Citations — §580p. “Woodsy Owl” and “Smokey Bear” characters and names; definitions

16 U.S.C. § 551

Go to provision →

The Secretary of Agriculture shall make provisions for the protection against destruction by fire and depredations upon the public forests and national forests which may have been set aside or which may be hereafter set aside under the provisions of section 471¹ of this title, and which may be continued; and he may make such rules and regulations and establish such service as will insure the objects of such reservations, namely, to regulate their occupancy and use and to preserve the forests thereon from destruction; and any violation of the provisions of this section, sections 473 to 478 and 479 to 482 of this title or such rules and regulations shall be punished by a fine of not more than $500 or imprisonment for not more than six months, or both. Any person charged with the violation of such rules and regulations may be tried and sentenced by any United States magistrate judge specially designated for that purpose by the court by which he was appointed, in the same manner and subject to the same conditions as provided for in section 3401(b) to (e) of title 18.

16 U.S.C. § 551a

Go to provision →

The Secretary of Agriculture, in connection with the administration and regulation of the use and occupancy of the national forests and national grasslands, is authorized to cooperate with any State or political subdivision thereof, on lands which are within or part of any unit of the national forest system, in the enforcement or supervision of the laws or ordinances of a State or subdivision thereof. Such cooperation may include the reimbursement of a State or its subdivision for expenditures incurred in connection with activities on national forest system lands. This section shall not deprive any State or political subdivision thereof of its right to exercise civil and criminal jurisdiction, within or on lands which are a part of the national forest system.

16 U.S.C. § 551c(a)

Go to provision →

(a) The Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior shall annually offer training programs to certify volunteers for suppressing forest fires on National Forest System lands, National Park System lands and Bureau of Land Management public lands in the event that the appropriate Secretary determines that such volunteers are needed. In carrying out this subsection, the Secretaries should utilize existing authorities to train volunteer firefighters for use in fire emergencies. The Secretaries should assess the capabilities of educational institutions and other public and private organizations to provide such training programs.

16 U.S.C. § 551c(c)(1)

Go to provision →

(1) the Secretary of Agriculture shall submit to the Congress information with respect to regions of the National Forest System, and

16 U.S.C. § 551c(c)(2)

Go to provision →

(2) the Secretary of the Interior shall submit to the Congress information with respect to the Bureau of Land Management public lands on a State-by-State basis and each region of the National Park System

16 U.S.C. § 551c(d)

Go to provision →

(d) Not later than one year after May 9, 1990, information from the Secretary of Agriculture on presuppression needs for each region of the National Forest System and information from the Secretary of the Interior on the presuppression needs for each region of the National Park System and for each State unit of the Bureau of Land Management shall be submitted to Congress. These reports shall include needs, including an estimate of the funds required, for fire prevention, fuel reduction, training and seasonal fire crews.

16 U.S.C. § 551c–1(a)

Go to provision →

(a) Except as provided in subsection (b), the Secretary shall not authorize a prescribed burn on Forest Service land if, for the county or contiguous county in which the land is located, the national fire danger rating system indicates an extreme fire danger level.

16 U.S.C. § 551c–1(b)

Go to provision →

(b) The Secretary may authorize a prescribed burn under a condition described in subsection (a) if the Secretary coordinates with the applicable State government and local fire officials.

16 U.S.C. § 551c–1(c)

Go to provision →

(c) At the end of each fiscal year, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report describing—

(1) the number and locations of prescribed burns during that fiscal year; and

(2) each prescribed burn during that fiscal year that was authorized by the Secretary pursuant to subsection (b).

16 U.S.C. § 551c–1(c)(2)

Go to provision →

(2) each prescribed burn during that fiscal year that was authorized by the Secretary pursuant to subsection (b).

16 U.S.C. § 551d(a)(1)

Go to provision →

(1) The term “Secretaries” means—

(A) the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Directors of the Bureau of Land Management, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs; and

(B) the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service.

16 U.S.C. § 551d(a)(1)(A)

Go to provision →

(A) the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Directors of the Bureau of Land Management, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs; and

16 U.S.C. § 551d(a)(1)(B)

Go to provision →

(B) the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service.

16 U.S.C. § 551d(a)(2)(A)

Go to provision →

(A) under the direction of either of the Secretaries; or

16 U.S.C. § 551d(b)(1)

Go to provision →

(1) The Secretaries shall jointly submit to Congress an annual report on the wildland firefighter safety practices of the Secretaries, including training programs and activities for wildland fire suppression, prescribed burning, and wildland fire use, during the preceding calendar year.

16 U.S.C. § 551d(b)(2)(B)(iii)

Go to provision →

(iii) an estimate of the amount of Federal funds expended by the Secretaries on wildland firefighter safety practices, including training programs and activities for wildland fire suppression, prescribed burning, and wildland fire use;

16 U.S.C. § 551d(b)(2)(B)(v)(II)

Go to provision →

(II) a summary of any actions taken by the Secretaries to ensure that the provisions relating to safety practices, including training, are complied with by the non-Federal entity; and

16 U.S.C. § 552a

Go to provision →

The President, upon recommendation of the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture, may, by Executive order, when in his judgment the public interest would best be served thereby and after reasonable notice has been given through the Department of the Interior, restore any reserved national-forest lands covered by a cooperative agreement with the Secretary of Agriculture for the protection of a watershed within a national forest from which water is secured, to appropriation under any applicable public-lands law.

16 U.S.C. § 552b

Go to provision →

Lands withdrawn under the provisions of sections 552a to 552d of this title shall be administered by the Secretary of Agriculture under such agreements for the protection of the watershed as he may make with the municipality concerned, and the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized, in addition to the rules and regulations adopted for the administration of the national forests, to adopt and prescribe such further rules and regulations as he considers necessary to effect the adequate protection of the watershed, including a rule or regulation forbidding persons other than forest officers and representatives of the municipality from going on the lands so reserved or making any use whatever thereof.

16 U.S.C. § 552c

Go to provision →

Whenever national-forest lands are withdrawn under sections 552a to 552d of this title, and the municipality concerned objects to the utilization of the timber or other resources of lands withdrawn, and the Secretary of Agriculture agrees to withhold such resources from utilization, said municipality shall pay to the Forest Service annually an amount which the Secretary of Agriculture shall determine is necessary to reimburse the United States for the loss of net annual revenues which would be derived from the resources so withheld from disposition.

16 U.S.C. § 553

Go to provision →

Officials of the Forest Service designated by the Secretary of Agriculture shall, in all ways that are practicable, aid in the enforcement of the laws of the States or Territories with regard to stock, for the prevention and extinguishment of forest fires, and for the protection of fish and game, and with respect to national forests, shall aid the other Federal bureaus and departments on request from them, in the performance of the duties imposed on them by law.

16 U.S.C. § 554a

Go to provision →

Forest inspectors, superintendents, supervisors, surveyors, rangers, and fire patrol are to be hereafter appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture wholly with reference to their fitness and without regard for their political affiliations.

16 U.S.C. § 555

Go to provision →

Where no suitable Government land is available for national forest headquarters, ranger stations, dwellings, or for other sites required for the effective conduct of the authorized activities of the Forest Service, the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to purchase such lands out of the appropriation applicable to the purpose for which the land is to be used, and to accept donations of land for any national forest or experimental purpose: Provided, That such lands may be acquired subject to such reservations and outstanding interests as the Secretary determines will not interfere with the purpose for which acquired: Provided further, That not to exceed $50,000 may be expended in any one fiscal year pursuant to this authority.

16 U.S.C. § 555a

Go to provision →

Where lands under the jurisdiction of the Forest Service have been acquired and are being administered under laws which contain no provision for their exchange, the Secretary of Agriculture may convey such lands and in exchange therefor may accept on behalf of the United States title to any lands which in his opinion are suitable for use in connection with activities of the Forest Service. The value of the lands so conveyed by the Secretary of Agriculture shall not exceed the value of the lands accepted by him.

16 U.S.C. § 556b

Go to provision →

Funds available to the Forest Service may be used, in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Agriculture for expenses of transporting automobiles of employees of that Service between points in Alaska in connection with transfers of official stations of such employees to meet the needs of the Service.

16 U.S.C. § 556d

Go to provision →

Advances of money under any appropriation for the Forest Service may be made to the Forest Service and by authority of the Secretary of Agriculture to chiefs of field parties for fighting forest fires in emergency cases and detailed accounts arising under such advances shall be rendered through and by the Department of Agriculture to the Government Accountability Office.

