Collapse to view only § 491. Omitted
- § 471. Repealed.
- § 471a. Forest reserves in New Mexico and Arizona restricted
- § 471b. Repealed.
- § 471c. Lands in California set aside as reserved forest lands
- § 471d. Additional forest reserves in California
- § 471e. Extension of boundaries of Sequoia National Forest
- § 471f. Cradle of Forestry in America in Pisgah National Forest; establishment; statement of purposes; publication in Federal Register
- § 471g. Administration, protection, and development; use of natural resources
- § 471h. Cooperation with public and private agencies, organizations, and individuals; acceptance of contributions and gifts
- § 471i. Pinelands National Reserve
- § 471j. Headwaters Forest and Elk River Property acquisition
- § 472. Laws affecting national forest lands
- § 472a. Timber sales on National Forest System lands
- § 473. Revocation, modification, or vacation of orders or proclamations establishing national forests
- § 474. Surveys; plats and field notes; maps; effect under Act
- § 475. Purposes for which national forests may be established and administered
- § 476. Repealed.
- § 477. Use of timber and stone by settlers
- § 478. Egress or ingress of actual settlers; prospecting
- § 478a. Townsites
- § 479. Sites for schools and churches
- § 479a. Conveyance of National Forest System lands for educational purposes
- § 480. Civil and criminal jurisdiction
- § 481. Use of waters
- § 482. Mineral lands; restoration to public domain; location and entry
- § 482a. Mining rights in Prescott National Forest
- § 482b. Mount Hood National Forest; mining rights
- § 482c. Patents affecting forest lands
- § 482d. Perfection of claims within forest
- § 482e. Lincoln National Forest; mining rights
- § 482f. Patents affecting forest lands
- § 482g. Perfection of claims within forest
- § 482h. Coronado National Forest; mining rights
- § 482h-1. Protection of scenic values of forest
- § 482h-2. Cutting of timber; reservation of patent rights
- § 482h-3. Perfection of mining claims
- § 482i. Plumas National Forest; offer of lands; additions; mining rights
- § 482j. Santa Fe National Forest; mining rights; protection of scenic values
- § 482k. Patents affecting forest lands
- § 482l. Perfection of mining claims within forest
- § 482m. Teton National Forest in Wyoming; additional lands
- § 482n. Coconino National Forest; mining rights; protection of scenic values
- § 482n-1. Cutting of timber within forest; reservation of patent rights
- § 482n-2. Perfection of mining claims within forest
- § 482n-3. Sedona-Oak Creek area
- § 482o. Kaibab National Forest; mining rights; protection of scenic values
- § 482p. Patents affecting lands within forest
- § 482q. Perfection of mining claims within forest
- §§ 483, 484. Repealed.
- § 484a. Exchange of lands in national forests; public schools; deposit of funds by school authority with insufficient exchange land; limitations on use
- § 485. Exchange of lands in national forests; cutting timber in national forests in exchange for lands therein
- § 485a. Omitted
- § 486. Exchange of lands in national forests; reservations of timber, minerals, or easements
- §§ 486a to 486w. Omitted
- § 487. Cutting timber on land added to Siskiyou National Forest
- § 487a. Cutting timber on lands added to Rogue River National Forest
- § 488. Establishment of exterior boundaries of national forests
- § 489. Repealed.
- § 490. Deposits from timber purchasers to defray cost of disposing of debris
- § 491. Omitted
- § 492. Earth, stone, and timber for Departments of the Army and Navy, and Government works in Alaska
- § 493. Omitted
- § 494. Calaveras Bigtree National Forest
- § 495. Leases of lands for sanitariums or hotels
- § 496. Disposition of funds
- § 497. Use and occupation of lands for hotels, resorts, summer homes, stores, and facilities for industrial, commercial, educational or public uses
- § 497a. Occupancy and use under permit of lands in Alaska for various purposes; period of permit; size of allotment; prohibitions; termination
- § 497b. Ski area permits
- § 497c. Ski area permit rental charge
- § 497d. Recreation residence fees
- § 497e. Enhancing Forest Service administration of rights-of-way and land uses
- § 498. Cooperative work agreements: disposal of moneys received; refund of excess; payment from appropriation; conflict of interest
- § 499. Disposal of money received by or on account of Forest Service; refund of excess and moneys erroneously collected; receipts from permits
- § 500. Payment and evaluation of receipts to State or Territory for schools and roads; moneys received; projections of revenues and estimated payments
- § 501. Expenditures from receipts for roads and trails; cooperation with State authorities; evaluation of receipts
- § 501a. Omitted
- § 502. Rental of property for Forest Service; forage, care, and housing of animals; storage of vehicles and other equipment; pack stock; loss, damage, or destruction of horses, vehicles, and other equipment
- § 503. Repealed.
- § 503a. Omitted
- § 504. Purchases of tree seeds, cones, forage plant seed, and nursery stock for national forests
- § 504a. Sale of forest-tree seed and nursery stock to States and political subdivisions; disposition of moneys; exchanges; limitation
- § 505. Use of national forests established on land reserved for purposes of national defense; maintenance available
- § 505a. Interchange of lands between Department of Agriculture and military departments of Department of Defense; report to Congress
- § 505b. Laws applicable
- §§ 506 to 508. Repealed.
- § 508a. Omitted
- § 508b. National forests in Minnesota; authority to prospect, develop, mine, remove, and utilize mineral resources
- § 509. Repealed.
- §§ 510, 510a. Omitted
- § 511. Reinstatement of entries canceled or relinquished
- § 512. Omitted
- § 513. Repealed.
- § 514. Repealed.
- § 515. Examination, location, and purchase of forested, cut-over, or denuded lands; consent of State legislature to acquisition of land by the United States
- § 516. Exchange of lands in the public interest; equal value; cutting and removing timber; publication of contemplated exchange
- § 517. Title to lands to be acquired
- § 517a. Payment of awards in condemnation proceedings
- § 518. Acquisition of lands not defeated by rights-of-way, easements, and reservations
- § 519. Agricultural lands included in tracts acquired; sale for homesteads
- § 519a. Transfer of forest reservation lands for military purposes
- § 520. Regulations as to mineral resources
- § 521.
- § 521a. Administration, management, and consolidation of certain lands
- § 521b. Report of Secretary of Agriculture prior to purchase or exchange of land; contents; waiting period
- § 521c. Definitions
- § 521d. Sale, exchange, or interchange of National Forest System land
- § 521e. Small parcels and road rights-of-way
- § 521f. Costs of conveyance and value of improvements
- § 521g. Road rights-of-way subject to State or local law
- § 521h. Regulations; contents
- § 521i. Unaffected lands
- § 522. Omitted
- § 523. Omitted
- § 524. Rights-of-way for dams, reservoirs, or water plants for municipal, mining, and milling purposes
- § 525. Rights-of-way for wagon roads or railroads
- § 526. Establishment and protection of water rights
- § 527. Use of Forest Service funds for administration of certain lands
- § 528. Development and administration of renewable surface resources for multiple use and sustained yield of products and services; Congressional declaration of policy and purpose
- § 529. Authorization of development and administration consideration to relative values of resources; areas of wilderness
- § 530. Cooperation for purposes of development and administration with State and local governmental agencies and others
- § 531. Definitions
- § 532. Roads and trails system; Congressional findings and declaration of policy
- § 533. Grant of easements for road rights-of-way; authority of Secretary of Agriculture; regulations
- § 534. Termination and cancellation of easements; notice; hearing
- § 535. Forest development roads; acquisition, construction, and maintenance; maximum economy; methods of financing; cost arrangements for construction standards; transfer of unused effective purchaser credit for road construction
- § 535a. Forest development roads: prohibition on credits; inclusion of construction costs in notice of sale; special election by small business concerns; construction standards; authorization of harvesting; treatment of road value
- § 536. Recording of instruments; furnishing of instruments affecting public domain lands to Secretary of the Interior
- § 537. Maintenance and reconstruction by road users; funds for maintenance and reconstruction; availability of deposits until expended, transfer of funds, and refunds
- § 538. User fees fund for delayed payments to grantors
- § 538a. Forest Service Legacy Road and Trail Remediation Program
- § 539. Additions to existing national forests; administration
- § 539a. Mining and mineral leasing on certain national forest lands
- § 539b. Fisheries on national forest lands in Alaska
- § 539c. Cooperative fisheries planning; report to Congress
- § 539d. National forest timber utilization program
- § 539e. Reports
- § 539f. Nonprofit organization user of national forest lands
- § 539g. Kings River Special Management Area
- § 539h. Greer Spring Special Management Area
- § 539i. Fossil Ridge Recreation Management Area
- § 539j. Bowen Gulch Protection Area
- § 539k. Kelly Butte Special Management Area
- § 539l. Designation of James Peak Protection Area, Colorado
- § 539l-1. Inholdings
- § 539l-2. James Peak Fall River trailhead
- § 539l-3. Loop trail study; authorization
- § 539l-4. Other administrative provisions
- § 539l-5. Wilderness potential
- § 539m. Findings and purposes
- § 539m-1. Definitions
- § 539m-2. T’uf Shur Bien Preservation Trust Area
- § 539m-3. Pueblo rights and interests in the Area
- § 539m-4. Limitations on Pueblo rights and interests in the Area
- § 539m-5. Management of the Area
- § 539m-6. Jurisdiction over the Area
- § 539m-7. Subdivisions and other property interests
- § 539m-8. Extinguishment of claims
- § 539m-9. Construction
- § 539m-10. Judicial review
- § 539m-11. Provisions relating to contributions and land exchange
- § 539m-12. Authorization of appropriations
- § 539n. Crystal Springs Watershed Special Resources Management Unit
- § 539o. Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest
- § 539p. Southeast Arizona land exchange and conservation
- § 539q. Hermosa Creek watershed protection
- § 539r. Rocky Mountain Front Conservation Management Area and wilderness additions
- § 539s. Frank and Jeanne Moore Wild Steelhead Special Management Area
No forest reservation shall be created, nor shall any additions be made to one created prior to June 15, 1926, within the limits of the States of New Mexico and Arizona except by Act of Congress.
