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Version 00 · Introduced in House · Feb 11, 2025
Forest Data Modernization Act of 2025
This bill directs the Forest Service to expand and update its Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program. Under the existing program, the Forest Service collects, analyzes, and reports on information about the condition of forest resources in the United States, such as data concerning wildfires or other forest management issues.
The bill directs FIA to include forest carbon in its inventory.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
The bill also requires FIA's strategic plan to include a detailed description of the organization and procedures necessary to (1) understand and report on changes in land cover and use, and (2) evaluate carbon-related data variables.
FIA must update the strategic plan within six months and every five years thereafter. Among other items, the first update must include (1) a plan to implement nationally consistent data collection protocols and procedures; and (2) a plan to expand current data collection, further integrate remote sensing technology, or both.
FIA must also prepare and publish a compilation of certain forest statistics every two years.
Additionally, the bill requires FIA to continue (1) the Timber Products Output survey, and (2) the National Woodland Owner Survey.
To provide data consistency, FIA must include a clear definition of forest when reporting data.
Finally, FIA (1) must also establish an office, a data platform, or both to process and respond to complex data requests submitted by external organizations; and (2) may impose fees on the organizations submitting the requests.
People & committees
Rep. Schrier, Kim [D-WA-8] · D–WA
Legislative record
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Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
Source last updated: Apr 7, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-02-11 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposed Forest Data Modernization Act of 2025 would expand federal forest data work to explicitly include carbon stored in forests and require studies of timber output and woodland owners. It would make collected data easier for public and private users to access while protecting confidential information. Organizations requesting complex data could be charged processing fees. These are proposed changes, not evidence of enacted law.
This Act may be cited as the Forest Data Modernization Act of 2025.
by striking their resources and inserting the resources of those forests, including forest carbon,
the Secretary shall carry out, as a data collection method— (i) a timber products output study; and (ii) a national woodland owner survey.
The Secretary shall ensure that data collected under this subsection is— (A) easily accessible to all public- and private-sector entities; and (B) collected using means that ensure the confidentiality
To cover the costs of processing of and responding to complex data requests described in subparagraph (A), the Secretary may impose fees on the external organizations submitting the requests.
Section 2 would amend the existing forest inventory and analysis law to expressly include forest carbon among forest resources. It would also insert a reference to available forest carbon data in an existing provision mentioning two decades; the surrounding statutory provision is not supplied.
Section 3(e) of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Research Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 1642(e)) is amended
by striking their resources and inserting the resources of those forests, including forest carbon,
in paragraph (3)(C), by inserting including with respect to available forest carbon data, after 2 decades,
The Secretary would have to conduct a timber products output study and a national woodland owner survey as methods of collecting data.
Under the program under this subsection, the Secretary shall carry out, as a data collection method— (i) a timber products output study; and (ii) a national woodland owner survey.
Reports and data would have to clearly explain the definition of “forest” used. This requirement would cover program reports and data, the specified Renewable Resource Assessments, and data or reports provided to entities outside the United States.
The Secretary shall include a clear description of the definition of forest used for purposes of reporting data from inventories and analyses of forests and the resources of forests under this subsection with— (i) any data or report provided under the program under this subsection; (ii) Renewable Resource Assessments prepared under section 3(a) of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1601(a)); and (iii) any data or report provided to an entity outside the United States.
The strategic plan would have to address how to track changes in land cover and use. It would also have to address evaluating carbon data, including soil carbon, from forest measurement plots, timber output studies and woodland owner surveys to meet carbon accounting needs.
the organization and procedures necessary to understand and report on changes in land cover and use
the organization and procedures necessary to evaluate carbon-related data variables, including soil carbon, collected from forest inventory and analysis plots, timber products output studies, and national woodland owner surveys to ensure that carbon accounting information needs can be met
Within 180 days after enactment of the new planning provision, the Secretary would have to prepare a strategic plan update and submit it to the Senate agriculture committee and the House Agriculture Committee.
Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this paragraph, the Secretary shall prepare an update to the strategic plan under paragraph (6)
Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this paragraph, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate and the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives the update to the strategic plan prepared under subparagraph (A).