16 U.S.C. § 557

Go to provision →

The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to furnish subsistence to employees of the Forest Service, to purchase personal equipment and supplies for them, and to make deductions therefor from moneys appropriated for salary payments or otherwise due such employees. He is also authorized, in his discretion, to provide out of moneys appropriated for the general expenses of the Forest Service medical attention for employees of the Forest Service located at isolated situations, including the moving of such employees to hospitals or other places where medical assistance is available, and in case of death to remove the bodies of deceased employees to the nearest place where they can be prepared for shipment or for burial: Provided, That when a transient without permanent residence, or any other person while away from his place of residence, is temporarily employed by the Forest Service and while so employed becomes disabled because of injury or illness not attributable to official work, he may be provided hospitalization and other necessary medical care, subsistence, and lodging for a period of not to exceed fifteen days during such disability, the cost thereof to be payable from any funds available to the Forest Service applicable to the work for which such person is employed.

16 U.S.C. § 557a

Go to provision →

The Secretary of Agriculture is hereafter authorized, in connection with the administration of the national forests, to enter into contracts for the procurement of services, materials, and supplies for the ensuing fiscal year, prior to the passage of an appropriation therefor: Provided, That such contracts shall aliquot the cost for such service by fiscal years and shall not be binding on the United States as to that part for the ensuing year unless and until an appropriation applicable to the payment thereof is made: And provided further, That all such contracts shall by their terms provide that the obligation of the United States is contingent upon the passage of an applicable appropriation and that no payment thereunder will be made until such appropriation becomes available for expenditure.

16 U.S.C. § 558a

Go to provision →

The purpose of this Act is to leverage volunteer engagement to supplement projects that are carried out by the Secretaries to fulfill the missions of the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management and are accomplished with appropriated funds.

16 U.S.C. § 558b

Go to provision →

In this Act, the term “Secretaries” means each of—

16 U.S.C. § 558b(1)

Go to provision →

(1) the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service; and

16 U.S.C. § 558b(2)

Go to provision →

(2) the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the Bureau of Land Management.

16 U.S.C. § 558c

Go to provision →

The Secretaries are authorized to recruit, train, and accept without regard to the civil service and classification laws, rules, or regulations the services of individuals without compensation as volunteers for or in aid of recreation access, trail construction or maintenance, facility construction or maintenance, educational uses (including outdoor classroom construction or maintenance), interpretive functions, visitor services, conservation measures and development, or other activities in and related to areas administered by the Secretaries. In carrying out this section, the Secretaries shall consider referrals of prospective volunteers made by the Corporation for National and Community Service.

16 U.S.C. § 558d

Go to provision →

The Secretaries are authorized to provide for incidental expenses, such as transportation, uniforms, lodging, training, equipment, and subsistence.

16 U.S.C. § 558e(e)

Go to provision →

(e) For the purposes of subsections (b), (c), and (d), the term “volunteer” includes a person providing volunteer services to either of the Secretaries who—

(1) is recruited, trained, and supported by a cooperator under a mutual benefit agreement or cooperative agreement with either of the Secretaries; and

(2) performs such volunteer services under the supervision of the cooperator as directed by either of the Secretaries in the mutual benefit agreement or cooperative agreement in the mutual benefit agreement, including direction that specifies—

(A) the volunteer services, including the geographic boundaries of the work to be performed by the volunteers, and the supervision to be provided by the cooperator;

(B) the applicable project safety standards and protocols to be adhered to by the volunteers and enforced by the cooperator;

(C) the on-site visits to be made by either of the Secretaries, if feasible and only if necessary to verify that volunteers are performing the volunteer services and the cooperator is providing the supervision agreed upon;

(D) the equipment the volunteers are authorized to use;

(E) the training the volunteers are required to complete;

(F) the actions the volunteers are authorized to take; and

(G) any other terms and conditions that are determined to be necessary by the applicable Secretary.

16 U.S.C. § 558e(e)(1)

Go to provision →

(1) is recruited, trained, and supported by a cooperator under a mutual benefit agreement or cooperative agreement with either of the Secretaries; and

16 U.S.C. § 558e(e)(2)

Go to provision →

(2) performs such volunteer services under the supervision of the cooperator as directed by either of the Secretaries in the mutual benefit agreement or cooperative agreement in the mutual benefit agreement, including direction that specifies—

(A) the volunteer services, including the geographic boundaries of the work to be performed by the volunteers, and the supervision to be provided by the cooperator;

(B) the applicable project safety standards and protocols to be adhered to by the volunteers and enforced by the cooperator;

(C) the on-site visits to be made by either of the Secretaries, if feasible and only if necessary to verify that volunteers are performing the volunteer services and the cooperator is providing the supervision agreed upon;

(D) the equipment the volunteers are authorized to use;

(E) the training the volunteers are required to complete;

(F) the actions the volunteers are authorized to take; and

(G) any other terms and conditions that are determined to be necessary by the applicable Secretary.

16 U.S.C. § 558e(e)(2)(C)

Go to provision →

(C) the on-site visits to be made by either of the Secretaries, if feasible and only if necessary to verify that volunteers are performing the volunteer services and the cooperator is providing the supervision agreed upon;

16 U.S.C. § 558e(e)(2)(G)

Go to provision →

(G) any other terms and conditions that are determined to be necessary by the applicable Secretary.

16 U.S.C. § 558f

Go to provision →

The Secretaries shall promote volunteer opportunities in areas administered by the Secretaries.

16 U.S.C. § 558g

Go to provision →

The Secretaries shall not require a cooperator or volunteer (as those terms are used in section 558e of this title) to have liability insurance to provide the volunteer services authorized under this Act.

16 U.S.C. § 559a

Go to provision →

The Secretary of Agriculture may pay rewards from appropriations available for the protection and management of the national forests, under such regulations as he may prescribe, for information leading to the arrest and conviction for violation of the laws and regulations relating to fires in or near national forests, or for the unlawful taking of, or injury to, Government property.

16 U.S.C. § 559b(a)

Go to provision →

(a) The purpose of sections 559b to 559f of this title is to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture (hereinafter in sections 559b to 559f of this title referred to as the “Secretary”) to take actions necessary, in connection with the administration and use of the National Forest System, to prevent the manufacture, distribution, or dispensing of marijuana and other controlled substances.

16 U.S.C. § 559c

Go to provision →

For the purposes of sections 559b to 559f of this title, if specifically designated by the Secretary and specially trained, not to exceed 1,000 special agents and law enforcement officers of the Forest Service when in the performance of their duties shall have authority to—

16 U.S.C. § 559d(2)

Go to provision →

(2) the Secretary may authorize the Forest Service to cooperate with the law enforcement officials of any Federal agency, State, or political subdivision in the investigation of violations of and enforcement of section 401 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 841), other laws and regulations relating to marijuana and other controlled substances, and State drug control laws or ordinances for offenses committed within the National Forest System or which affect the administration of the National Forest System.¹

16 U.S.C. § 559d(4)

Go to provision →

(4) the Secretary is authorized to designate law enforcement officers of any other Federal agency, when the Secretary determines such designation to be economical and in the public interest, and with the concurrence of that agency, to exercise the powers and authorities of the Forest Service while assisting the Forest Service in the National Forest System, or for activities administered by the Forest Service; and

16 U.S.C. § 559e

Go to provision →

In order to improve Federal law enforcement activities relating to the use and production of narcotics and controlled substances on lands administered by the Forest Service, from amounts appropriated there shall be made available to the Secretary, in addition to sums made available under other authority of law, $10,000,000 for fiscal year 1989, and for each fiscal year thereafter, to be used for employment and training of additional and existing Forest Service law enforcement personnel, for expenses related to such employment, training, equipment, and facilities, and for cooperative programs with State and local law enforcement agencies.

16 U.S.C. § 559f

Go to provision →

The authorities conferred herein shall be exercised pursuant to an agreement approved by the Secretary of Agriculture and the Attorney General.

16 U.S.C. § 559g(a)

Go to provision →

(a) It is the purpose of this section to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to make law enforcement operations more efficient in connection with the administration and use of the National Forest System.

16 U.S.C. § 559g(b)

Go to provision →

(b) The Secretary is authorized to designate law enforcement officers of any other Federal agency, when the Secretary determines such designation to be economical and in the public interest, and with the concurrence of that agency, to exercise the powers and authorities of the Forest Service while assisting the Forest Service in the National Forest System, or for activities administered by the Forest Service.