The tracts of land in the State of California known and described as follows: Commencing at the northwest corner of township 2 north, range 19 east Mount Diablo meridian, thence eastwardly on the line between townships 2 and 3 north, ranges 24 and 25 east; thence southwardly on the line between ranges 24 and 25 east to the Mount Diablo base line; thence eastwardly on said base line to the corner to township 1 south, ranges 25 and 26 east; thence southwardly on the line between ranges 25 and 26 east to the southeast corner of township 2 south, range 25 east; thence eastwardly on the line between townships 2 and 3 south, range 26 east to the corner to townships 2 and 3 south, ranges 26 and 27 east; thence southwardly on the line between ranges 26 and 27 east to the first standard parallel south; thence westwardly on the first standard parallel south to the southwest corner of township 4 south, range 19 east; thence northwardly on the line between ranges 18 and 19 east to the northwest corner of township 2 south, range 19 east; thence westwardly on the line between townships 1 and 2 south to the southwest corner of township 1 south, range 19 east; thence northwardly on the line between ranges 18 and 19 east to the northwest corner of township 2 north, range 19 east, the place of beginning, are reserved and withdrawn from settlement, occupancy, or sale under the laws of the United States, and set apart as reserved forest lands; and all persons who shall locate or settle upon, or occupy the same or any part thereof, except as hereinafter provided, shall be considered trespassers and removed therefrom. Nothing in this section and sections 55, 61, and 471d of this title shall be construed as in anywise affecting any bona fide entry of land made within the limits above described under any law of the United States prior to October 1, 1890.
There is reserved and withdrawn from settlement, occupancy or sale under the laws of the United States, and set apart as reserved forest lands, as provided in section 471c of this title, and subject to all the limitations and provisions therein contained, the following lands, to wit: Township 17 south, range 30 east of the Mount Diablo meridian, excepting sections 31, 32, 33, and 34 of said township, included in section 41 of this title. And there is also reserved and withdrawn from settlement, occupancy or sale under the laws of the United States, and set apart as forest lands, subject to like limitations, conditions, and provisions, all of townships 15 and 16 south, of ranges 29 and 30 east of the Mount Diablo meridian. And there is also reserved and withdrawn from settlement, occupancy or sale under the laws of the United States, and set apart as reserved forest lands under like limitations, restrictions, and provisions, sections 5 and 6 in township 14 south, range 28, east of Mount Diablo meridian, and also sections 31 and 32 of township 13 south, range 28 east of the same meridian. Nothing in this section or sections 55, 61, and 471c of this title, shall authorize rules or contracts touching the protection and improvement of said reservations, beyond the sums that may be received by the Secretary of the Interior under the foregoing provisions, or authorize any charge against the Treasury of the United States.
Subject to existing valid claims, the boundaries of the Sequoia National Forest, California, be, and they are, extended to include the following described lands, which shall hereafter be subject to the laws, rules, and regulations relating to said national forest:
Southwest quarter, southwest quarter section 7; section 16 and section 17; east half northeast quarter, southwest quarter, northeast quarter, southeast quarter, northwest quarter, east half southeast quarter section 18; east half northwest quarter, northwest quarter northwest quarter, northeast quarter section 20; northwest quarter northwest quarter section 21; and tract numbered 48 in the southeast quarter section 28, all in township 21 south, range 31 east, of the Mount Diablo meridian in California.
In order to preserve, develop, and make available to this and future generations the birthplace of forestry and forestry education in America and to promote, demonstrate, and stimulate interest in and knowledge of the management of forest lands under principles of multiple use and sustained yield and the development and progress of management of forest lands in America, the Secretary of Agriculture is hereby authorized to establish the Cradle of Forestry in America in the Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina. As soon as possible after July 11, 1968, the Secretary of Agriculture shall publish notice of the designation thereof in the Federal Register together with a map showing the boundaries which shall be those shown on the map entitled “Cradle of Forestry in America” dated April 12, 1967, which shall be on file and available for public inspection in the office of the Chief, Forest Service, Department of Agriculture.
The area designated as the Cradle of Forestry in America shall be administered, protected, and developed within and as a part of the Pisgah National Forest by the Secretary of Agriculture in accordance with the laws, rules, and regulations applicable to national forests in such manner as in his judgment will best provide for the purposes of sections 471f to 471h of this title and for such management, utilization, and disposal of the natural resources as in his judgment will promote or is compatible with and does not significantly impair the purposes for which the Cradle of Forestry in America is established.
The Secretary of Agriculture is hereby authorized to cooperate with and receive the cooperation of public and private agencies and organizations and individuals in the development, administration, and operation of the Cradle of Forestry in America. The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to accept contributions and gifts to be used to further the purposes of sections 471f to 471h of this title.
The Secretary of the Department of Agriculture shall execute or cause to be executed all laws affecting public lands reserved under the provisions of section 471 1
The President of the United States is authorized and empowered to revoke, modify, or suspend any and all Executive orders and proclamations or any part thereof issued under section 471 1
Surveys, field notes, and plats returned from the survey of public lands designated as national forests undertaken under the supervision of the Director of the United States Geological Survey in accordance with provisions of Act June 4, 1897, chapter 2, section 1, thirtieth Statutes, page 34, shall have the same legal force and effect as surveys, field notes, and plats returned through the Field Surveying Service; and such surveys, which include subdivision surveys under the rectangular system, approved by the Secretary of the Interior or such officer as he may designate as in other cases, and properly certified copies thereof shall be filed in the respective land offices of the districts in which such lands are situated, as in other cases. All laws inconsistent with the provisions hereof are declared inoperative as respects such survey. A copy of every topographic map and other maps showing the distribution of the forests, together with such field notes as may be taken relating thereto, shall be certified thereto by the Director of the Survey and filed in the Bureau of Land Management.
All public lands designated and reserved prior to June 4, 1897, by the President of the United States under the provisions of section 471 1
The Secretary of Agriculture may permit, under regulations to be prescribed by him, the use of timber and stone found upon national forests, free of charge, by bona fide settlers, miners, residents, and prospectors for minerals, for firewood, fencing, buildings, mining, prospecting, and other domestic purposes, as may be needed by such persons for such purposes; such timber to be used within the State or Territory, respectively, where such national forests may be located.
Nothing in sections 473 to 478, 479 to 482 and 551 of this title shall be construed as prohibiting the egress or ingress of actual settlers residing within the boundaries of national forests, or from crossing the same to and from their property or homes; and such wagon roads and other improvements may be constructed thereon as may be necessary to reach their homes and to utilize their property under such rules and regulations as may be prescribed by the Secretary of Agriculture. Nor shall anything in such sections prohibit any person from entering upon such national forests for all proper and lawful purposes, including that of prospecting, locating, and developing the mineral resources thereof. Such persons must comply with the rules and regulations covering such national forests.
When the Secretary of Agriculture determines that a tract of National Forest System land in Alaska or in the eleven contiguous Western States is located adjacent to or contiguous to an established community, and that transfer of such land would serve indigenous community objectives that outweigh the public objectives and values which would be served by maintaining such tract in Federal ownership, he may, upon application, set aside and designate as a townsite an area of not to exceed six hundred and forty acres of National Forest System land for any one application. After public notice, and satisfactory showing of need therefor by any county, city, or other local governmental subdivision, the Secretary may offer such area for sale to a governmental subdivision at a price not less than the fair market value thereof: Provided, however, That the Secretary may condition conveyances of townsites upon the enactment, maintenance, and enforcement of a valid ordinance which assures any land so conveyed will be controlled by the governmental subdivision so that use of the area will not interfere with the protection, management, and development of adjacent or contiguous National Forest System lands.
