---
kind: "section"
citation: "16 U.S.C. § 620i"
title: "16"
title_heading: "Conservation"
number: "620i"
heading: "Eastern hardwoods study"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/16/620i"
units:
  - "Chapter 4 — Protection of Timber, and Depredations"
---

# §620i. Eastern hardwoods study

- (a) **Study—** The [Secretary](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-1) of Commerce, in conjunction with the [Secretary](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-1) of Agriculture and the [Secretary](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-1) of the Interior, shall conduct a study of the export from the United States, during the 2-year period beginning on January 1, 1991, of unprocessed hardwood timber harvested from [Federal lands](/usc/16/620e.md?p=2) or [public lands](/usc/16/620e.md?p=7) east of the 100th meridian. In order to carry out the provisions of this section—
  - (1) the [Secretary](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-1) of Commerce shall require each [person](/usc/16/450rr–1.md?p=b) exporting such timber from the United States to declare, in [addition](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-2) to the information normally required in the Shipper’s Export Declarations, the [State](/usc/16/590q.md?p=a) in which the timber was grown and harvested; and
  - (2) the [Secretary](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-1) of Agriculture and the [Secretary](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-1) of the Interior shall ensure that all hardwood saw timber harvested from [Federal lands](/usc/16/620e.md?p=2) east of the 100th meridian is marked in such a manner as to make it readily identifiable at all times before its manufacture, and shall [take](/usc/16/3102.md?p=18) such steps as each [Secretary](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-1) considers appropriate to ensure that such markings are not altered or destroyed before manufacturing.
- (b) **Report to Congress—** Not later than April 1, 1993, the [Secretary](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-1) of Commerce shall submit to the Committees on Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate a report describing the volume and value of [unprocessed timber](/usc/16/620e.md?p=9-A) grown and harvested from [Federal lands](/usc/16/620e.md?p=2) or [public lands](/usc/16/620e.md?p=7) east of the 100th meridian that is exported from the United States during the 2-year period beginning on January 1, 1991, the country to which such timber is exported, and the [State](/usc/16/590q.md?p=a) in which such timber was grown and harvested.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 101–382, title IV, § 498, Aug. 20, 1990, 104 Stat. 725; Pub. L. 103–437, § 6(d)(35), Nov. 2, 1994, 108 Stat. 4585.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Amendments

1994—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 103–437 substituted “Natural Resources” for “Interior and Insular Affairs”.