16 U.S.C. § 560

Go to provision →

The Secretary of Agriculture, whenever he may deem it necessary for the protection of the national forests from fire, may permit the use of timber free of charge for the construction of telephone lines.

16 U.S.C. § 562

Go to provision →

In order to determine and demonstrate the best methods for the conservative management of forest and forest lands and the protection of timber and other forest products, the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized and directed (1) to establish and maintain, in cooperation with the State of California and with the surrounding States, a forest experiment station at such place or places as he may determine to be most suitable, and (2) to conduct, independently or in cooperation with other branches of the Federal Government, the States, universities, colleges, county and municipal agencies, business organizations, and individuals, such silvicultural, dendrological, forest fire, economic, and other experiments and investigations as may be necessary.

16 U.S.C. § 562a

Go to provision →

The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to establish and maintain a forest experiment station in the States of the Ohio Valley and central Mississippi Valley, at such a place or places as may be selected by him, and he is authorized and directed to conduct silvicultural, forest-fire, dendrological, and other experiments and investigations, independently or in cooperation with other branches of the Federal Government, and with States, universities, colleges, county and municipal agencies, associations, and individuals, to determine the best methods for the growing, management, and protection of timber crops on forest lands and farm wood lots. Such annual appropriations as may thereafter be necessary for its maintenance and operation are hereby authorized.

16 U.S.C. § 562b

Go to provision →

In order to determine and demonstrate the best methods for the growing, management, and protection of timber crops on forest lands and farm wood lots, the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized and directed to establish and maintain a forest experiment station at such place or places as may be determined as most suitable by him, in cooperation with the State of Pennsylvania and with the neighboring States, and to conduct such silvicultural and other forest experiments and investigations as may be necessary, either independently or in cooperation with other organizations, institutions, or individuals, and to carry out the purposes of this section an appropriation in the amount of $30,000 is authorized.

16 U.S.C. § 563

Go to provision →

The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized, and on such conditions as he deems wise, to stipulate and agree with any State or group of States to cooperate in the organization and maintenance of a system of fire protection on any private or State forest lands within such State or States and situated upon the watershed of a navigable river. No such stipulation or agreement shall be made with any State which has not provided by law for a system of forest-fire protection. In no case shall the amount expended in any State exceed in any fiscal year the amount appropriated by that State for the same purpose during the same fiscal year.

16 U.S.C. § 565a

Go to provision →

The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to cooperate with the Territories of the United States on the same terms and conditions as with States under sections 564 and 565¹ of this title.

16 U.S.C. § 565a–1

Go to provision →

To facilitate the administration of the programs and activities of the Forest Service, the Secretary is authorized to negotiate and enter into cooperative agreements with public or private agencies, organizations, institutions, or persons to construct, operate, and maintain cooperative pollution abatement equipment and facilities, including sanitary landfills, water systems, and sewer systems; to engage in cooperative manpower and job training and development programs; to develop and publish cooperative environmental education and forest history materials; and to perform forestry protection, including fire protection, timber stand improvement, debris removal, and thinning of trees. The Secretary may enter into aforesaid agreements when he determines that the public interest will be benefited and that there exists a mutual interest other than monetary considerations. In such cooperative arrangements, the Secretary is authorized to advance or reimburse funds to cooperators from any Forest Service appropriation available for similar kinds of work or by furnishing or sharing materials, supplies, facilities, or equipment without regard to the provisions of section 3324(a) and (b) of title 31, relating to the advance of public moneys.

16 U.S.C. § 565a–3

Go to provision →

Nothing in sections 565a–1 to 565a–3 of this title shall be construed as limiting or modifying the authority of the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements otherwise authorized by law.

16 U.S.C. § 565b

Go to provision →

The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized, subject to such conditions as he may prescribe, to transfer, without reimbursement or at such prices and upon such terms as he may impose, to States and political subdivisions or agencies thereof fire lookout towers and other structures or improvements used by the Forest Service for fire prevention or suppression purposes, and the land used in connection therewith if such land is outside national forest boundaries, when they are no longer needed by the Forest Service for such purposes but are of value to the State or political subdivision or agency thereof in its fire protection system: Provided, That if any property so transferred is not put to use for the purpose for which it was transferred within two years from the date of transfer, or if, within fifteen years from the date of transfer, any such property should cease to be used for the purpose for which it was transferred for a period of two years, title thereto shall revert to and immediately revest in the United States.

16 U.S.C. § 567a

Go to provision →

For the purpose of stimulating the acquisition, development, and proper administration and management of State forests and of insuring coordinated effort by Federal and State agencies in carrying out a comprehensive national program of forest-land management, the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to enter into cooperative agreements with appropriate officials of any State or States for acquiring in the name of the United States, by purchase or otherwise, such forest lands within the cooperating State as in his judgment the State is adequately prepared to administer, develop, and manage as State forests in accordance with the provisions of sections 567a to 567c of this title and with such other terms not inconsistent therewith as he shall prescribe, such acquisition to include the mapping, examination, appraisal, and surveying of such lands and the doing of all things necessary to perfect title thereto in the United States: Provided, That, since it is the declared policy of Congress to maintain and, where it is in the national interest to extend the national-forest system, nothing herein shall be construed to modify, limit, or change in any manner whatsoever the future ownership and administration by the United States of existing national forests and related facilities, or hereafter to restrict or prevent their extension through the acquisition by purchase or otherwise of additional lands for any national-forest purpose: Provided further, That sections 567a to 567c of this title shall not be construed to limit or repeal any legislation authorizing land exchanges by the Federal Government, and private lands acquired by exchange within the limits of any area subject to a cooperative agreement of the character herein authorized shall hereafter be subject to the provisions of sections 567a to 567c of this title.

16 U.S.C. § 567b

Go to provision →

No cooperative agreement shall be entered into or continued in force under the authority of sections 567a to 567c of this title or any land acquired hereunder turned over to the cooperating State for administration, development, and management unless the State concerned, as a consideration for the benefits extended to it thereunder, complies in a manner satisfactory to the Secretary of Agriculture with the following conditions and requirements which shall constitute a part of every such agreement:

16 U.S.C. § 567b(c)

Go to provision →

(c) The Secretary of Agriculture and the appropriate authorities of each cooperating State shall work out a mutually satisfactory plan defining forest areas within the State which can be most effectively and economically administered by said State, which plan shall constitute a part of the cooperative agreement between the United States and the State concerned: Provided, That nothing herein shall be held to prevent the Secretary of Agriculture from later agreeing with the proper State authorities to desirable modifications in such plan.

16 U.S.C. § 567b(e)

Go to provision →

(e) Subject to the approval of the National Forest Reservation Commission, the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to pay out of any available money appropriated for carrying out the purposes of sections 567a to 567c of this title any State, county, and/or town taxes, exclusive of penalties, due or accrued on any forest lands acquired by the United States under donations from the owners thereof and which lands are to be included in a State or other public forest pursuant to said sections.

16 U.S.C. § 567b(f)

Go to provision →

(f) The State shall prepare such standards of forest administration, development, and management as are necessary to insure maximum feasible utility for timber production and watershed protection, and are acceptable to the Secretary of Agriculture and shall apply the same to lands acquired and placed under the jurisdiction of the State pursuant to sections 567a to 567c of this title.

16 U.S.C. § 567b(h)

Go to provision →

(h) During the period any cooperative agreement made under sections 567a to 567c of this title remains in force, one-half of the gross proceeds from all lands covered by said agreement and to which the United States holds title shall be paid by the State to the United States and covered into the Treasury. All such payments shall be credited to the purchase price the State is to pay the United States for said land, such purchase price to be an amount equal to the total sum expended by the United States in acquiring said lands. Upon payments of the full purchase price, either as herein provided or otherwise, title to said lands shall be transferred from the Federal Government to the State, and the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to take such action and incur such expenditures, as may be necessary to effectuate such transfer.

16 U.S.C. § 567b(i)

Go to provision →

(i) Upon the request of the State concerned, any agreement made pursuant to sections 567a to 567c of this title may be terminated by the Secretary of Agriculture. The Secretary of Agriculture may, with the consent and approval of the National Forest Reservation Commission, after due notice given the State and an opportunity for hearing by said Commission, terminate any such agreement for violations of its terms and/or the provisions of said sections of this title. If such agreement is terminated, the United States shall reimburse the State for so much of the State funds as have been expended in the administration, development, and management of the lands involved as the Secretary of Agriculture may decide to be fair and equitable.

