H.R. 3476, the Forest Conservation Easement Program Act of 2025, establishes a new federal program under the Department of Agriculture to protect private forest lands through voluntary conservation easements purchased from willing landowners. The program provides federal funding covering 50-75% of easement costs to state and local governments, Indian tribes, and nonprofit organizations, with priority given to beginning farmers, socially disadvantaged landowners, veterans, and forests with special environmental significance. The legislation allocates $100 million annually from 2026 through 2030 for these easement purchases and requires that at least 10 percent of funds benefit historically underserved landowners, while also repealing the existing Healthy Forests Reserve Program and transitioning its current contracts into this new framework. The easements aim to prevent conversion of forest land to other uses, protect endangered species habitat, enhance water quality and carbon sequestration, and provide buffers around military installations, while allowing limited subsurface mineral development and voluntary forest management on eligible lands.
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