The White Oak Resilience Act establishes a comprehensive federal effort to restore and expand white oak forests across the United States. The legislation creates a voluntary White Oak Restoration Initiative Coalition to coordinate restoration efforts among government agencies, states, private landowners, and nonprofits, while also making recommendations to improve federal and state policies that currently hinder white oak restoration. The bill directs the Forest Service to establish five pilot restoration projects in national forests, requires the Department of Interior to assess white oak restoration potential on lands under its jurisdiction and conduct five additional pilot projects, and creates a white oak restoration fund through the National Forest Foundation to accept donations for these efforts. Additionally, the legislation authorizes the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to establish a formal initiative supporting white oak restoration on private lands, funds research partnerships with land grant universities to develop stress-resistant white oak varieties and sustainable seedling supplies, and requires development of a national strategy to address critical shortages of tree seedlings within one year. The bill also allows Civilian Conservation Center enrollees to participate in white oak and hardwood reforestation projects on national forests.
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