Title VIII (Forestry) in Farm Bill 2.0: What H.R. 7567 Does

TL;DR: Title VIII (Forestry) of H.R. 7567 reauthorizes and modifies USDA Forest Service programs, including stewardship contracting, hazardous fuels treatment, cooperative forestry assistance to private and state lands, the Forest Legacy Program, and Good Neighbor Authority. It responds to the wildfire crisis and must navigate overlap with existing Infrastructure law and Inflation Reduction Act forestry funding. Specific dollar figures are to be confirmed.

Key takeaway

Title VIII carries forward and likely expands Forest Service stewardship contracting and wildfire fuels programs while it must reconcile with standing Infrastructure and IRA forestry funding.

What this section does

Title VIII of H.R. 7567 addresses federal and private forestry programs administered primarily through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service. It reauthorizes stewardship contracting, forest health and hazardous fuels reduction programs, and cooperative forestry assistance to private and state-owned lands.

The title reauthorizes Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act programs, including Forest Stewardship Program grants to private landowners and State and Private Forestry cost-share assistance. Specific reauthorization dollar amounts are to be confirmed. It also carries forward Stewardship End-Result Contracting authority, which allows the Forest Service to trade timber receipts for on-the-ground restoration work. Project acreage or contract-value caps are to be confirmed.

Several provisions touch programs created outside the Farm Bill. Hazardous fuels treatment and Community Wildfire Defense Grants, a program created in the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, appear to be reinforced or cross-referenced, with exact statutory language to be confirmed. The Forest Legacy Program, which funds conservation easements on privately owned working forests to prevent conversion, is reauthorized at funding levels to be confirmed.

The title also addresses the Urban and Community Forestry program and continues Good Neighbor Authority, which lets states and tribes conduct restoration work on National Forest System lands. Specific changes to state and tribal eligibility are to be confirmed. For the full title-by-title picture, see our full bill summary.

What it means

Title VIII directly affects private forest landowners, wildland-urban interface communities, and state forestry agencies. Private forest owners, including family forest owners and timber companies, rely on the cost-share and technical assistance programs reauthorized here.

Here is who is affected and how:

• Private forest landowners: Reduced funding or eligibility changes would directly affect voluntary stewardship activity on tens of millions of private forest acres.
• Rural and wildland-urban interface communities: These communities benefit from hazardous fuels treatment authorities and community wildfire defense programs.
• Tribes and local governments: These are directly affected by Good Neighbor Authority scope and any expansion of restoration roles.
• State forestry agencies: These agencies deliver most cooperative forestry programs and would be significantly affected by changes to matching requirements or grant structures.

Compared to the 2018 Farm Bill, the 2026 bill is widely reported to attempt increased baseline funding for State and Private Forestry, though confirmed appropriation figures are to be confirmed. Stewardship contracting is reported to gain flexibility for multi-year contracts and broader project eligibility. Good Neighbor Authority, expanded to all states in 2018, is expected to further extend tribal and county roles. For a side-by-side view, see what's new vs 2018, and see what's missing for provisions that may have dropped out.

What's next

As of July 2026, several implementation questions remain open. The most significant is how Title VIII mandatory authorizations interact with existing Infrastructure law and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) forestry funding streams. Public reporting has not fully resolved this, and duplication or sequencing conflicts are a real implementation risk.

Stewardship contracting expansion would require Forest Service capacity, including staffing and compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), that has historically lagged behind legislative intent. Rulemaking timelines are to be confirmed. Good Neighbor Authority agreements have faced legal challenges over scope of work, and any 2026 expansion could draw similar litigation from conservation groups concerned about logging under the restoration umbrella.

Two funding questions stay unresolved. Urban and Community Forestry received a major infusion of mandatory IRA funding that did not exist in the 2018 baseline, and the title must address what happens when that supplemental funding expires. Wildfire liability and insurance provisions that some members sought to include may or may not have survived markup; status is to be confirmed. Track movement through our timeline and status and Senate status pages.

Frequently asked questions

Does this title give the Forest Service new authority to log national forests under the cover of wildfire reduction?

Title VIII carries forward stewardship contracting and is reported to broaden project eligibility for forest health and hazardous fuels work. Some restoration activity involves timber removal. Conservation groups have raised concerns that Good Neighbor Authority and stewardship contracting can allow logging under a restoration label, and past agreements have faced legal challenges over scope of work. Specific new statutory language is to be confirmed.

How does the Farm Bill forestry title interact with the 2021 Infrastructure law wildfire programs?

Title VIII appears to reinforce or cross-reference programs such as Community Wildfire Defense Grants, which the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act created. Because wildfire provisions have been layered through the Infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction Act since 2018, Title VIII must navigate interaction with those standing authorities rather than building from scratch. As of July 2026, that interaction is not fully resolved in public reporting.

What does Good Neighbor Authority actually allow states and tribes to do on federal land?

Good Neighbor Authority allows states and tribes to conduct restoration work on National Forest System lands. The 2018 Farm Bill expanded it to include all states, not just western states. The 2026 bill is expected to further extend tribal and county roles, though specific new language is to be confirmed. These agreements have faced legal challenges over the scope of work permitted.

Can private landowners get direct payments or cost-share under this title, and how do they apply?

Private forest landowners can access cost-share and technical assistance through programs reauthorized in Title VIII, including the Forest Stewardship Program and State and Private Forestry assistance. State forestry agencies function as the primary delivery partners for most of these programs. Specific reauthorization dollar amounts and application details are to be confirmed, and any changes to matching requirements would affect how states administer the grants.

What happens to Urban and Community Forestry grants when the Inflation Reduction Act funding runs out?

The Urban and Community Forestry program received a major infusion of mandatory funding through the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act that did not exist in the 2018 Farm Bill baseline. Title VIII addresses the program in terms of baseline authorization, but funding after the IRA supplement expires remains unresolved and will depend on appropriations, not just authorization language. The interaction with IRA mandatory funding is to be confirmed.

Does the Forest Legacy Program fund easements permanently, and who holds those easements?

The Forest Legacy Program funds conservation easements on privately owned working forests to prevent conversion to non-forest uses. Title VIII reauthorizes the program, with funding levels to be confirmed and the funding structure largely carried over from 2018. The brief does not specify easement duration or the holding entity in the 2026 bill text, so those details are to be confirmed.