---
kind: "section"
citation: "16 U.S.C. § 504"
title: "16"
title_heading: "Conservation"
number: "504"
heading: "Purchases of tree seeds, cones, forage plant seed, and nursery stock for national forests"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/16/504"
units:
  - "Chapter 2 — National Forests"
  - "Subchapter I — Establishment and Administration"
---

# §504. Purchases of tree seeds, cones, forage plant seed, and nursery stock for national forests


The provisions of [section 6101 of title 41](/usc/41/6101.md) shall not apply to any purchase by the Forest Service of forest-tree seed or cones or of forage plant seed when the amount involved does not exceed $10,000, nor to any purchase of forest-tree nursery stock when the amount involved does not exceed $500, whenever, in the discretion of the [Secretary](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-1) of Agriculture, such method is in the public interest.


## Source credit

(June 30, 1914, ch. 131, 38 Stat. 429; Apr. 24, 1950, ch. 97, § 2, 64 Stat. 83.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Codification

In text, “section 6101 of title 41” substituted for “section 3709, Revised Statutes (41 U.S.C. 5),” on authority of Pub. L. 111–350, § 6(c), Jan. 4, 2011, 124 Stat. 3854, which Act enacted Title 41, Public Contracts.

### Amendments

1950—Act Apr. 24, 1950, increased open market purchase limitation from $500 to $10,000 on forest-tree seed or cones or forage plant seed.