Good Neighbor Authority for Restoration

Projects are primarily conducted on federal lands administered by the NPS located in the Western United States and Alaska. Projects may also be conducted on other lands to enhance state or Indian Tribe-federal relationships addressing cross-boundary land restoration needs to include activities confined to Authorized Restoration Service which are activities to treat insect and disease-infected trees, activities to reduce hazardous fuels, and any other activities to restore or improve forest, rangeland, and watershed health, including fish and wildlife habitat. The National Park Service must provide or approve silviculture prescriptions and marking guidelines to be applied to public lands in timber sale projects. The term “Federal land” does not include a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System; Federal land on which the removal of vegetation is prohibited or restricted by Act of Congress or Presidential proclamation (including the applicable implementation plan); or a wilderness study area. Does not include construction, reconstruction, repair, or restoration of paved or permanent roads or parking areas, other than the reconstruction, repair, or restoration of a road that is necessary to carry out authorized restoration services pursuant to a good neighbor agreement. Does not include construction, alteration, repair or replacement of public buildings or works. NPS’s funding is discretionary.
Noxious weeds and invasive species treatments: Treatment of noxious weeds and invasive species is often carried out across multiple ownerships in a coordinated effort. GNA can be an effective tool to partner with a cooperating entity that is carrying out weed treatments, whether using herbicide, mechanical, or biological controls, in a coordinated cross-boundary effort.
Fuels Management: Mechanical treatments (e.g., thinning, piling, mastication, mowing), chemical and biological applications, and prescribed fire to protect communities at risk, improve wildfire resiliency, and provide a safe and effective wildfire response.
Community Assistance: Projects across ownership boundaries with mutual benefit and the ability to leverage funds to complete work on the ground. Some treatments could include thinning around a community at risk, juniper removal to improve landscape resiliency.
Forest Management: Conduct treatments to enhance the resilience of forests to wildfire, insect, disease, and drought through density management.
Rangeland plant restoration: Whether impacts are from wildfire, drought, or noxious weeds and invasive species, it is often necessary to aid the re-establishment of rangeland vegetation. This could entail development of plant materials, seed collection, site preparation, and seed or seedling planting. Native plant restoration is also often a cross-boundary need, and where a cooperating entity is conducting these activities, GNA can be used to conduct these activities on National Park Service (NPS) managed lands.
Wildlife movement, migration, and habitat connectivity: GNA can be used to facilitate cross-boundary cooperative habitat restoration and rangeland structural improvements to improve habitat connectivity and support unimpeded movement of wildlife populations across landscapes. Examples of cooperative habitat connectivity projects may include: cross-boundary work associated with fence removals or upgrades to reduce animal fatalities and movement barriers; invasive species control and reseeding or planting of native vegetation along migration corridors and stopover areas; and enhancement of water resource availability within important wildlife movement areas (i.e., development and protection of natural springs, removal of invasive riparian species to increase water availability, construction of guzzlers and other artificial water sources, wet meadow restoration, etc.).
NEPA: GNA stipulates that the NPS decision cannot be delegated to a cooperating entity. However, a cooperating entity can be assisted