolon; 12 and 13 (C) by adding at the end the following: 14 ‘‘(7) an analysis of the total carbon storage ca- 15 pacity of the National Forest System based on the 16 lifecycle analysis established under section 102(b) of 17 the Trillion Trees and Natural Carbon Storage Act; 18 and 19 ‘‘(8) an analysis of the opportunities to enhance 20 and optimize total net carbon stock (as defined in 21 section 3 of that Act and taking into consideration 22 the requirements described in section 101(b) of that 23 Act) in the National Forest System.’’; and 24 (2) in subsection (c)— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:57 Dec 20, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4985.IS S4985 khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with BILLS 10 •S 4985 IS (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 1 the end; 2 (B) in paragraph (3), by striking the pe- 3 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 4 (C) by adding at the end the following: 5 ‘‘(4) the potential for increased utilization of 6 forest and wood products and byproducts that are 7 sustainable (as defined in section 3 of the Trillion 8 Trees and Natural Carbon Storage Act), including 9 recommendations to Congress for actions relating to 10 those products and byproducts that would lead to in- 11 creased net carbon sequestration (as defined in that 12 section).’’. 13 (b) LIFECYCLE ANALYSIS.— 14 (1) LIFECYCLE STORAGE MODEL.—As a part of 15 the assessment required under section 3 of the For- 16 est and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning 17 Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1601), the Secretary shall 18 develop, using the best available science, including 19 data collected through the Forest Inventory and 20 Analysis program of the Forest Service, computa- 21 tional models to analyze the lifecycle forest and 22 grassland carbon sequestration potential associated 23 with the National Forest System. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:57 Dec 20, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4985.IS S4985 khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with BILLS 11 •S 4985 IS (2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In developing the model 1 under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall consider— 2 (A) the net carbon stock in forests, grass- 3 lands, and wetlands, including in wood and for- 4 est soils; 5 (B) the rate of carbon sequestration in 6 new trees and young forests; 7 (C) the rate of carbon sequestration in old 8 trees and older forests; 9 (D) the carbon impacts from tree mor- 10 tality; 11 (E) the carbon impacts from logging, mill- 12 ing, and other forest management activities; 13 (F) the carbon impacts from wildfire, 14 pests, and other natural disturbances; 15 (G) the full lifecycle of carbon impacts 16 from the manufacture of wood-based products, 17 including storage benefits and substitution ben- 18 efits from the use of wood-based products as 19 compared to the use of more greenhouse-gas-in- 20 tensive materials, including impacts on forest 21 ecosystem net carbon stocks; 22 (H) the net carbon impact of a cycle of— 23 (i) harvest and regeneration; or 24 (ii) harvest and replanting; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:57 Dec 20, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4985.IS S4985 khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with BILLS 12 •S 4985 IS (I) the carbon impacts from ecologically 1 sound active forest management; 2 (J) the carbon impacts from retention, for- 3 est conservation, improved management, and 4 restoration of other landscapes, including grass- 5 lands, sagebrush, steppe, we [Text truncated for display. 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