The jurisdiction, both civil and criminal, over persons within national forests shall not be affected or changed by reason of their existence, except so far as the punishment of offenses against the United States therein is concerned; the intent and meaning of this provision being that the State wherein any such national forest is situated shall not, by reason of the establishment thereof, lose its jurisdiction, nor the inhabitants thereof their rights and privileges as citizens, or be absolved from their duties as citizens of the State.
All waters within the boundaries of national forests may be used for domestic, mining, milling, or irrigation purposes, under the laws of the State wherein such national forests are situated, or under the laws of the United States and the rules and regulations established thereunder.
Upon the recommendation of the Secretary of the Interior, with the approval of the President, after sixty days’ notice thereof, published in two papers of general circulation in the State or Territory wherein any national forest is situated, and near the said national forest, any public lands embraced within the limits of any such forest which, after due examination by personal inspection of a competent person appointed for that purpose by the Secretary of the Interior, shall be found better adapted for mining or for agricultural purposes than for forest usage, may be restored to the public domain. And any mineral lands in any national forest which have been or which may be shown to be such, and subject to entry under the existing mining laws of the United States and the rules and regulations applying thereto, shall continue to be subject to such location and entry, notwithstanding any provisions contained in sections 473 to 478, 479 to 482 and 551 of this title.
On and after January 19, 1933, mining locations made under the United States mining laws upon lands within the municipal watershed of the city of Prescott, within the Prescott National Forest in the State of Arizona, specifically described as the west half southwest quarter section 13; south half section 14; southeast quarter, and east half southwest quarter section 15; east half, and south half southwest quarter section 22; all of section 23; west half section 24; all of sections 26 and 27; north half north half section 34; and north half north half section 35, township 13 north, range 2 west, Gila and Salt River Base and meridian, an area of three thousand six hundred acres, more or less, shall confer on the locator the right to occupy and use so much of the surface of the land covered by the location as may be reasonably necessary to carry on prospecting and mining, including the taking of mineral deposits and timber required by or in the mining operations, and no permit shall be required or charge made for such use or occupancy: Provided, however, That the cutting and removal of timber, except where clearing is necessary in connection with mining operations or to provide space for buildings or structures used in connection with mining operations, shall be conducted in accordance with the rules for timber cutting on adjoining national-forest land, and no use of the surface of the claim or the resources therefrom not reasonably required for carrying on mining and prospecting shall be allowed except under the national forest rules and regulations, nor shall the locator prevent or obstruct other occupancy of the surface or use of surface resources under authority of national-forest regulations, or permits issued thereunder, if such occupancy or use is not in conflict with mineral development.
On and after January 19, 1933, all patents issued under the United States mining laws affecting lands within the municipal watershed of the city of Prescott, within the Prescott National Forest, in the State of Arizona, shall convey title to the mineral deposits within the claim, together with the right to cut and remove so much of the mature timber therefrom as may be needed in extracting and removing the mineral deposits, if the timber is cut under sound principles of forest management as defined by the national-forest rules and regulations, but each patent shall reserve to the United States all title in or to the surface of the lands and products thereof, and no use of the surface of the claim or the resources therefrom not reasonably required for carrying on mining or prospecting shall be allowed except under the rules and regulations of the Department of Agriculture.
Valid mining claims within the municipal watershed of the city of Prescott, within the Prescott National Forest in the State of Arizona, existing on January 19, 1933, and thereafter maintained in compliance with the law under which they were initiated and the laws of the State of Arizona, may be perfected under this section, or under the laws under which they were initiated, as the claimant may desire.
On and after May 11, 1934, mining locations made under the United States mining laws upon lands within the Mount Hood National Forest in the State of Oregon shall confer on the locator the right to occupy and use so much of the surface of the land covered by the location as may be reasonably necessary to carry on prospecting and mining, including the taking of mineral deposits and timber required by or in the mining operations, and no permit shall be required or charge made for such use or occupancy: Provided, however, That the cutting and removal of timber, except where clearing is necessary in connection with mining operations or to provide space for buildings or structures used in connection with mining operations, shall be conducted in accordance with the rules for timber cutting on adjoining national-forest land, and no use of the surface of the claim or the resources therefrom not reasonably required for carrying on mining or prospecting shall be allowed except under the national-forest rules and regulations, nor shall the locator prevent or obstruct other occupancy of the surface or use of surface resources under authority of national-forest regulations, or permits issued thereunder, if such occupancy or use is not in conflict with mineral development.
On and after May 11, 1934, all patents issued under the United States mining laws affecting lands within the Mount Hood National Forest within the State of Oregon shall convey title to the mineral deposits within the claim, together with the right to cut and remove so much of the timber therefrom as may be needed in extracting and removing the mineral deposits, if the timber is cut under sound principles of forest management as defined by the national-forest rules and regulations, but each patent shall reserve to the United States all title in or to the surface of the lands and products thereof, and no use of the surface of the claim or the resources therefrom not reasonably required for carrying on mining or prospecting shall be allowed except under the rules and regulations of the Forest Service.
Valid mining claims within the Mount Hood National Forest in the State of Oregon existing on May 11, 1934, and thereafter maintained in compliance with the law under which they were initiated and the laws of the State of Oregon, may be perfected under sections 482b and 482c of this title, or under the law under which they were initiated, as the claimant may desire.
On and after June 13, 1939, mining locations made under the United States mining laws upon lands within the watershed of the headwaters of the Bonito River in the Lincoln National Forest within the State of New Mexico, specifically described as those certain pieces or parcels of land situate, lying, and being in the county of Lincoln, State of New Mexico, described as follows:
The east half east half section 12, east half east half section 13, east half northeast quarter section 24, township 10 south, range 10 east, New Mexico principal meridian; southeast quarter section 25, southwest quarter section 26, south half section 27, southeast quarter and south half southwest quarter section 28, southeast quarter section 31, and all of sections 32, 33, 34, 35, and 36, township 9 south, range 11 east, New Mexico principal meridian; all of sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28, and 29, north half section 19, north half and southwest quarter section 24, northwest quarter section 26, north half northeast quarter section 32, and north half north half section 33, township 10 south, range 11 east, New Mexico principal meridian; southwest quarter section 25, south half of fractional section 26, all of fractional section 35, and all of section 36, township 9 south, range 12 east, New Mexico principal meridian; all of section 1, all of fractional section 2, all of fractional section 11, all of section 12, all of section 13, all of fractional section 14, north half of fractional section 23, and north half section 24, township 10 south, range 12 east, New Mexico principal meridian; having an area of approximately thirty-nine and three hundred and seventy-six one-thousandths square miles, shall confer on the locator the right to occupy and use only so much of the surface of the land covered by the location as may be reasonably necessary to carry on prospecting and mining, including the taking of mineral deposits and timber required by or in the mining operations, and no permit shall be required or charge made for such use or occupancy: Provided, however, That the cutting and removal of timber, except where clearing is necessary in connection with mining operations or to provide space for buildings or structures used in connection with mining operations, shall be conducted in accordance with the rules for timber cutting on adjoining national-forest land, and no use of the surface of the claim or the resources therefrom not reasonably required for carrying on mining and prospecting shall be allowed except under the national-forest rules and regulations, nor shall the locator prevent or obstruct other occupancy of the surface or use of surface resources under authority of national-forest regulations, or permits issued thereunder, if such occupancy or use is not in conflict with mineral development.
On and after June 13, 1939, all patents issued under the United States mining laws affecting lands within the watershed of headwaters of the Bonito River in the Lincoln Forest, in the State of New Mexico, shall convey title to the mineral deposits within the claim, together with the right to cut and remove so much of the mature timber therefrom as may be needed in extracting and removing the mineral deposits, if the timber is removed in accordance with the rules for timber cutting on adjoining national-forest land, but each patent shall reserve to the United States all title in or to the surface of the lands and products thereof, and no use of the surface of the claim or the resources therefrom not reasonably required for carrying on mining or prospecting shall be allowed except under the rules and regulations of the Department of Agriculture.
Valid mining claims within the watershed of the headwaters of the Bonito River in the Lincoln National Forest, within the State of New Mexico, as above described, existing on June 13, 1939, and thereafter maintained in compliance with the law under which they were initiated and the laws of the State of New Mexico, may be perfected under sections 482e and 482f of this title, or under the laws under which they were initiated, as the claimant may desire.
