PUBLIC LAW 108–148—DEC. 3, 2003
117 STAT. 1903
(2) to encourage landowners to maintain tree cover on property and to use tree plantings and vegetative treatments as creative solutions to watershed problems associated with varying land uses; (3) to enhance and complement forest management and buffer use for watersheds, with an emphasis on community watersheds; (4) to establish new partnerships and collaborative watershed approaches to forest management, stewardship, and conservation; (5) to provide technical and financial assistance to States to deliver a coordinated program that enhances State forestry best-management practices programs, and conserves and improves forested land and potentially forested land, through technical, financial, and educational assistance to qualifying individuals and entities; and (6) to maximize the proper management and conservation of wetland forests and to assist in the restoration of those forests. SEC. 302. WATERSHED FORESTRY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
The Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 is amended by inserting after section 5 (16 U.S.C. 2103a) the following: ‘‘SEC. 6. WATERSHED FORESTRY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
16 USC 2103b.
‘‘(a) DEFINITION OF NONINDUSTRIAL PRIVATE FOREST LAND.— In this section, the term ‘nonindustrial private forest land’ means rural land, as determined by the Secretary, that— ‘‘(1) has existing tree cover or that is suitable for growing trees; and ‘‘(2) is owned by any nonindustrial private individual, group, association, corporation, or other private legal entity, that has definitive decisionmaking authority over the land. ‘‘(b) GENERAL AUTHORITY AND PURPOSE.—The Secretary, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service and (where appropriate) through the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, may provide technical, financial, and related assistance to State foresters, equivalent State officials, or Cooperative Extension officials at land grant colleges and universities and 1890 institutions for the purpose of expanding State forest stewardship capacities and activities through State forestry best-management practices and other means at the State level to address watershed issues on non-Federal forested land and potentially forested land. ‘‘(c) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO PROTECT WATER QUALITY.— ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in cooperation with State foresters or equivalent State officials, shall engage interested members of the public, including nonprofit organizations and local watershed councils, to develop a program of technical assistance to protect water quality described in paragraph (2). ‘‘(2) PURPOSE OF PROGRAM.—The program under this subsection shall be designed— ‘‘(A) to build and strengthen watershed partnerships that focus on forested landscapes at the State, regional, and local levels; ‘‘(B) to provide State forestry best-management practices and water quality technical assistance directly to owners of nonindustrial private forest land;
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