16 U.S.C. § 567b(j)

Go to provision →

(j) The State shall furnish the Secretary of Agriculture with such annual, periodic, or special reports as he may require respecting the State’s operations under its agreement with him.

16 U.S.C. § 567b(k)

Go to provision →

(k) When a State or political unit thereof acquires under tax delinquency laws title to forest lands without cost to the United States and which lands are included within a State or other public forest, the Secretary of Agriculture, on behalf of the Federal Government, may contribute annually out of any funds made available under sections 567a to 567c of this title not to exceed one-half the cost of administering, developing, and managing said lands.

16 U.S.C. § 568

Go to provision →

The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized and directed, in cooperation with the land grant colleges and universities of the various States or, in his discretion, with other suitable State agencies, to aid farmers through advice, education, demonstrations, and other similar means in establishing, renewing, protecting, and managing wood lots, shelter belts, windbreaks, and other valuable forest growth, and in harvesting, utilizing, and marketing the products thereof. Except for preliminary investigations, the amount expended by the Federal Government under this section in cooperation with any State or other cooperating agency during any fiscal year shall not exceed the amount expended by the State or other cooperating agency for the same purpose during the same fiscal year, and the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to make expenditures on the certificate of the appropriate State official that the State expenditures, as provided for in this section, have been made. There is authorized to be appropriated annually out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, not more than $500,000 to enable the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out the provisions of this section.

16 U.S.C. § 568a

Go to provision →

The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to cooperate with Territories and other possessions of the United States on the same terms and conditions as with States under sections 566, 567,¹ and 568 of this title.

16 U.S.C. § 569

Go to provision →

To enable owners of lands chiefly valuable for the growing of timber crops to donate or devise such lands to the United States in order to assure future timber supplies for the agricultural and other industries of the State or for other national forest purposes, the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized, in his discretion, to accept on behalf of the United States title to any such land so donated or devised, subject to such reservations by the donor of the present stand of merchantable timber or of mineral or other rights for a period not exceeding twenty years as the Secretary of Agriculture may find to be reasonable and not detrimental to the purposes of this section, and to pay out of any moneys appropriated for the general expenses of the Forest Service the cost of recording deeds or other expenses incident to the examination and acceptance of title. Any lands to which title is so accepted shall be in units of such size or so located as to be capable of economical administration as national forests either separately or jointly with other lands acquired under this section, or jointly with an existing national forest. All lands to which title is accepted under this section shall, upon acceptance of title, become national forest lands, subject to all laws applicable to lands acquired under the Act of March 1, 1911, and amendments thereto. In the sale of timber from national forest lands acquired under this section preference shall be given to applicants who will furnish the products desired therefrom to meet the necessities of citizens of the United States engaged in agriculture in the States in which such national forest is situated. All property, rights, easements, and benefits authorized by this section to be retained by or reserved to owners of lands donated or devised to the United States shall be subject to the tax laws of the States where such lands are located.

16 U.S.C. § 570

Go to provision →

The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to ascertain and determine the location of public lands chiefly valuable for stream-flow protection or for timber production, which can be economically administered as parts of national forests, and to report his findings to the National Forest Reservation Commission established under the Act of March 1, 1911, and if the commission shall determine that the administration of said lands by the Federal Government will protect the flow of streams used for navigation or for irrigation, or will promote a future timber supply, the President shall lay the findings of the commission before the Congress of the United States.

16 U.S.C. § 572(a)

Go to provision →

(a) The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized, where the public interest justifies, to cooperate with or assist public and private agencies, organizations, institutions, and persons in performing work on land in State, county, municipal, or private ownership, situated within or near a national forest, for which the administering agency, owner, or other interested party deposits in one or more payments a sufficient sum to cover the total estimated cost of the work to be done for the benefit of the depositor, for administration, protection, improvement, reforestation, and such other kinds of work as the Forest Service is authorized to do on lands of the United States: Provided, That the United States shall not be liable to the depositor or land-owner for any damage incident to the performance of such work.

16 U.S.C. § 574

Go to provision →

The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to reimburse owners of private property for damage or destruction thereof caused by employees of the United States in connection with the protection, administration, or improvement of the national forests, payment to be made from any funds appropriated for the protection, administration, and improvement of the national forests: Provided, That no payment in excess of $2,500 shall be made on any such claim.

16 U.S.C. § 575

Go to provision →

The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized in cases of emergency to incur such expenses as may be necessary in searching for persons lost in the national forests and in transporting persons seriously ill, injured, or who die within the national forests to the nearest place where the sick or injured person, or the body, may be transferred to interested parties or local authorities.

16 U.S.C. § 576

Go to provision →

The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to establish forest tree nurseries and do all other things needful in preparation for planting on national forests on the scale possible under the appropriations authorized by section 576a of this title: Provided, That nothing in this section shall be deemed to restrict the authority of the said Secretary under other authority of law.

16 U.S.C. § 576a

Go to provision →

There is authorized to be appropriated for each fiscal year after year ending June 30, 1934, not to exceed $400,000, to enable the Secretary of Agriculture to establish and operate nurseries, to collect or to purchase tree seed or young trees, to plant trees, and to do all other things necessary for reforestation by planting or seeding national forests and for the additional protection, care, and improvement of the resulting plantations or young growth.

16 U.S.C. § 576b(a)

Go to provision →

(a) The Secretary of Agriculture may, when in his or her judgment such action will be in the public interest, require any purchaser of national-forest timber to make deposits of money in addition to the payments for the timber, to cover the cost to the United States of (1) planting (including the production or purchase of young trees), (2) sowing with tree seeds (including the collection or purchase of such seeds), (3) cutting, destroying, or otherwise removing undesirable trees or other growth, on the national-forest land cut over by the purchaser, in order to improve the future stand of timber, (4) protecting and improving the future productivity of the renewable resources of the forest land on such sale area, including sale area improvement operations, maintenance and construction, reforestation and wildlife habitat management, or (5) watershed restoration, wildlife habitat improvement, control of insects, disease and noxious weeds, community protection activities, and the maintenance of forest roads, within the Forest Service region in which the timber sale occurred: Provided, That such activities may be performed through the use of contracts, forest product sales, and cooperative agreements. Such deposits shall be covered into the Treasury and shall constitute a special fund, which is appropriated and made available until expended, to cover the cost to the United States of such tree planting, seed sowing, and forest improvement work, as the Secretary of Agriculture may direct. The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized, upon application of the Secretary of the Interior, to furnish seedlings and/or young trees for replanting of burned-over areas in any national park.

16 U.S.C. § 576b(c)

Go to provision →

(c) ¹ Any portion of the balance at the end of a fiscal year in the special fund established pursuant to this section that the Secretary of Agriculture determines to be in excess of the cost of doing work described in subsection (a) (as well as any portion of the balance in the special fund that the Secretary determined, before October 1, 2004, to be excess of the cost of doing work described in subsection (a), but which has not been transferred by that date) shall be transferred to miscellaneous receipts, National Forest Fund, as a National Forest receipt, but only if the Secretary also determines that—

(1) the excess amounts will not be needed for emergency wildfire suppression during the fiscal year in which the transfer would be made; and

(2) the amount to be transferred to miscellaneous receipts, National Forest Fund, exceeds the outstanding balance of unreimbursed funds transferred from the special fund in prior fiscal years for wildfire suppression.

16 U.S.C. § 576c

Go to provision →

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of Agriculture shall establish a “Supplemental National Forest Reforestation Fund”, and transfer to that fund beginning with the fiscal year, commencing July 1, 1972, and ending on September 30, 1987, such amounts as may be appropriated therefor. There is hereby authorized to be appropriated for such purpose for each of the fiscal years during such period the sum of $65,000,000.

16 U.S.C. § 576d

Go to provision →

Moneys transferred to the National Forest Reforestation Fund under the provisions of sections 576c to 576e¹ of this title shall be available to the Secretary of Agriculture, for expenditure upon appropriation, for the purpose of supplementing programs of tree planting and seeding of national forest lands determined by the Secretary to be in need of reforestation. Such moneys shall be available until expended, and shall be provided without prejudice to appropriations or funds available from other sources for the same purposes, including those available pursuant to section 576b of this title.