On and after March 15, 1940, mining locations made under the mining laws of the United States upon lands within four hundred feet of the center line of the Catalina Highway, Coronado National Forest, Arizona, which highway begins at the south boundary of said national forest near the southeast corner of section 7, township 13 south, range 16 east, Gila and Salt River base and meridian, and runs in a general northerly direction for a distance of about twenty-five miles to Soldier Camp, shall confer on the locator no right to the surface of the land described in his location other than the right to occupy and use, under the rules and regulations relating to the administration of the Coronado National Forest, so much thereof as may be reasonably necessary to carry on prospecting and mining, and shall not authorize the taking of any resource other than the mineral deposits, or the occupancy of said land for any purpose other than prospecting and mining; and each patent issued thereafter under the United States mining laws upon a mineral location made upon lands within four hundred feet of said center line shall convey title only to the mineral deposits within said land and the right, subject to rules and regulations relating to the national forests, to occupy and use the surface of the land for prospecting and mining only: Provided, That valid mining claims within said lands existing on March 15, 1940, and thereafter maintained in compliance with the laws under which they were initiated and the laws of the State of Arizona may be perfected in accordance with the laws under which they were initiated.
On and after June 11, 1946, mining locations made under mining laws of the United States within the following-described lands within the Coronado National Forest, Pima County, Arizona: Sections 25, 26, 35, and 36, and the east half of section 34, township 11 south, range 15 east; sections 30, 31, 32, and 33, and the west half of section 29, township 11 south, range 16 east; sections 1, 2, and 3, township 12 south, range 15 east; sections 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, and 16, the west half of section 11, the west half of section 14, and the northwest quarter of section 23, township 12 south, range 16 east; Gila and Salt River base and meridian, shall confer on the locator the right to occupy and use so much of the surface of the land covered by the location as may be reasonably necessary to carry on prospecting, mining, and beneficiation of ores including the taking of mineral deposits and timber required by or in the mining and ore reducing operations, and no permit shall be required or charge made for such use or occupancy: Provided, however, That the cutting and removal of timber, except where clearing is necessary in connection with mining operations or to provide space for buildings or structures used in connection with mining operations, shall be conducted in accordance with the rules for timber cutting on adjoining national-forest land, and no use of the surface of the claim or the resources therefrom not reasonably required for carrying on mining and prospecting shall be allowed except under the national-forest rules and regulations, nor shall the locator prevent or obstruct other occupancy of the surface or use of surface resources under authority of national-forest regulations, or permits issued thereunder, if such occupancy or use is not in conflict with mineral development.
On and after June 11, 1946, all patents issued under the United States mining laws affecting lands within the above-described area shall convey title to the mineral deposits within the claim, together with the right to cut and remove so much of the mature timber therefrom as may be needed in extracting and removing and beneficiation of the mineral deposits, if the timber is cut under sound principles of forest management as defined by the national-forest rules and regulations, but each patent shall reserve to the United States all title in or to the surface of the lands and products thereof, and no use of the surface of the claim or the resources therefrom not reasonably required for carrying on mining or prospecting shall be allowed except under the rules and regulations of the Department of Agriculture.
Valid mining claims within the said lands, existing on June 11, 1946, and thereafter maintained in compliance with the law under which they were initiated and the laws of the State of Arizona, may be perfected under sections 482h–1 to 482h–3 of this title, or under the laws under which they were initiated, as the claimant may desire.
Within the following-described areas any lands not in Government ownership which are found by the Secretary of Agriculture to be chiefly valuable for national-forest purposes may be offered in exchange under the provisions of sections 485 and 486 of this title, upon notice as therein provided and upon acceptance of title, shall become parts of the Plumas National Forest; and any of such described areas in Government ownership found by the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior to be chiefly valuable for national-forest purposes and not now parts of any national forest may be added to said national forest as herein provided by proclamation of the President, subject to all valid claims and provisions of existing withdrawals: Provided, That any lands received in exchange under the provisions of this section shall be open to mineral locations, mineral development, and patent in accordance with the mining laws of the United States:
Township 18 north, range 7 east, Mount Diablo base and meridian, California: Sections 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 22, 23, 26, and 27.
On and after June 10, 1949, mining locations made under mining laws of the United States within the following-described lands within the Santa Fe National Forest, Santa Fe, New Mexico: Sections 1, 2, 3, the northeast quarter of section 11 and the north half of section 12, in surveyed township 17 north, range 10 east; sections 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 36, and that portion of section 25, outside the boundaries of the Gabaldon Grant in surveyed township 18 north, range 10 east; three thousand eight hundred and forty acres, more or less, in unsurveyed township 18 north, range 11 east, expected to be legally described, when surveyed, as sections 7, 8, 18, 19, and 30, the northeast quarter of section 17, the west half of section 17 and the west half of section 20, township 18 north, range 11 east, New Mexico principal meridian, shall confer on the locator the right to occupy and use so much of the surface of the land covered by the location as may be reasonably necessary to carry on prospecting, mining, and beneficiation of ores including the taking of mineral deposits and timber required by or in the mining and ore reducing operations, and no permit shall be required or charge made for such use or occupancy: Provided, however, That the cutting and removal of timber, except where clearing is necessary in connection with mining operations or to provide space for buildings or structures used in connection with mining operations, shall be conducted in accordance with the rules for timber cutting on adjoining national-forest land, and no use of the surface of the claim or the resources therefrom not reasonably required for carrying on mining and prospecting shall be allowed except under the national-forest rules and regulations, nor shall the locator prevent or obstruct other occupancy of the surface or use of surface resources under authority of national-forest regulations, or permits issued thereunder, if such occupancy or use is not in conflict with mineral development.
On and after June 10, 1949, all patents issued under the United States mining laws affecting lands within the above-described area shall convey title to the mineral deposits within the claim, together with the right to cut and remove so much of the mature timber therefrom as may be needed in extracting and removing and beneficiation of the mineral deposits, if the timber is cut under sound principles of forest management as defined by the national-forest rules and regulations, but each patent shall reserve to the United States all title in or to the surface of the lands and products thereof, and no use of the surface of the claim or the resources therefrom not reasonably required for carrying on mining or prospecting shall be allowed except under the rules and regulations of the Department of Agriculture.
Valid mining claims within the said lands, existing on June 10, 1949, and thereafter maintained in compliance with the law under which they were initiated and the laws of the State of New Mexico, may be perfected under sections 482j to 482l of this title, or under the laws under which they were initiated, as the claimant may desire.
The following-described lands of the Jackson Hole National Monument are made a part of the Teton National Forest and shall be administered hereafter in accordance with the laws applicable to said forest:
sixth principal meridian
On and after May 24, 1949, mining locations made under the mining laws of the United States within the following-described lands within the Coconino National Forest, Coconino County, Arizona: Sections 14, 15, 19, 20, 22, 27, 28, 29, 34, of township 19 north, range 6 east; and sections 4, 5, 8, 9, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 33, and 34 of township 18 north, range 6 east; and sections 1, 2, 3, 4, southeast quarter of section 8, sections 9, 10, 11, and 12, of township 17 north, range 6 east; Gila and Salt River base and meridian, shall confer on the locator the right to occupy and use so much of the surface of the land covered by the location as may be reasonably necessary to carry on prospecting, mining, and beneficiation of ores including the taking of mineral deposits and timber required by or in the mining and ore reducing operations, and no permit shall be required or charge made for such use or occupancy: Provided, however, That the cutting and removal of timber, except where clearing is necessary in connection with mining operations or to provide space for buildings or structures used in connection with mining operations, shall be conducted in accordance with the rules for timber cutting on adjoining national-forest land, and no use of the surface of the claim or the resources therefrom not reasonably required for carrying on mining and prospecting shall be allowed except under the national-forest rules and regulations, nor shall the locator prevent or obstruct other occupancy of the surface or use of surface resources under authority of national-forest regulations, or permits issued thereunder, if such occupancy or use is not in conflict with mineral development.
On and after May 24, 1949, all patents issued under the United States mining laws affecting lands within the above-described area shall convey title to the mineral deposits within the claim, together with the right to cut and remove so much of the mature timber therefrom as may be needed in extracting and removing and beneficiation of the mineral deposits, if the timber is cut under sound principles of forest management as defined by the national-forest rules and regulations, but each patent shall reserve to the United States all title in or to the surface of the lands and products thereof, and no use of the surface of the claim or the resources therefrom not reasonably required for carrying on mining or prospecting shall be allowed except under the rules and regulations of the Department of Agriculture.
Valid mining claims within the said lands, existing on May 24, 1949, and thereafter maintained in compliance with the law under which they were initiated and the laws of the State of Arizona, may be perfected under sections 482n to 482n–3 of this title, or under the laws under which they were initiated, as the claimant may desire.
The provisions of sections 482n to 482n–2 of this title are extended to the following-described lands within the Coconino National Forest, Coconino and Yavapai Counties, Arizona:
Sections 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, and the southwest quarter of section 25, township 18 north, range 4 east;
Sections 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, and the east half of the east half of section 29, township 18 north, range 5 east;
Sections 18, 19, 29, 30, 31, and 32, township 18 north, range 6 east;
Sections 1 to 36, inclusive, township 17 north, range 5 east;
Sections 5, 6, 7, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, and all of section 8 except the southeast quarter, township 17 north, range 6 east;
Sections 11, 12, 13, 14, 23, and 24, township 16 north, range 5 east.
