---
kind: "section"
citation: "16 U.S.C. § 6591"
title: "16"
title_heading: "Conservation"
number: "6591"
heading: "Forest stands inventory and monitoring program to improve detection of and response to environmental threats"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/16/6591"
units:
  - "Chapter 84 — Healthy Forest Restoration"
  - "Subchapter VI — Miscellaneous"
---

# §6591. Forest stands inventory and monitoring program to improve detection of and response to environmental threats

- (a) **In general—** The [Secretary](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-1) of Agriculture shall carry out a comprehensive program to inventory, monitor, characterize, assess, and identify forest stands (with emphasis on hardwood forest stands) and potential forest stands—
  - (1) in [units](/usc/16/430f–7.md?p=4) of the National Forest System (other than those [units](/usc/16/430f–7.md?p=4) created from the public domain); and
  - (2) on private forest land, with the consent of the [owner](/usc/16/429b–3.md?p=4) of the land.
- (b) **Issues to be addressed—** In carrying out the program, the [Secretary](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-1) shall address issues including—
  - (1) early detection, identification, and assessment of environmental threats (including insect, disease, invasive species, fire, and weather-related risks and other episodic events);
  - (2) loss or degradation of forests;
  - (3) degradation of the quality forest stands caused by inadequate forest regeneration practices;
  - (4) quantification of carbon uptake rates; and
  - (5) management practices that focus on preventing further forest degradation.
- (c) **Early warning system—** In carrying out the program, the [Secretary](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-1) shall develop a comprehensive early warning system for potential catastrophic environmental threats to forests to increase the likelihood that forest managers will be able to—
  - (1) isolate and treat a threat before the threat gets out of control; and
  - (2) prevent epidemics, such as the American chestnut blight in the first half of the twentieth century, that could be environmentally and economically devastating to forests.
- (d) **Authorization of appropriations—** There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2004 through 2008.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 108–148, title VI, § 601, Dec. 3, 2003, 117 Stat. 1914.)