16 U.S.C. § 577b

Go to provision →

In order to preserve the shore lines, rapids, waterfalls, beaches, and other natural features of the region in an unmodified state of nature, no further alteration of the natural water level of any lake or stream within or bordering upon the designated area shall be authorized by any permit, license, lease, or other authorization granted by any official or commission of the United States, which will result in flooding lands of the United States within or immediately adjacent to the Superior National Forest, unless and until specific authority for granting such permit, license, lease, or other authorization shall have first been obtained by special Act from the Congress of the United States covering each such project: Provided, That nothing in this section shall be construed as interfering with the duties of the International Joint Commission created pursuant to the convention concerning the boundary waters between the United States and Canada and concluded between the United States and Great Britain on January 11, 1909, and action taken or to be taken in accordance with provisions of the convention, protocol, and agreement between the United States and Canada, which were signed at Washington on February 24, 1925, for the purpose of regulating the levels of the Lake of the Woods: Provided, That with the written approval and consent of the Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture, reservoirs not exceeding one hundred acres in area may be constructed and maintained for the transportation of logs or in connection with authorized recreational uses of national-forest lands, and maximum water levels not higher than the normal high-water mark may be maintained temporarily where essential strictly for logging purposes, in the streams between lakes by the construction and operation of small temporary dams: Provided, however, That nothing herein shall be construed to prevent the Secretary of Agriculture from listing for homestead entry under the provisions of the Act of June 11, 1906 (34 Stat. 233), any of the above-described lands found by him to be chiefly valuable for agriculture and not needed for public purposes: Provided further, That the provisions of this section shall not apply to any proposed development for water-power purposes for which an application for license was pending under the terms of the Federal Power Act [16 U.S.C. 791a et seq.] on or before January 1, 1928.

16 U.S.C. § 577c

Go to provision →

To protect and administer more effectively the publicly owned lands within certain parts of the area described in section 577 of this title, and to accomplish certain public purposes explicit and implicit in sections 577a and 577b of this title, the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized and directed to acquire any lands or interest in lands, and appurtenances thereto, situated within the area described in section 577d of this title, where in his opinion development or exploitation, or the potentialities for development or exploitation, impair or threaten to impair the unique qualities and natural features of the remaining wilderness canoe country.

16 U.S.C. § 577f

Go to provision →

Upon finding and determination by the Secretary of Agriculture that the public purposes and objectives explicit and implicit in sections 577 to 577b of this title, more effectively can be accomplished by exchanging lands of the United States situated within the boundaries described in said sections for other lands in State, county, or private ownership situated within the said boundaries which are more suitable for public ownership, management, and use, for the purposes contemplated by said sections, such lands of the United States shall be subject to exchange under the provisions of sections 485 and 486 of this title, or the provisions of section 516 of this title.

16 U.S.C. § 577g

Go to provision →

The Secretary of the Treasury, upon the certification of the Secretary of Agriculture, shall pay to the State of Minnesota, at the close of each fiscal year from any national-forest receipts not otherwise appropriated a sum of money equivalent to three-quarters of 1 per centum of the fair appraised value of such national-forest lands as may be situated within the area described in section 577d of this title at the end of each fiscal year; and the payments made hereunder shall be distributed to each of the three aforesaid counties in conformity with the fair appraised value of such national-forest lands in each county: Provided, That the fair appraised value of the lands shall be determined by the Secretary of Agriculture at ten-year intervals and his determination shall be conclusive and final: Provided further, That the first payment to the State of Minnesota under the provisions of this section shall not be due until the close of the first full fiscal year after June 22, 1948: And provided further, That the provisions of section 500 of this title, shall not be applicable to the national-forest lands to which this section applies.

16 U.S.C. § 577g–1

Go to provision →

The Secretary of the Treasury, upon the certification of the Secretary of Agriculture, shall pay to the State of Minnesota, at the close of each fiscal year from any national-forest receipts not otherwise appropriated a sum of money equivalent to three-quarters of 1 per centum of the fair appraised value of such national-forest lands as may be situated within the area described in section 577d–1 of this title at the end of each fiscal year; and the payments made hereunder shall be distributed to each of the three aforesaid counties in conformity with the fair appraised value of such national-forest lands in each county: Provided, That the fair appraised value of the lands shall be determined by the Secretary of Agriculture at ten-year intervals and his determination shall be conclusive and final: Provided further, That the first payment to the State of Minnesota under the provisions of this section shall be due at the close of the fiscal year 1959: And provided further, That the provisions of section 500 of this title, shall not be applicable to the national-forest lands to which this section applies.

16 U.S.C. § 577h(b)

Go to provision →

(b) Not later than March 1 of each year 1977 through 1980, the Secretary of Agriculture shall submit to the Congress a report concerning the acquisition of lands or interests in lands under sections 577c, 577d, and 577e to 577h of this title. The final report of the Secretary shall specify whether additional authorizations or appropriations are necessary to carry out the purposes of said sections.

16 U.S.C. § 579b

Go to provision →

There is established a working capital fund which shall be available without fiscal year limitation for expenses necessary, including the purchase or construction of buildings and improvements within the limitations thereon set forth in the appropriations for the Forest Service, for furnishing supply and equipment services in support of programs of the Forest Service. The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to transfer to the fund, without reimbursement, and to capitalize in the fund at fair and reasonable values, such receivables, inventories, equipment, and other assets as he may determine, and assume the liabilities in connection with such assets: Provided, That the fund shall be credited with advance payments in connection with firm orders and reimbursements from appropriations and funds of the Forest Service, other departmental and Federal agencies, and from other sources, as authorized by law, at rates approximately equal to the cost of furnishing the facilities and service.

16 U.S.C. § 579c–1(a)

Go to provision →

(a) Any monies covered into the Treasury under section 579c of this title, including all monies that were previously collected by the United States in a forfeiture, judgment, compromise, or settlement, shall be invested by the Secretary of the Treasury in interest bearing obligations of the United States to the extent the amounts are not, in the judgment of the Secretary of the Treasury, required to meet current withdrawals.

16 U.S.C. § 579e(a)

Go to provision →

(a) The Secretary of Agriculture shall establish the ‘Forest Service Operations’ account not later than October 1, 2020, for the necessary expenses of the Forest Service: (1) for the base salary and expenses of employees in the Chief’s Office, the Work Environment and Performance Office, the Business Operations Deputy Area, and the Chief Financial Officer’s Office to carry out administrative and general management support functions; (2) for the costs of facility maintenance, repairs, and leases for buildings and sites; (3) for the costs of utility and communication expenses, business services, and information technology, including cybersecurity requirements; and (4) for such other administrative support function expenses necessary for the operation of the Forest Service.

16 U.S.C. § 579e(b)

Go to provision →

(b) Subsequent to the establishment of the account under subsection (a), the Secretary of Agriculture may execute appropriations of the Department for fiscal year 2021 as provided pursuant to such subsection, including any continuing appropriations made available for fiscal year 2021 before enactment of a regular appropriations Act.

16 U.S.C. § 579e(c)

Go to provision →

(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of Agriculture may transfer any unobligated balances made available to the Forest Service by this or prior appropriations Acts to the account established under subsection (a) to carry out such subsection, and shall notify the Committees on Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives within 5 days of such transfer: Provided, That no amounts may be transferred from amounts that were made available for wildfire suppression operations pursuant to section 901(b)(2)(F) of title 2.

16 U.S.C. § 579e(d)(1)

Go to provision →

(1) Not later than November 1, 2020, the Secretary of Agriculture shall establish the preliminary baseline for application of transfer authorities and submit the report specified in paragraph (2) to the Committees on Appropriations for the Senate and the House of Representatives.

16 U.S.C. § 580d

Go to provision →

The Secretary of Agriculture, under such regulations as he may prescribe and at rates and for periods not exceeding thirty years as determined by him, is authorized to permit the use by public and private agencies, corporations, firms, associations, or individuals, of structures or improvements under the administrative control of the Forest Service and land used in connection therewith: Provided, That as all or a part of the consideration for permits issued under this section, the Secretary may require the permittees at their expense to renovate, recondition, improve, and maintain the structures and land to a satisfactory standard.

16 U.S.C. § 580e

Go to provision →

The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to furnish persons attending Forest Service demonstrations, and users of national forest resources and recreational facilities, with meals, lodging, bedding, fuel, and other services, where such facilities are not otherwise available, at rates approximating but not less than the actual or estimated cost thereof and to deposit all moneys received therefor to the credit of the appropriation from which the cost thereof is paid, or a similar appropriation current at the time the moneys are received: Provided, That such receipts obtained in excess of $10,000 in any one fiscal year shall be deposited in the Treasury as miscellaneous receipts.