Sections 7, 8, 9, 10, 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20, township 16 north, range 6 east, Gila and Salt River Base and meridian: Provided, however, That as applied to any lands described in this section, the word “hereinafter” in sections 482n and 482n–1 of this title and the words “date of the enactment of this Act” in section 482n–2 of this title, shall be deemed to relate to the date of the enactment of this section.
On and after July 12, 1951 mining locations made under the mining laws of the United States within the following-described lands within the Kaibab National Forest, Coconino County, Arizona:
Sections 2, 11, 12, 13, 14, 23, and 26, township 22 north, range 2 east;
Sections 1, 12, and 13, township 28 north, range 2 east;
Sections 1, 12, 13, 24, 25, and 36, township 29 north, range 2 east;
Sections 13, 24, 25, and 36, township 30 north, range 2 east;
Section 18, township 30 north, range 3 east;
Sections 12 and 13, township 30 north, range 5 east;
Sections 7, 18, 19, 29, 30, 32, and 33, township 30 north, range 6 east;
Sections 3 and 4, township 29 north, range 6 east, Gila and Salt River Base and meridian; and also those mining locations made under the mining laws of the United States on public domain lands within those particular sections of townships 23 north, 24 north, 25 north, 26 north, 27 north, and 28 north, all in range 2 east, Gila and Salt River Base and meridian, through which there extends Arizona State Highway numbered 64 and a strip of land one thousand feet wide on each side of the center line of the right-of-way thereof; shall confer on the locator the right to occupy and use so much of the surface of the land covered by the location as may be reasonably necessary to carry on prospecting, mining, and beneficiation of ores, including the taking of mineral deposits and timber required by or in the mining and ore-reducing operations, and no permit shall be required or charge made for such use or occupancy: Provided, however, That the cutting and removal of timber, except where clearing is necessary in connection with mining operations or to provide space for buildings or structures used in connection with mining operations, shall be conducted in accordance with the rules for timber cutting on adjoining national-forest land, or rules and regulations issued by the Secretary of the Interior under sections 482o to 482q of this title with respect to public domain lands under his jurisdiction, and no use of the surface of the claim or the resources therefrom not reasonably required for carrying on mining and prospecting shall be allowed except under the national-forest rules and regulations or rules and regulations of the Secretary of the Interior, as the case may be, nor shall the locator prevent or obstruct other occupancy of the surface or use of surface resources under authority of such regulations, or permits issued thereunder, if such occupancy or use is not in conflict with mineral development.
On and after July 12, 1951, all patents issued under the United States mining laws affecting lands within the above-described area shall convey title to the mineral deposits within the claim, together with the right to cut and remove so much of the mature timber therefrom as may be needed in extracting and removing and beneficiation of the mineral deposits, if the timber is cut under sound principles of forest management as defined by such rules and regulations, but each patent shall reserve to the United States all title in or to the surface of the lands and products thereof, and no use of the surface of the claim or the resources therefrom not reasonably required for carrying on mining or prospecting shall be allowed except under the rules and regulations of the Department of Agriculture or the Department of the Interior, respectively.
Valid mining claims within the said lands, existing on July 12, 1951, and thereafter maintained in compliance with the law under which they were initiated and the laws of the State of Arizona, may be perfected under sections 482o to 482q of this title, or under the laws under which they were initiated, as the claimant may desire.
Whenever an exchange of land is proposed by a State, county, or municipal government or public school district or other public school authority under sections 485 and 486 of this title or other authority under which the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to exchange national forest lands or other lands administered by the Forest Service, if the State, county, or municipal government or public school authority proposing the exchange has insufficient land to offer, the exchange may be completed upon deposit with the Secretary of Agriculture of a portion or all of the value of the selected land. Any amount so deposited shall be covered into a special fund in the Treasury which when appropriated shall be available until expended by the Secretary of Agriculture for the acquisition of lands in the same State as the selected lands and which are determined by him to be suitable for the same purposes as the selected lands. Lands so acquired shall have the same status and shall be subject to the same laws, regulations, and rules as the selected lands.
The provisions of this section shall not be applicable to the conveyance in exchange of more than eighty acres to any one State, county, or municipal government or public school district or other public school authority. Lands may be conveyed to any State, county, or municipal government pursuant to this section only if the lands were being utilized by such entities on January 12, 1983. Lands so conveyed may be used only for the purposes for which they were being used prior to conveyance.
When the public interests will be benefited thereby, the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized in his discretion to accept on behalf of the United States title to any lands within the exterior boundaries of the national forests which, in his opinion, are chiefly valuable for national-forest purposes, and in exchange therefor may patent not to exceed an equal value of such national-forest land, in the same State, surveyed and nonmineral in character, or he may authorize the grantor to cut and remove an equal value of timber within the national forests of the same State; the values in each case to be determined by him. Before any such exchange is effected notice of the contemplated exchange reciting the lands involved shall be published once each week for four successive weeks in some newspaper of general circulation in the county or counties in which may be situated the lands to be accepted, and in some like newspaper published in any county in which may be situated any lands or timber to be given in such exchange. Timber given in such exchanges shall be cut and removed under the laws and regulations relating to the national forests, and under the direction and supervision and in accordance with the requirements of the Secretary of Agriculture. Lands conveyed to the United States under this section and section 486 of this title shall, upon acceptance of title, become parts of the national forest within whose exterior boundaries they are located.
Either party to an exchange may make reservations of timber, minerals, or easements, the values of which shall be duly considered in determining the values of the exchanged lands. Where reservations are made in lands conveyed to the United States the right to enjoy them shall be subject to such reasonable conditions respecting ingress and egress and the use of the surface of the land as may be deemed necessary by the Secretary of Agriculture; where mineral reservations are made in lands conveyed by the United States it shall be so stipulated in the patents, and that any person who acquires the right to mine and remove the reserved deposits may enter and occupy so much of the surface as may be required for all purposes incident to the mining and removal of the minerals therefrom, and may mine and remove such minerals upon payment to the owner of the surface for damages caused to the land and improvements thereon. All property, rights, easements, and benefits authorized by this section to be retained by or reserved to owners of lands conveyed to the United States shall be subject to the tax laws of the States where such lands are located.
The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized, in his discretion, to sell the merchantable timber on the land added to the Siskiyou National Forest by section 1 hereof, in accordance with the regulations governing the sale of public timber in the national forests, and the entire proceeds of any sale of the timber on such land shall be deposited in the Treasury of the United States in a special fund designated as “The Oregon and California land-grant fund”, referred to in the Act of Congress approved June 9, 1916, chapter 137, section 10, Thirty-ninth Statutes, page 222, and be disposed of in the manner therein designated, the land added forming part of the area which revested in the United States under the provisions of the said Act.
When the Secretary of Agriculture finds that merchantable timber may be cut without detriment to the purity or depletion of the water supply from lands added to the Rogue River National Forest by Act of June 4, 1936, chapter 494, section 1, 49 Stat. 1460, title to which has been revested in the United States under the Act of Congress approved June 9, 1916 (39 Stat. 218), said Secretary is authorized to dispose of such merchantable timber on such lands in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Secretary of Agriculture for the national forests and the entire proceeds of any such sale shall be deposited in the Treasury of the United States in a special fund designated “The Oregon and California Land Grant Fund”, referred to in section 10 of the said Act of June 9, 1916, and be disposed of in the manner therein designated.
On and after Mar. 3, 1899, all standard, meander, township, and section lines of the public-land surveys shall be established under the direction and supervision of the Secretary of the Interior or such officer as he may designate, whether the lands to be surveyed are within or without national forests, except that where the exterior boundaries of national forests are required to be coincident with standard, township, or section lines, such boundaries may, if not previously established in the ordinary course of the public-land surveys, be established and marked under the supervision of the Director of the United States Geological Survey whenever necessary to complete the survey of such exterior boundaries.
Purchasers of national-forest timber may be required by the Secretary of Agriculture to deposit the estimated cost to the United States of disposing of brush and other debris resulting from their cutting operations, such deposits to be covered into the Treasury and constitute a special fund, which is appropriated and shall remain available until expended: Provided, That any deposits in excess of the amount expended for disposals shall be transferred to miscellaneous receipts, forest-reserve fund, to be credited to the receipts of the year in which such transfer is made.
On and after March 4, 1915 the Secretary of Agriculture, under regulations to be prescribed by him, is authorized to permit the Navy Department to take from the national forests such earth, stone, and timber for the use of the Navy as may be compatible with the administration of the national forests for the purposes for which they are established, and also in the same manner to permit the taking of earth, stone, and timber from the national forests for the construction of Government railways and other Government works in Alaska. He is authorized also to permit the Department of the Army to take earth, stone, and timber from the national forests for use in the construction of river and harbor and other works in charge of that department, subject to such regulations and restrictions as he may prescribe.
