Forestry in the Farm Bill: RS22329.

Many programs authorized in the 2002 Farm Bill (P.L. 107-171) will expire at the end of FY2007, and the House and Senate Agriculture Committees are likely to consider legislation to reauthorize these programs. General forestry legislation is within the jurisdiction of the Agriculture Committees, and past farm bills have included provisions addressing forestry, especially on private lands. The next farm bill may also include forestry provisions addressing various issues, such as funding for forestry programs, wildfire protection, invasive species control, economic diversity for forest-dependent communities, and markets for ecosystem services. This report will be updated as events warrant. Forestry programs have been addressed in past farm bills and other agriculture legislation. The initial federal forestry funds were for a study of western forests in the 1877 Agriculture appropriations act, and the Division of Forestry was established in the Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 1881. In 1905, the forest reserves (in the Department of the Interior) were transferred to USDA, and a new agency -- the Forest Service (FS) was created. Thus, federal forestry has historically been associated with agriculture, and with agriculture legislation. This report briefly describes the Agriculture Committees' jurisdiction over forestry, with examples of legislation addressed by the committees. It concludes with a discussion of forestry issues likely to be addressed in the upcoming farm bill. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]