16 U.S.C. § 580f

Go to provision →

Notwithstanding the provisions of section 1348 of title 31, appropriations for the protection and management of the national forests and other lands administered by the Forest Service shall be available to pay for telephone service installed in residences of employees and of persons cooperating with the Forest Service who reside within or near such lands when such installation is determined by the Secretary of Agriculture to be needed in protecting such lands: Provided, That in addition to the monthly local service charge, the Government may pay only such tolls or other charges as are required strictly for the public business.

16 U.S.C. § 580g

Go to provision →

Whenever such action is deemed to be in the public interest, the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to pay from any appropriation available for the protection and management of the national forests all or any part of the cost of leasing, seeding, and protective fencing of public range land (other than national forest land) and privately owned land intermingled with or adjacent to national forest or other land administered by the Forest Service, if the use of the land to be seeded is controlled by the Forest Service under a lease or agreement which in the judgment of the Chief of the Forest Service gives the Forest Service control over the land for a sufficient period to justify such expenditures: Provided, That payment may not be made under authority of this section for the seeding of more than one thousand acres in any one private ownership: Provided further, That payment may not be made under authority of this section for the seeding of more than twenty-five thousand acres in any one fiscal year: Provided further, That the period of any lease under this authority may not exceed twenty years.

16 U.S.C. § 580h

Go to provision →

Of the moneys received from grazing fees by the Treasury from each national forest during each fiscal year there shall be available at the end thereof when appropriated by Congress an amount equivalent to 2 cents per animal-month for sheep and goats and 10 cents per animal-month for other kinds of livestock under permit on such national forest during the calendar year in which the fiscal year begins, which appropriated amount shall be available until expended on such national forest, under such regulations as the Secretary of Agriculture may prescribe, for (1) artificial revegetation, including the collection or purchase of necessary seed; (2) construction and maintenance of drift or division fences and stock-watering places, bridges, corrals, driveways, or other necessary range improvements; (3) control of range-destroying rodents; or (4) eradication of poisonous plants and noxious weeds, in order to protect or improve the future productivity of the range.

16 U.S.C. § 580i

Go to provision →

There are authorized to be appropriated—

16 U.S.C. § 580j

Go to provision →

Appropriations of the Forest Service chargeable with salaries and wages shall be available for payment to temporary employees of the Forest Service for loss of time due to injury in official work at rates not in excess of those provided by subchapter I of chapter 81 of title 5, when the injured person is in need of immediate financial assistance to avoid hardship: Provided, That such payment shall not be made for a period in excess of fifteen days and the Secretary of Labor shall be notified promptly of the amount so paid, which amount shall be deducted from the amount, if any, otherwise payable by the Secretary of Labor to the employee on account of the injury, the amount so deducted by the Secretary of Labor to be paid to the Forest Service for deposit to the credit of the Forest Service appropriation from which the expenditure was made: Provided further, That when any person assisting in the suppression of forest fires or in other emergency work under the direction of the Forest Service, without compensation from the United States, pursuant to the terms of a contract, agreement, or permit, is injured in such work, the Forest Service may furnish hospitalization and other medical care, subsistence, and lodging for a period of not to exceed fifteen days during such disability, the cost thereof to be payable from the appropriation applicable to the work upon which the injury occurred, except that this proviso shall not apply when such person is within the purview of a State or other compensation act: Provided further, That determination by the Forest Service that payment is allowable under this section shall be final as to payments made hereunder, but such determination or payments with respect to employees shall not prevent the Secretary of Labor from denying further payments should the Secretary of Labor determine that compensation is not properly allowable under the provisions of subchapter I of chapter 81 of title 5.

16 U.S.C. § 580k(a)(1)

Go to provision →

(1) To provide national forest grazing permittees means for the expression of their recommendations concerning the management and administration of national forest grazing lands, a local advisory board shall be constituted and elected as hereinafter provided for each national forest or administrative subdivision thereof, whenever a majority of the grazing permittees of such national forest or administrative subdivision so petitions the Secretary of Agriculture. Each elected local advisory board existing for such purpose on April 24, 1950, and recognized as such by the Department of Agriculture, shall continue to be the local advisory board for the unit or area it represents, until replaced by a local advisory board or boards constituted and elected as hereinafter provided.

16 U.S.C. § 580k(a)(2)

Go to provision →

(2) Each such local advisory board shall be constituted and elected under rules and regulations, consistent herewith, now or hereafter approved by the Secretary of Agriculture, and shall be recognized by him as representing the grazing permittees of the national forest or administrative subdivision thereof for which such local advisory board has been constituted and elected.

16 U.S.C. § 580k(a)(4)

Go to provision →

(4) Each such local advisory board shall meet at least once annually, at a time to be fixed by such board, and at such other time or times as its members may determine, or on the call of the chairman thereof or of the Secretary of Agriculture or his authorized representative.

16 U.S.C. § 580k(b)

Go to provision →

(b) Upon the request of any party affected thereby, the Secretary of Agriculture, or his duly authorized representative, shall refer to the appropriate local advisory board for its advice and recommendations any matter pertaining to (1) the modification of the terms, or the denial of a renewal of, or a reduction in, a grazing permit, or (2) the establishment or modification of an individual or community allotment. In the event the Secretary of Agriculture, or his duly authorized representative, shall overrule, disregard, or modify any such recommendations, he, or such representative, shall furnish in writing to the local advisory board his reasons for such action.

16 U.S.C. § 580k(c)(1)

Go to provision →

(1) At least thirty days prior to the issuance by the Secretary of Agriculture of any regulation under sections 490, 500, 504, 504a, 555, 557, 571c, 572, 579a, 580c to 580l, and 581¹ of this title or otherwise, with respect to the administration of grazing on national forest lands, or of amendments or additions to, or modifications in, any such regulation, which in his judgment would substantially modify existing policy with respect to grazing in national forests, or which would materially affect preferences of permittees in the area involved, the local advisory board for each area that will be affected thereby shall be notified of the intention to take such action. If as a result of this notice the Secretary of Agriculture shall receive any recommendation respecting the issuance of the proposed regulation and shall overrule, disregard, or modify any such regulations, he or his representative shall furnish in writing to the local advisory board his reasons for such action.

16 U.S.C. § 580k(c)(2)

Go to provision →

(2) Any such local advisory board may at any time recommend to the Secretary of Agriculture, or his representative, the issuance of regulations or instructions relating to the use of national forest lands, seasons of use, grazing capacity of such lands, and any other matters affecting the administration of grazing in the area represented by such board.

16 U.S.C. § 580l

Go to provision →

The Secretary of Agriculture in regulating grazing on the national forests and other lands administered by him in connection therewith is authorized, upon such terms and conditions as he may deem proper, to issue permits for the grazing of livestock for periods not exceeding ten years and renewals thereof: Provided, That nothing herein shall be construed as limiting or restricting any right, title, or interest of the United States in any land or resources.

16 U.S.C. § 580m

Go to provision →

It is declared to be the policy of the United States to provide that reservoir areas of projects for flood control, navigation, hydroelectric power development, and other related purposes owned in fee and under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Army and the Chief of Engineers shall be developed and maintained so as to encourage, promote, and assure fully adequate and dependable future resources of readily available timber, through sustained yield programs, reforestation, and accepted conservation practices, and to increase the value of such areas for conservation, recreation, and other beneficial uses: Provided, That such development and management shall be accomplished to the extent practicable and compatible with other uses of the project.

16 U.S.C. § 580n

Go to provision →

In order to carry out the national policy declared in section 580m of this title, the Chief of Engineers, under the supervision of the Secretary of the Army, shall provide for the protection and development of forest or other vegetative cover and the establishment and maintenance of other conservation measures on reservoir areas under his jurisdiction, so as to yield the maximum benefit and otherwise improve such areas. Programs and policies developed pursuant to the preceding sentence shall be coordinated with the Secretary of Agriculture, and with appropriate State conservation agencies.

16 U.S.C. § 580p–2

Go to provision →

The Secretary of Agriculture shall deposit into a special account to be available for furthering the nationwide forest-fire prevention campaign all fees collected under regulations promulgated by him relating to “Smokey Bear”.