The Secretary of Agriculture, to secure and protect for all time the big trees scientifically known as Sequoia washingtoniana, is empowered, in his discretion, to obtain for the United States the complete title to any or all of the following-described lands in the State of California: In township 4 north, range 15 east, Mount Diablo meridian, the northeast quarter of section 1; in township 4 north, range 16 east, Mount Diablo meridian, the north half of section 6; in township 5 north, range 15 east, Mount Diablo meridian, the southwest quarter of section 14, south half of section 15, north half of section 22, northwest quarter of section 23, and southeast quarter of section 36, and in township 5 north, range 16 east, Mount Diablo meridian, the west half of section 28, the east half and southwest quarter of section 29, the southeast quarter of section 30, all of sections 31, 32, and the northwest quarter of section 33. And such area or areas, as fast as complete title is acquired, shall be permanently held by the United States and shall be known as the Calaveras Bigtree National Forest and shall be administered, and protected, by the Secretary of Agriculture from the funds appropriated for the administration of National Forest land to prolong the existence, growth, and promote the reproduction of said big trees. The owners of land acquired hereunder shall convey to the United States full title to any of the above-described areas approved for said national forest by the Secretary of Agriculture, the completeness of such title to be determined by the Secretary of the Interior in each case, and shall be reimbursed therefor only in one or both of the following ways: (1) They may be given the right to file with the Secretary of the Interior, within sixty days after such conveyance, selections of surveyed, unappropriated, nonmineral public lands or of nonmineral national forest lands, and if the lands so selected shall be found subject to selection and of the actual value in lands and stumpage substantially equal to that of the lands and stumpage conveyed they may be patented to said owners in lieu of the conveyed lands. In any case where any part of the lands selected is national forest land, the approval of the Secretary of Agriculture shall first be secured with respect to such part, or (2) the Secretary of Agriculture may grant to any such conveying owner the right to cut from national forest land an amount of timber and wood substantially equal to the amount of timber and wood on the land acquired by the United States under the provisions of this section.
The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized, under such rules and regulations as he from time to time may make, to rent or lease to responsible persons or corporations applying therefor suitable spaces and portions of ground near, or adjacent to, mineral, medicinal, or other springs, within any national forest established within the United States, or hereafter to be established, and where the public is accustomed or desires to frequent, for health or pleasure, for the purpose of erecting upon such leased ground sanitariums or hotels, to be opened for the reception of the public. And he is further authorized to make such regulations, for the convenience of people visiting such springs, with reference to spaces and locations, for the erection of tents or temporary dwelling houses to be erected or constructed for the use of those visiting such springs for health or pleasure. And the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to prescribe the terms and duration and the compensation to be paid for the privileges granted under the provisions of this section.
All funds arising from the privileges granted under section 495 of this title shall be covered into the Treasury of the United States as provided by law.
The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized, under such regulations as he may make and upon such terms and conditions as he may deem proper, (a) to permit the use and occupancy of suitable areas of land within the national forests, not exceeding eighty acres and for periods not exceeding thirty years, for the purpose of constructing or maintaining hotels, resorts, and any other structures or facilities necessary or desirable for recreation, public convenience, or safety; (b) to permit the use and occupancy of suitable areas of land within the national forests, not exceeding five acres and for periods not exceeding thirty years, for the purpose of constructing or maintaining summer homes and stores; (c) to permit the use and occupancy of suitable areas of land within the national forest, not exceeding eighty acres and for periods not exceeding thirty years, for the purpose of constructing or maintaining buildings, structures, and facilities for industrial or commercial purposes whenever such use is related to or consistent with other uses on the national forests; (d) to permit any State or political subdivision thereof, or any public or nonprofit agency, to use and occupy suitable areas of land within the national forests not exceeding eighty acres and for periods not exceeding thirty years, for the purpose of constructing or maintaining any buildings, structures, or facilities necessary or desirable for education or for any public use or in connection with any public activity. The authority provided by this section shall be exercised in such manner as not to preclude the general public from full enjoyment of the natural, scenic, recreational, and other aspects of the national forests.
The Secretary of Agriculture, in conformity with regulations prescribed by him, may permit the use and occupancy of national-forest lands in Alaska for purposes of residence, recreation, public convenience, education, industry, agriculture, and commerce, not incompatible with the best use and management of the national forests, for such periods as may be warranted but not exceeding thirty years and of such areas as may be necessary but not exceeding eighty acres, and after such permits have been issued and so long as they continue in full force and effect the lands therein described shall not be subject to location, entry, or appropriation, under the public land laws or mining laws, or to disposition under the mineral leasing laws: Provided, That nothing contained in this section shall prevent the said Secretary from canceling, revoking, or otherwise terminating a permit so issued upon proof of a breach of its terms and conditions or for other just cause.
The Secretary of Agriculture shall on and after November 14, 1997, phase in, over a 3-year period in equal annual installments, that portion of the fee increase for a recreation residence special use permit holder which is more than 100 percent of the previous year’s fee: Provided, That no recreation residence fee may be increased any sooner than one year from the time the permittee has been notified by the Forest Service of the results of an appraisal which has been conducted for the purpose of establishing such fees: Provided further, That no increases in recreation residence fees on the Sawtooth National Forest will be implemented prior to January 1, 1999.
On or after June 30, 1914, all moneys received as contributions toward cooperative work in forest investigations, or the protection, management, and improvement of the National Forest System, shall be covered into the Treasury and shall constitute a special fund, which is appropriated and made available until expended, as the Secretary of Agriculture may direct, for the payment of the expenses of said investigations, protection, management, or improvements by the Forest Service, and for refunds to the contributors of amounts heretofore or hereafter paid in by them in excess of their share of the cost of said investigations, protection, management, or improvements. Payment for work undertaken pursuant to this section may be made from any appropriation of the Forest Service that is available for similar work if a written agreement so provides and reimbursement will be provided by a cooperator in the same fiscal year as the expenditure by the Forest Service. A reimbursement received from a cooperator that covers the proportionate share of the cooperator of the cost of the work shall be deposited to the credit of the appropriation of the Forest Service from which the payment was initially made or, if the appropriation is no longer available, to the credit of an appropriation of the Forest Service that is available for similar work. The Secretary of Agriculture shall establish written rules that establish criteria to be used to determine whether the acceptance of contributions of money under this section would adversely affect the ability of an officer or employee of the Department of Agriculture to carry out a duty or program of the officer or employee in a fair and objective manner or would compromise, or appear to compromise, the integrity of the program, officer, or employee. The Secretary of Agriculture shall establish written rules that protect the interests of the Forest Service in cooperative work agreements.
All money received by or on account of the Forest Service for timber, or from any other source of national-forest revenue, including moneys received from sale of products from or for the use of lands in national forests created under section 471(b) 1
On and after May 23, 1908, an amount equal to the annual average of 25 percent of all amounts received for the applicable fiscal year and each of the preceding 6 fiscal years from each national forest shall be paid, at the end of such year, by the Secretary of the Treasury to the State or Territory in which such national forest is situated, to be expended as the State or Territorial legislature may prescribe for the benefit of the public schools and public roads of the county or counties in which such national forest is situated: Provided, That when any national forest is in more than one State or Territory or county the distributive share to each from the proceeds of such forest shall be proportional to its area therein. In sales of logs, ties, poles, posts, cordwood, pulpwood, and other forest products the amounts made available for schools and roads by this section shall be based upon the stumpage value of the timber. Beginning October 1, 1976, the term “moneys received” shall include all collections under the Act of June 9, 1930, and all amounts earned or allowed any purchaser of national forest timber and other forest products within such State as purchaser credits, for the construction of roads on the National Forest Transportation System within such national forests or parts thereof in connection with any Forest Service timber sales contract. The Secretary of Agriculture shall, from time to time as he goes through his process of developing the budget revenue estimates, make available to the States his current projections of revenues and payments estimated to be made under the Act of May 23, 1908, as amended, or any other special Acts making payments in lieu of taxes, for their use for local budget planning purposes.
On or after Mar. 4, 1913, ten per centum of all moneys received from the national forests during each fiscal year shall be available at the end thereof, to be expended by the Secretary of Agriculture for the construction and maintenance of roads and trails within the national forests in the States from which such proceeds are derived; but the Secretary of Agriculture may, whenever practicable, in the construction and maintenance of such roads, secure the cooperation or aid of the proper State or Territorial authorities in the furtherance of any system of highways of which such roads may be made a part. In sales of logs, ties, poles, posts, cordwood, pulpwood, and other forest products the amounts made available for schools and roads by this section shall be based upon the stumpage value of the timber.
