The purpose of this chapter is to encourage the collaborative, science-based ecosystem restoration of priority forest landscapes through a process that—
(1)
encourages ecological, economic, and social sustainability;
(2)
leverages local resources with national and private resources;
(3)
facilitates the reduction of wildfire management costs, including through reestablishing natural fire regimes and reducing the risk of uncharacteristic wildfire; and
(4)
demonstrates the degree to which—
(A)
various ecological restoration techniques—
(i)
achieve ecological and watershed health objectives; and
(ii)
affect wildfire activity and management costs; and
(B)
the use of forest restoration byproducts can offset treatment costs while benefitting local rural economies and improving forest health.