16 U.S.C. § 580p–3(a)

Go to provision →

(a) The Secretary may establish and collect use or royalty fees for the manufacture, reproduction, or use of the name or character “Woodsy Owl” and the associated slogan, “Give a Hoot, Don’t Pollute”, as a symbol for a public service campaign to promote wise use of the environment and programs which foster maintenance and improvement of environmental quality.

16 U.S.C. § 580p–3(b)

Go to provision →

(b) The Secretary shall deposit into a special account all fees collected pursuant to this Act. Such fees are hereby made available for obligation and expenditure for the purpose of furthering the “Woodsy Owl” campaign.

16 U.S.C. § 580p–4(a)

Go to provision →

(a) Whoever, except as provided by rules and regulations issued by the Secretary, manufactures, uses, or reproduces the character “Smokey Bear”, or the name “Smokey Bear”, or a facsimile or simulation of such character or name in such a manner as suggests “Smokey Bear” may be enjoined from such manufacture, use, or reproduction at the suit of the Attorney General upon complaint by the Secretary.

16 U.S.C. § 580p–4(b)

Go to provision →

(b) Whoever, except as provided by rules and regulations issued by the Secretary, manufactures, uses, or reproduces the character “Woodsy Owl”, the name “Woodsy Owl”, or the slogan “Give a Hoot, Don’t Pollute”, or a facsimile or simulation of such character, name, or slogan in such a manner as suggests “Woodsy Owl” may be enjoined from such manufacture, use, or reproduction at the suit of the Attorney General upon complaint by the Secretary.

16 U.S.C. § 581i–1

Go to provision →

For the purpose of fostering and stimulating participation with the Forest Service in forest, range, and watershed management research through investigations, experiments, tests, or such other means as he may deem advisable, and in order to aid in obtaining the fullest cooperation from States and other public and private agencies, organizations, institutions, and individuals, in effectuating such research the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized in accordance with such regulations as he may issue and when in his judgment such cooperative work will be stimulated or facilitated to make funds available to the cooperators without regard to the provisions of section 3324(a) and (b) of title 31, prohibiting advances of public moneys.

16 U.S.C. § 582

Go to provision →

The provisions of sections 515, 564, 565,¹ and 569 of this title are extended to the Territory of Puerto Rico, and the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to cooperate with the appropriate officials of Puerto Rico on the same terms and conditions as with the States: Provided, That not to exceed fifty thousand acres of land may be acquired in Puerto Rico under section 515 of this title.

16 U.S.C. § 582a–1

Go to provision →

In order to promote research in forestry, the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to cooperate with the several States for the purpose of encouraging and assisting them in carrying out programs of forestry research.

16 U.S.C. § 582a–2

Go to provision →

To enable the Secretary to carry out the provisions of this subchapter there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as the Congress may from time to time determine to be necessary but not exceeding in any one fiscal year one-half the amount appropriated for Federal forestry research conducted directly by the Department of Agriculture for the fiscal year preceding the year in which the budget is presented for such appropriation. Funds appropriated and made available to the States under this subchapter shall be in addition to allotments or grants that may be made under other authorizations.

16 U.S.C. § 582a–3

Go to provision →

The amount paid by the Federal Government to any State-certified institutions eligible for assistance under this subchapter shall not exceed during any fiscal year the amount available to and budgeted for expenditure by such college or university during the same fiscal year for forestry research from non-Federal sources, except that for the fiscal years ending June 30, 1971, and June 30, 1972, the matching funds requirement hereof shall not be applicable to the Virgin Islands and Guam, and sums authorized for such years for the Virgin Islands and Guam may be used to pay the total cost of programs for forestry research. The Secretary is authorized to make such expenditures on the certificate of the appropriate official of the college or university having charge of the forestry research for which the expenditures as herein provided are to be made. If any or all of the colleges or universities certified for receipt of funds under this subchapter fails to make available and budget for expenditure for forestry research in any fiscal year sums at least as much as the amount for which it would be eligible for such year under this subchapter, the difference between the Federal funds available and the funds made available and budgeted for expenditure by the college or university shall be reapportioned by the Secretary to other eligible colleges or universities of the same State if there be any which qualify therefor and, if there be none, the Secretary shall reapportion such differences to the qualifying colleges and universities of other States participating in the forestry research program. If in any year the amount made available by a State from its own funds (including any revenue-sharing funds) to a State-certified institution eligible for assistance under this subchapter is reduced because of an increase in the allotment made available under this subchapter, the allotment of such State-certified institution from the next succeeding appropriation shall be reduced in an equivalent amount. The Secretary shall reapportion the amount of such reduction to other eligible colleges and universities of the same State if there be any that qualify therefor and, if there be none, the Secretary shall reapportion such amount to the qualifying colleges and universities of other States participating in the forestry research program.

16 U.S.C. § 582a–4(a)

Go to provision →

(a) The Secretary shall prescribe such regulations as may be necessary to carry out this subchapter and to furnish such advice and assistance through a cooperative State forestry research unit in the Department as will best promote the purposes of this subchapter.

16 U.S.C. § 582a–4(b)

Go to provision →

(b) The Secretary shall appoint a council of not fewer than sixteen members which shall be constituted to give representation to Federal and State agencies concerned with developing and utilizing the Nation’s forest resources, the forest industries, the forestry schools of the State-certified eligible institutions, State agricultural experiment stations, and volunteer public groups concerned with forests and related natural resources. The council shall meet at least annually and shall submit a report to the Secretary on regional and national planning and coordination of forestry research within the Federal and State agencies, forestry schools, and the forest industries, and shall advise the Secretary on the apportionment of funds. The Secretary shall seek, at least once each year, the advice of the council to accomplish efficiently the purposes of this subchapter.

16 U.S.C. § 582a–5

Go to provision →

Apportionments among participating States shall be determined by the Secretary after consultation with the council appointed under section 582a–4 of this title. In making such apportionments, consideration shall be given to pertinent factors including non-Federal expenditures for forestry research by State-certified eligible institutions, areas of non-Federal commercial forest land, and the volume of timber cut annually. Three per centum of such funds as may be appropriated shall be made available to the Secretary for administration of this subchapter. These administrative funds may be used for transportation of scientists who are not officers or employees of the United States to research meetings convened for purposes of assessing research opportunities or research planning.

16 U.S.C. § 582a–8(a)

Go to provision →

(a) The Secretary of Agriculture (hereafter referred to in this section as the “Secretary”) shall establish a competitive forestry, natural resources, and environmental grant program to award grants for the conduct of research or forest restoration as described in subsection (c).

16 U.S.C. § 582a–8(b)(1)

Go to provision →

(1) be a State agricultural experiment station, a college or university, a research institution or organization, a Federal agency, a private organization, or a corporation that has a demonstrable capacity to conduct forestry, natural resources, and environmental research as determined by the Secretary; and

16 U.S.C. § 582a–8(b)(2)

Go to provision →

(2) prepare and submit to the Secretary, an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary shall require, including the proposed use of the amounts that may be received under a grant.

16 U.S.C. § 582a–8(c)(1)

Go to provision →

(1) In awarding the initial grants under subsection (a) the Secretary shall give priority to applicants who will use such grants for research concerning—

(A) the biology of forest organisms, including physiology, genetic mechanisms, and biotechnology;

(B) ecosystem function and management, including forest ecosystem research, biodiversity, forest productivity, pest management, water resources, and alternative silvicultural systems;

(C) wood as a raw material, including forest products and harvesting;

(D) human forest interactions, including outdoor recreation, public policy formulation, economics, sociology, and administrative behavior;

(E) international trade, competition, and cooperation related to forest products;

(F) alternative native crops, products, and services that can be produced from renewable natural resources associated with privately held forest lands;

(G) viable economic production and marketing systems for alternative natural resource products and services;

(H) economic and environmental benefits of various conservation practices on forest lands;

(I) genetic tree improvement; and

(J) market expansion.

16 U.S.C. § 582a–8(c)(2)(B)

Go to provision →

(B) The Secretary shall award competitive grants under this subsection based on the degree to which the applicant addresses the following criteria:

(i) Risk posed to the forests of that State by non-native pests, as measured by such factors as the number of such pests present in the State.

(ii) The proportion of the State’s forest composed of species vulnerable to non-native pests present in the United States.

(iii) The pests’ rate of spread via natural or human-assisted means.

16 U.S.C. § 582a–8(d)(2)

Go to provision →

(2) The Secretary, in consultation with the Cooperative Forestry Research Council appointed under section 582a–4(b) of this title, may develop criteria and priorities for the awarding of grants for use under paragraph (1).