The provisions of section 6101 of title 41 shall not apply to any purchase by the Forest Service of forest-tree seed or cones or of forage plant seed when the amount involved does not exceed $10,000, nor to any purchase of forest-tree nursery stock when the amount involved does not exceed $500, whenever, in the discretion of the Secretary of Agriculture, such method is in the public interest.
The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized, subject to such conditions as he may prescribe, to sell forest-tree seed and nursery stock to States and political subdivisions thereof and to public agencies of other countries, at rates not less than the actual or estimated cost to the United States of procuring or producing such seed or nursery stock, moneys received from the sale thereof to be credited to the appropriation or appropriations of the Forest Service currently available for the procurement or production of seed or nursery stock at the time such moneys are deposited: Provided, That the Secretary of Agriculture may exchange with such public agencies forest-tree seed and nursery stock for forest-tree seed or nursery stock of the same or different species upon a determination that such exchange is in the interest of the United States and that the value of the property given in exchange does not exceed the value of the property received: Provided further, That no nursery stock shall be sold or exchanged under this section as ornamental or other stock for landscape planting of the types commonly grown by established commercial nurserymen.
Where a national forest is established under section 471(b) of this title on land previously reserved for the Army or Navy for purposes of national defense the land shall remain subject to the unhampered use of the Department of the Army or Navy Department for said purposes and nothing in this section or section 471(b) of this title shall be construed to relinquish the authority over such lands for purposes of national defense now vested in the department for which the lands were formerly reserved. Any moneys available for the maintenance, improvement, protection, construction of highways and general administration of the national forests shall be available for expenditure on national forests created under this section.
The Secretary of Agriculture with respect to National Forest System lands and the Secretary of a military department with respect to lands under the control of the military department which lie within or adjacent to the exterior boundaries of a unit of the National Forest System are authorized, subject to any applicable provisions of chapters 1 to 11 of title 40 and division C (except sections 3302, 3307(e), 3501(b), 3509, 3906, 4710, and 4711) of subtitle I of title 41, to interchange such lands, or any part thereof, without reimbursement or transfer of funds whenever they shall determine that such interchange will facilitate land management and will provide maximum use thereof for authorized purposes: Provided, That no such interchange of lands shall become effective until forty-five days (counting only days occurring during any regular or special session of the Congress) after the submission to the Congress by the respective Secretaries of notice of intention to make the interchange.
Any National Forest System lands which are transferred to a military department in accordance with this section and section 505a of this title shall be thereafter subject only to the laws applicable to other lands within the military installation or other public works project for which such lands are required and any lands which are transferred to the Department of Agriculture in accordance with this section and section 505a of this title shall become subject to the laws applicable to lands acquired under the Act of March 1, 1911 (36 Stat. 961), as amended. Lands interchanged under the authority of this section and section 505a of this title shall be deemed to include interests in lands.
Where, through withdrawal or reservation or by statutory limitation or otherwise, all or any part of the mineral resources in public-domain lands or lands received in exchange for public-domain lands or for timber on such lands situated within the exterior boundaries of the national forests in Minnesota, are not subject to development or utilization under the mining laws of the United States or the mineral leasing laws, and for the development and utilization of which no other statutory authority exists, the Secretary of the Interior is authorized, under general regulations to be prescribed by him and upon such terms and for specified periods or otherwise as he may deem to be for the best interests of the United States, to permit the prospecting for and the development and utilization of such mineral resources: Provided, That the development and utilization of such mineral deposits shall not be permitted by the Secretary of the Interior except with the consent of the Secretary of Agriculture. All receipts derived from permits or leases issued under the authority of this section for prospecting for and the development and utilization of such mineral resources shall be paid into the same funds or accounts in the Treasury and shall be distributed in the same manner as prescribed for national forest revenue by sections 499 to 501 of this title.
All homestead entries which have been canceled or relinquished, or are invalid solely because of the erroneous allowance of such entries after the withdrawal of lands for national-forest purposes, may be reinstated or allowed to remain intact, but in the case of entries canceled prior to March 3, 1911, applications for reinstatement must have been filed in the proper local land office prior to July 1, 1912.
The Secretary of Agriculture is hereby authorized and directed to examine, locate, and purchase such forested, cut-over, or denuded lands within the watersheds of navigable streams as in his judgment may be necessary to the regulation of the flow of navigable streams or for the production of timber. No deed or other instrument of conveyance of lands referred to herein shall be accepted or approved by the Secretary of Agriculture under this Act until the legislature of the State in which the land lies shall have consented to the acquisition of such land by the United States for the purpose of preserving the navigability of navigable streams.
When the public interests will be benefited thereby, the Secretary of Agriculture is hereby authorized, in his discretion, to accept on behalf of the United States title to any lands within the exterior boundaries of national forests which, in his opinion, are chiefly valuable for the purposes of this Act, and in exchange therefor to convey by deed not to exceed an equal value of such national forest land in the same State, or he may authorize the grantor to cut and remove an equal value of timber within such national forests in the same State, the values in each case to be determined by him: Provided, That before any such exchange is effected notice of the contemplated exchange reciting the lands involved shall be published once each week for four successive weeks in some newspaper of general circulation in the county or counties in which may be situated the lands to be accepted, and in some like newspaper published in any county in which may be situated any lands or timber to be given in such exchange. Timber given in such exchanges shall be cut and removed under the laws and regulations relating to such national forests, and under the direction and supervision and in accordance with the requirements of the Secretary of Agriculture. Lands so accepted by the Secretary of Agriculture shall, upon acceptance, become parts of the national forests within whose exterior boundaries they are located, and be subjected to all provisions of this Act.
The Secretary of Agriculture may do all things necessary to secure the safe title in the United States to the lands to be acquired under this Act, but no payment shall be made for any such lands until the title shall be satisfactory to the Attorney General or his designee and shall be vested in the United States.
In condemnation proceedings, heretofore or hereafter prosecuted, for the acquisition of lands under this Act, in which a decree is entered vesting title thereto in the United States upon payment of the award into the registry of the court, the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to make such payment when advised by the Attorney General that the proceedings and the decree are regular.
Such acquisition by the United States shall in no case be defeated because of located or defined rights of way, easements, and reservations, which, from their nature will, in the opinion of the Secretary of Agriculture, in no manner interfere with the use of the lands so encumbered, for the purposes of this Act. Such rights of way, easements, and reservations retained by the owner from whom the United States receives title, shall be subject to the rules and regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Agriculture for their occupation, use, operation, protection, and administration, and such rules and regulations shall be expressed in and made part of the written instrument conveying title to the lands to the United States; and the use, occupation, and operation of such rights of way, easements, and reservations shall be under, subject to, and in obedience with the rules and regulations so expressed.
Inasmuch as small areas of land chiefly valuable for agriculture may of necessity or by inadvertence be included in tracts acquired under this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture may, in his discretion, and he is authorized, upon application or otherwise, to examine and ascertain the location and extent of such areas as in his opinion may be occupied for agricultural purposes without injury to the forests or to stream flow and which are not needed for public purposes, and may list and describe the same by metes and bounds, or otherwise, and offer them for sale as homesteads at their true value, to be fixed by him, to actual settlers, in tracts not exceeding eighty acres, in area, under such rules and regulations as he may prescribe; and in case of such sale the jurisdiction over the lands sold shall, ipso facto, revert to the State in which the lands sold lie. And no right, title, interest, or claim in or to any lands acquired under this Act, or the waters thereon, or the products, resources, or use thereof after such lands shall have been so acquired, shall be initiated or perfected, except as in this section provided.
If any of the lands purchased or to be purchased by the United States under the provisions of the Act approved March 1, 1911, as amended, within the limits of townships 1, 2, and 3 north, ranges 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13, in Forest and Perry Counties, State of Mississippi, are determined to be chiefly valuable and necessary for a National Guard encampment and related military purposes, the Secretary of Agriculture may, and he is, authorized to convey full title to said lands to the State of Mississippi or the Department of the Army: Provided, That there is paid into the Treasury of the United States, or made available by transfer on the books of said Treasury, sums of money equal to the full amounts expended by the Department of Agriculture for the purchase of said lands, and the money so paid into or transferred on the books of the Treasury shall be available for expenditure by the Secretary of Agriculture for the purchase of other lands under the provisions of said Act of March 1, 1911, as amended.
The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized, under general regulations to be prescribed by him, to permit the prospecting, development, and utilization of the mineral resources of the lands acquired under the Act of March first, nineteen hundred and eleven, known as the Weeks law, upon such terms and for specified periods or otherwise, as he may deem to be for the best interests of the United States; and all moneys received on account of charges, if any, made under this Act shall be disposed of as is provided by existing law for the disposition of receipts from national forests.
Subject to the provisions of section 519 of this title the lands acquired under this Act shall be permanently reserved, held, and administered as national forest lands under the provisions of section 471 1
In order to facilitate the administration, management, and consolidation of the national forests, all lands of the United States within the exterior boundaries of national forests which were or hereafter are acquired for or in connection with the national forests or transferred to the Forest Service, Department of Agriculture, for administration and protection substantially in accordance with national forest regulations, policies, and procedures, excepting (a) lands reserved from the public domain or acquired pursuant to laws authorizing the exchange of land or timber reserved from or part of the public domain, and (b) lands within the official limits of towns or cities, notwithstanding the provisions of any other Act, are made subject to the Weeks Act of March 1, 1911 (36 Stat. 961), as amended, and to all laws, rules, and regulations applicable to national forest lands acquired thereunder: Provided, That nothing in this section shall be construed as (1) affecting the status of lands administered by the Secretary of Agriculture under the Act of June 24, 1954 (68 Stat. 270), and which are revested Oregon and California Railroad grant lands, administered as national forest lands, or (2) changing the disposition of revenues from or authorizing the exchange of the lands, or the timber thereon, described in the Act of February 11, 1920 (ch. 69, 41 Stat. 405), the Act of September 22, 1922 (ch. 407, 42 Stat. 1019), and the Act of June 4, 1936 (ch. 494, 49 Stat. 1460).
Any person to whom lands are conveyed under sections 521c to 521i of this title shall bear all reasonable costs of administration, survey, and appraisal incidental to such conveyance, as determined by the Secretary. In determining the value of any lands or interest in lands to be conveyed under sections 521c to 521i of this title, the Secretary may, in those cases in which the Secretary determines it would be in the public interest, exclude from such determination the value of any improvements to the lands made by any person other than the Government. In the case of road rights-of-way conveyed under sections 521c to 521i of this title, the person to whom the right-of-way is conveyed shall reimburse the United States for the value of any improvements to such right-of-way which may have been made by the United States. The Secretary may, in those cases in which the Secretary determines that it would be in the public interest, waive payment by any person of costs incidental to any conveyance authorized by sections 521c to 521i of this title or reimbursement by any person for the value of improvements to rights-of-way otherwise required by this section.
Conveyance of any road rights-of-way under sections 521c to 521i of this title shall not be construed as permitting any designation, maintenance, or use of such rights-of-way for road or other purposes except to the extent permitted by State or local law and under conditions imposed by such law.
Nothing in sections 521c to 521i of this title shall authorize conveyance of Federal lands within the National Wilderness Preservation System, National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, National Trails System, or National Monuments. Nothing in sections 521c to 521i of this title shall authorize sale of Federal lands, within National Recreation Areas.
Rights-of-way for the construction and maintenance of dams, reservoirs, water plants, ditches, flumes, pipes, tunnels, and canals, within and across the national forests of the United States, are granted to citizens and corporations of the United States for municipal or mining purposes, and for the purposes of the milling and reduction of ores, during the period of their beneficial use, under such rules and regulations as may be prescribed by the Secretary of the Interior, and subject to the laws of the State or Territory in which said forests are respectively situated.
In the form provided by existing law the Secretary of the Interior may file and approve surveys and plats of any right of way for a wagon road, railroad, or other highway over and across any national forest when in his judgment the public interests will not be injuriously affected thereby.
There are authorized to be appropriated for expenditure by the Forest Service such sums as may be necessary for the investigation and establishment of water rights, including the purchase thereof or of lands or interests in lands or rights-of-way for use and protection of water rights necessary or beneficial in connection with the administration and public use of the national forests.
The Forest Service may expend funds available for national forest protection and management for the administration of lands under contract for purchase or for the acquisition of which condemnation proceedings have been instituted under the Act of March 1, 1911, and the Act of June 7, 1924, and lands transferred to the Forest Service for administration.
It is the policy of the Congress that the national forests are established and shall be administered for outdoor recreation, range, timber, watershed, and wildlife and fish purposes. The purposes of sections 528 to 531 of this title are declared to be supplemental to, but not in derogation of, the purposes for which the national forests were established as set forth in section 475 of this title. Nothing herein shall be construed as affecting the jurisdiction or responsibilities of the several States with respect to wildlife and fish on the national forests. Nothing herein shall be construed so as to affect the use or administration of the mineral resources of national forest lands or to affect the use or administration of Federal lands not within national forests.
The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized and directed to develop and administer the renewable surface resources of the national forests for multiple use and sustained yield of the several products and services obtained therefrom. In the administration of the national forests due consideration shall be given to the relative values of the various resources in particular areas. The establishment and maintenance of areas of wilderness are consistent with the purposes and provisions of sections 528 to 531 of this title.
In the effectuation of sections 528 to 531 of this title the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to cooperate with interested State and local governmental agencies and others in the development and management of the national forests.
The Congress hereby finds and declares that the construction and maintenance of an adequate system of roads and trails within and near the national forests and other lands administered by the Forest Service is essential if increasing demands for timber, recreation, and other uses of such lands are to be met; that the existence of such a system would have the effect, among other things, of increasing the value of timber and other resources tributary to such roads; and that such a system is essential to enable the Secretary of Agriculture (hereinafter called the Secretary) to provide for intensive use, protection, development, and management of these lands under principles of multiple use and sustained yield of products and services.
The Secretary is authorized, under such regulations as he may prescribe, subject to the provisions of sections 532 to 538 of this title, to grant permanent or temporary easements for specified periods or otherwise for road rights-of-way (1) over national forest lands and other lands administered by the Forest Service, and (2) over any other related lands with respect to which the Department of Agriculture has rights under the terms of the grant to it.
An easement granted under sections 532 to 538 of this title may be terminated by consent of the owner of the easement, by condemnation, or after a five-year period of nonuse the Secretary may, if he finds the owner has abandoned the easement, make a determination to cancel it. Before the Secretary may cancel an easement for nonuse the owner of such easement must be notified of the determination to cancel and be given, upon his request made within sixty days after receipt of the notice, a hearing in accordance with such rules and regulations as may be issued by the Secretary.
The Secretary is authorized to provide for the acquisition, construction, and maintenance of forest development roads within and near the national forests and other lands administered by the Forest Service in locations and according to specifications which will permit maximum economy in harvesting timber from such lands tributary to such roads and at the same time meet the requirements for protection, development, and management thereof, and for utilization of the other resources thereof. Financing of such roads may be accomplished (1) by the Secretary utilizing appropriated funds, (2) by requirements on purchasers of national forest timber and other products, including provisions for amortization of road costs in contracts, (3) by cooperative financing with other public agencies and with private agencies or persons, or (4) by a combination of these methods: Provided, That where roads of a higher standard than that needed in the harvesting and removal of the timber and other products covered by the particular sale are to be constructed, the purchaser of the national forest timber and other products shall not be required to bear that part of the costs necessary to meet such higher standard, and the Secretary is authorized to make such arrangements to this end as may be appropriate. The Secretary is authorized, under such rules and regulations as he shall prescribe, to permit the transfer of unused effective purchaser credit for road construction earned after December 16, 1975, from one timber sale to a purchaser to another timber sale to the same purchaser within the same National Forest.
Copies of all instruments affecting permanent interests in land executed pursuant to sections 532 to 538 of this title shall be recorded in each county where the lands are located. Copies of all instruments affecting interests in lands reserved from the public domain shall be furnished to the Secretary of the Interior.
The Secretary may require the user or users of a road under the control of the Forest Service, including purchasers of Government timber and other products, to maintain such roads in a satisfactory condition commensurate with the particular use requirements of each. Such maintenance to be borne by each user shall be proportionate to total use. The Secretary may also require the user or users of such a road to reconstruct the same when such reconstruction is determined to be necessary to accommodate such use. If such maintenance or reconstruction cannot be so provided or if the Secretary determines that maintenance or reconstruction by a user would not be practical, then the Secretary may require that sufficient funds be deposited by the user to provide his portion of such total maintenance or reconstruction. Deposits made to cover the maintenance or reconstruction of roads are hereby made available until expended to cover the cost to the United States of accomplishing the purpose for which deposited: Provided, That deposits received for work on adjacent and overlapping areas may be combined when it is the most practicable and efficient manner of performing the work, and cost thereof may be determined by estimates: And provided further, That unexpended balances upon accomplishment of the purpose for which deposited shall be transferred to miscellaneous receipts or refunded.
Whenever the agreement under which the United States has obtained for the use of, or in connection with, the national forests and other lands administered by the Forest Service a right-of-way or easement for a road or an existing road or the right to use an existing road provides for delayed payments to the Government’s grantor, any fees or other collections received by the Secretary for the use of the road may be placed in a fund to be available for making payments to the grantor.
There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out sections 539m to 539m–12 of this title, including such sums as are necessary for the Forest Service to carry out responsibilities of the Forest Service in accordance with section 539m–11(c) of this title.