Central South Dakota News

U.S. Senator Mike Rounds has reintroduced the Timber Harvesting Restoration Act in the 119th Congress. This legislation aims to increase timber sales in the Black Hills National Forest, addressing a decline that has impacted local timber manufacturers. Rounds had previously introduced this bill in March 2024 during the 118th Congress.

The decline in timber sales from the Black Hills National Forest has led local businesses to incur additional costs by sourcing timber from distant locations. "Timber manufacturers in the Black Hills area are being negatively impacted by harvesting shortages," said Rounds. He emphasized that there is no clear justification from the United States Forest Service (USFS) for these shortfalls and highlighted the importance of timber harvesting for maintaining forest health and preventing wildfires.

Ben Wudtke, Executive Director of the Black Hills Forest Resource Association, expressed support for the legislation, stating, “We appreciate this legislation from Senator Rounds which would help the US Forest Service succeed and the communities depending on that success.” He noted that while USFS has acknowledged a need for treating more acres through their Wildfire Crisis Strategy, this legislation could aid national forests in achieving those goals.

The Timber Harvesting Restoration Act outlines several requirements:

- Superintendents of National Forest System units must submit reports to identify areas for improving harvest numbers.

- Reports should include potential forest areas for harvesting, steps to meet targets such as expediting environmental reviews, and increased use of Good Neighbor Authority.

- Consultation with various stakeholders is required when drafting these reports.

- Improvement reports must be submitted within 180 days of enactment.

- Actionable steps towards improvement must be demonstrated within one year; failure to do so requires another report submission within 180 days after deadlines.

If improvements are not shown within a year after submitting an improvement report, the Secretary of Agriculture is directed to take reasonable measures to enhance harvesting outputs. This may involve additional personnel or expedited environmental review processes.