16 U.S.C. § 582a–8(e)

Go to provision →

(e) The Secretary shall request the Cooperative Forestry Research Council referred to in subsection (d)(2) to provide recommendations regarding grant priorities.

16 U.S.C. § 582a–8(f)

Go to provision →

(f) The Secretary may make grants under this section for periods of not to exceed 5 years.

16 U.S.C. § 583

Go to provision →

In order to promote the stability of forest industries, of employment, of communities, and of taxable forest wealth, through continuous supplies of timber; in order to provide for a continuous and ample supply of forest products; and in order to secure the benefits of forests in maintenance of water supply, regulation of stream flow, prevention of soil erosion, amelioration of climate, and preservation of wildlife, the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior are severally authorized to establish by formal declaration, when in their respective judgments such action would be in the public interest, cooperative sustained-yield units which shall consist of federally owned or administered forest land under the jurisdiction of the Secretary establishing the unit and, in addition thereto, land which reasonably may be expected to be made the subject of one or more of the cooperative agreements with private landowners authorized by section 583a of this title.

16 U.S.C. § 583a

Go to provision →

The Secretary of Agriculture, with respect to forest land under his jurisdiction, and the Secretary of the Interior, with respect to forest land under his jurisdiction, are severally authorized, for the purposes specified in section 583 of this title, to enter into cooperative agreements with private owners of forest land within a cooperative sustained-yield unit, established pursuant to said section, providing for the coordinated management of such private forest land and of federally owned or administered forest lands within the sustained-yield unit involved. Each cooperative agreement may give the cooperating private landowner the privilege of purchasing without competitive bidding at prices not less than their appraised value, subject to periodic readjustments of stumpage rates and to such other conditions and requirements as the Secretary may prescribe, timber and other forest products from federally owned or administered forest land within the unit, in accordance with the provisions of sustained-yield management plans formulated or approved by the Secretary for the unit; shall limit the time, rate, and method of cutting or otherwise harvesting timber and other forest products from the land of the cooperating private landowner, due consideration being given to the character and condition of the timber, to the relation of the proposed cutting to the sustained-yield plan for the unit, and to the productive capacity of the land; shall prescribe the terms and conditions, but not the price, upon which the cooperating private landowner may sell to any person timber and other forest products from his land, compliance by the purchaser with such conditions to be required by the contract of sale; shall contain such provisions as the Secretary deems necessary to protect the reasonable interest of other owners of forest land within the unit; and shall contain such other provisions as the Secretary believes necessary to carry out the purposes of this subchapter.

16 U.S.C. § 583b

Go to provision →

The Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior are further severally authorized, whenever in their respective judgments the maintenance of a stable community or communities is primarily dependent upon the sale of timber or other forest products from federally owned or administered forest land and such maintenance cannot effectively be secured by following the usual procedures in selling such timber or other forest products, to establish by formal declaration for the purpose of maintaining the stability of such community or communities a sustained-yield unit consisting of forest land under the jurisdiction of the Secretary establishing such unit, to determine and define the boundaries of the community or communities for whose benefit such unit is created, and to sell, subject to such conditions and requirements as the Secretary believes necessary, federally owned or administered timber and other forest products from such unit without competitive bidding at prices not less than their appraised values, to responsible purchasers within such community or communities.

16 U.S.C. § 583c

Go to provision →

Each of the said Secretaries is further authorized in his discretion to enter into cooperative agreements with the other Secretary, or with any Federal agency having jurisdiction over federally owned or administered forest land, or with any State or local agency having jurisdiction over publicly owned or administered forest land, providing for the inclusion of such land in any coordinated plan of management otherwise authorized by the provisions of this subchapter when by such a cooperative agreement he may be aided in accomplishing the purposes of this subchapter; but no federally or publicly owned or administered forest land not under the jurisdiction of the Secretary establishing the sustained-yield unit concerned shall be included in any such plan except in pursuance of a cooperative agreement made under this section.

16 U.S.C. § 583d

Go to provision →

Before any sustained-yield unit authorized by section 583 or 583b of this title shall be established, and before any cooperative agreement authorized by section 583a or 583c of this title shall be entered into, advance notice thereof shall be given by registered mail or by certified mail to each landowner whose land is proposed to be included and by publication in one or more newspapers of general circulation in the vicinity of the place where the timber is located, and the costs incident to such publication may be paid out of any funds available for the protection or management of the federally owned or administered forest land involved. This notice shall state: (1) the location of the proposed unit; (2) the name of each proposed cooperator; (3) the duration of the proposed cooperative agreement or agreements; (4) the location and estimated quantity of timber on the land of each proposed cooperator and on the Federal land involved; (5) the expected rate of cutting of such timber; and (6) the time and place of a public hearing to be held not less than thirty days after the first publication of said notice for the presentation of the advantages and disadvantages of the proposed action to the community or communities affected.

16 U.S.C. § 583g

Go to provision →

The Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior may severally prescribe such rules and regulations as may be appropriate to carry out the purposes of this subchapter. Each Secretary may delegate any of his powers and duties under this subchapter to other officers or employees of his Department.

16 U.S.C. § 583h

Go to provision →

Nothing contained in this subchapter shall be construed to abrogate or curtail any authority conferred upon the Secretary of Agriculture or the Secretary of the Interior by any Act relating to management of federally owned or administered forest lands, and nothing contained in any such Acts shall be construed to limit or restrict any authority conferred upon the Secretary of Agriculture or the Secretary of the Interior by this subchapter.

16 U.S.C. § 583j–1(a)

Go to provision →

(a) The Foundation shall have a governing Board of Directors (hereinafter referred to as the “Board”), which shall consist of not more than 30 Directors, each of whom shall be a United States citizen. At the discretion of the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary may increase the number of Directors to not more than twenty. At all times, a majority of members of the Board shall be educated or have actual experience in natural or cultural resource management, law, or research. To the extent practicable, members of the Board shall represent diverse points of view relating to natural and cultural resource issues. The Chief of the Forest Service shall be an ex officio nonvoting member of the Board.

16 U.S.C. § 583j–1(b)

Go to provision →

(b) Within one year from November 16, 1990, the Secretary of Agriculture (hereinafter referred to as the “Secretary”) shall appoint the Directors of the Board. Directors shall be appointed for terms of six years; except that the Secretary, in making the initial appointments to the Board, shall appoint one-third each of the Directors to terms of two, four, and six years respectively. A vacancy on the Board shall be filled within sixty days of such vacancy in the manner in which the original appointment was made. No individual may serve more than twelve consecutive years as a Director.

16 U.S.C. § 583j–3(a)

Go to provision →

(a) For purposes of assisting the Foundation in establishing an office and meeting initial administrative, project, and other startup expenses, the Secretary is authorized to provide to the Foundation $500,000, from funds appropriated pursuant to section 583j–8(a) of this title, per year for the two years beginning October 1, 1992. Such funds shall remain available to the Foundation until they are expended for authorized purposes.

16 U.S.C. § 583j–3(b)

Go to provision →

(b) In addition to the startup funds provided under subsection (a) of this section, during fiscal years 2016 through 2023, the Secretary is authorized to provide matching funds for administrative and project expenses incurred by the Foundation as authorized by section 583j–8(b) of this title including reimbursement of expenses under section 583j–1 of this title, not to exceed then current Federal Government per diem rates.

16 U.S.C. § 583j–3(c)

Go to provision →

(c) At any time, the Secretary may provide the Foundation use of Department of Agriculture personnel, facilities, and equipment, with partial or no reimbursement, with such limitations and on such terms and conditions as the Secretary shall establish.

16 U.S.C. § 583j–4

Go to provision →

The Secretary may accept, without regard to the civil service classification laws, rules and regulations, any director, officer, employee or agent of the Foundation as a volunteer for purposes of the Volunteers in the National Forests Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 558a through 558d; 86 Stat. 147).¹

16 U.S.C. § 583j–8(b)

Go to provision →

(b) For the purposes of section 583j–3 of this title, there are authorized to be appropriated $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2016 through 2023 to the Secretary of Agriculture to be made available to the Foundation to match, on a one-for-one basis, private contributions made to the Foundation.

§580p. “Woodsy Owl” and “Smokey Bear” characters and names; definitions — Inbound Citations

Citations to §580p(1)

Citations to §580p(2)

Citations to §580p(3)

Cite this provision