The update would have to include plans for consistent nationwide data collection intended to improve statistical precision, ways to incorporate and report changes in forest carbon—including underground carbon—and clearer reporting. These are planning requirements, not proof that data quality would improve.
a plan to implement nationally consistent data collection protocols and procedures to improve the statistical precision of base program estimates
pathways to integrate and report on changes in forest carbon, including below-ground carbon
a plan to increase transparency and clarity in reporting in accordance with paragraph (4)(C)
The update would have to plan collaboration with other federal agencies, partners outside the federal government and the private sector, identifying challenges. The aim would be to combine existing nationwide datasets with the best available commercial technologies, including remote sensing and geographic analysis.
plans, including the identification of challenges, to collaborate with other Federal agencies, non-Federal partners, and the private sector to integrate existing nationally available data sets and best available commercial technologies, such as remote sensing, spatial analysis techniques, and other new technologies
The update would have to plan expanded data collection, greater use of remote sensing, or both. The plans would address more precise estimates for areas smaller than a state, and information about renewable biomass supplies and stored carbon at local, state, regional and national levels, including by ownership type.
a plan to expand current data collection, further integrate remote sensing technology, or both, to include procedures to improve the statistical precision of estimates at the sub-State level
a plan to expand current data collection, further integrate remote sensing technology, or both, to include information on renewable biomass supplies and carbon stocks at the local, State, regional, and national levels, including by ownership type
The Secretary could include other appropriate matters based on recommendations from the Forest Inventory and Analysis National User Group. Further strategic plan updates would have to be prepared and submitted to the same committees within five years after the first submission and every five years afterward.
such other matters as the Secretary determines to be appropriate based on recommendations of the Forest Inventory and Analysis National User Group
Not later than 5 years after the date on which the update is submitted under subparagraph (B), and every 5 years thereafter, the Secretary shall— (i) prepare an additional update to the strategic plan; and (ii) submit the additional update to the committees described in subparagraph (B).
Collected data would have to be easily accessible to all public and private entities. Collection methods would also have to protect plot locations, woodland owner data that have not been combined into group totals, and forest industry information under the cited confidentiality law.
The Secretary shall ensure that data collected under this subsection is— (A) easily accessible to all public- and private-sector entities; and (B) collected using means that ensure the confidentiality, in accordance with section 1770 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 2276), of— (i) plot locations; (ii) nonaggregated data of woodland owners; and (iii) forest industry information.
Every two years, the Secretary would have to publish a compilation of national forest inventory and analysis statistics, similar to the tables in the specified Renewable Resource Assessments.
Biennially, the Secretary shall prepare and make publicly available a compilation of national forest inventory and analysis forest statistics, which shall be similar to the tables contained in the Renewable Resource Assessments prepared under section 3(a) of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1601(a)).
The Secretary would have to establish an office, a data platform, or both to handle complex program data requests from outside organizations. Fees would be optional and could be imposed to cover the costs of processing and answering those requests.
The Secretary shall establish an office, a data platform, or both to process and respond to complex data requests submitted by external organizations relating to the program under this subsection.
To cover the costs of processing of and responding to complex data requests described in subparagraph (A), the Secretary may impose fees on the external organizations submitting the requests.
An annual business report would have to describe progress implementing the strategic plan, its costs and priorities, and the program's use of new technology, standardized collection methods and increased workforce capacity.
Each year, the Secretary shall publish as part of the forest inventory and analysis business report a detailed description of the progress of the Secretary in implementing the programmatic elements of the strategic plan described in paragraph (6), including— (A) the costs and priorities of the strategic plan; and (B) how the program under this subsection leverages new technology, improves and standardizes collection protocols, and increases workforce capacity.
Section 2(b) would add examples of remote sensing technologies—methods of collecting measurements from a distance—to a 2018 law. The examples include microwave, laser-based LiDAR, hyperspectral and high-resolution data collection, plus machine learning for improved modeling. The underlying provision is not reproduced, so the complete duty being amended is not shown.
Section 8632(1) of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (16 U.S.C. 1642 note; Public Law 115–334) is amended by striking technologies and inserting technologies, such as microwave, LiDAR, hyperspectral, and high-resolution remote sensing data for data collection, and machine learning for improved modeling,
The supplied official-actions snapshot, updated April 7, 2026, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on Agriculture on February 11, 2025. It does not establish what happened after those actions.
Source snapshot updated 2026-04-07T08:05:29Z. 2025-02-11: Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture. 2025-02-11: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-02-11. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy rider attached to appropriations was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion does not extend to other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion does not establish the absence of earmarks in other versions or accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow carve-out, special exemption or preferential treatment was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not extend to other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Apr 7, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI