US HB168

Secretary of Agriculture must develop within 1 year a categorical exclusion for high-priority hazard tree removal activities on projects up to 3,000 acres near National Forest System roads, trails, and developed recreation sites

Increases timber sale threshold from $10,000 to $50,000 and allows disposal of timber without appraisal during extreme risk events including catastrophic wildfire, insect outbreaks, hurricanes, floods, and drought

Expands project size limits from 3,000 acres to 10,000 acres for wildfire resilience projects, fuel breaks, and collaborative restoration projects under the Healthy Forests Restoration Act

Establishes categorical exclusions for electric utility vegetation management within rights-of-way, expands hazard tree clearing zone from 10 feet to 50 feet from power lines, and creates automatic approval process for vegetation management plans after 60-67 days

Removes requirement to reinitiate Endangered Species Act consultation on Forest Service and BLM land management plans when new species are listed or new information emerges about plan effects on listed species