The Selected Laws Affecting Forest Service Activities is the fourth in a series of reference guides published by the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service. It was created to assist agency staff, and members of the public, as a ready reference document and to understand the legal authorities and limitations of the agency. The first principal laws publication was published in 1978, the second in 1983, and the third in 1993. Although it was originally intended to be a portable reference, the continuous addition of new laws greatly increased the size of the guide. During the development of this document, scoping revealed that many users believed the guide had become too cumbersome to be useful as anything other than a desk reference. The guide's content, use, and format were evaluated, and it was determined that an abridged version should be prepared. This abridged version does not contain all of the laws relating to the USDA Forest Service. This version does contain the current major laws that apply to USDA Forest Service activities. USDA Forest Service program areas may want to consider assembling a more focused publication of laws and polices that relate to their specific program area. The compilations contained in this publication were put together using the United States Code Annotated Tables for 2003, the United States House of Representatives Committee on Resources Compilation of Selected Laws Concerning National Forests and Related Matters, February 2004, and the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives U.S. Code web database. The laws referenced in this book are all public laws. Private laws, those laws involving specific entities or private individuals, are not listed in this guide. Private laws were not included because they are primarily concerned only with specific cases. The laws in this guidebook are arranged by category, such as Forest System Land Management Planning and Forest Service International Forestry. The sections explain some basic terms and how to understand the legal citations provided. A more complete glossary of terms is located in the back of the book. The index provides a quick reference to specific sections of law. The list of National Forests and the means by which the land was set aside can be found in the appendix A. There is also a list of National Grasslands in appendix B. All the laws in this book by chronological order are found in the appendix C. Lastly, other helpful resources are list in appendix D. The United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service (USDA Forest Service) was created by the Transfer Act of February 1, 1905, which transferred the management responsibilities for the Federal forest reserves from the Department of the Interior to the Department of Agriculture. Since 1905, hundreds of laws affecting the USDA Forest Service's responsibilities, powers, and limitations have been enacted and amended. The Selected Laws Affecting Forest Service Activities is a reference tool for those interested in contemporary USDA Forest Service policy and contains each law as it appears today. The law guidebooks were developed by, and for, the USDA Forest Service legislative staff. However, the guidebooks are referenced agency-wide as well as by numerous organizations and individuals interested in the USDA Forest Service. Scoping was conducted to evaluate the content, use, and format of previous editions of the guidebook. From this information, it was determined that an abridged version would be most useful.
The Forest Service, building on achievements gained through a century of commitment to excellence, continues its stewardship of the Nation's forests and grasslands to sustain natural resources for current and future generations. This plan provides the strategic direction that guides the Forest Service in delivering its mission. We address the core principles by which we work; major issues currently important to natural resources management and to the strategic goals upon which the agency will focus for fiscal years (FY) 2007 through 2012. Our programs and budget are aligned with the goals and objectives in this strategic plan and as well as with our focus areas. Our strategic direction supplements the USDA Strategic Plan for FY 2005–2010 in delivery of the Department's mission. Through State foresters, tribal leaders, and other partners, we provide financial and technical assistance to help forest landowners, public and private, manage their lands for sustainability. Our International Programs staff provides worldwide resource expertise, helping to promote global sustainable natural resource management.
The increasing concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide has raised concern about the vulnerability of forests to potential changes in climate and climate variability. These concerns have prompted governments around the world to commission technical assessments on the impact of climate change on the environment and the economy. Based on the current scientific information within these assessments, governments have initiated negotiations on policy action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to address the vulnerabilities of the ecological, economic, and social systems to climate change. Critical to policy formulation is a periodic synthesis of the ever-expanding knowledge on forest ecology, the impact of climate on the forests and of forests on climate, forest management, the socio-economic value of trees and forests, and the role of forests in the global carbon cycle. The Forest Service conducts periodic assessments of the condition of forest and rangeland resources under the authority of the Renewable Resources Planning Act (RPA). The structure of these periodic assessments allows for the synthesis and integration of the current state of scientific knowledge. As part of the RPA process, this report synthesizes current information that assesses the impact of climate change on US forests. Six policy questions critical to understanding the impact of global climate change on current and future trends form the basis for this report. The first chapter describes mandates and structures of synthesizing scientific information on the forest sector, describes current understandings of the global climate, and closes with policy questions addressed in this assessment. The next chapters address the six policy questions of: what are the likely effects of increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide and prospective climate changes on ecosystem productivity, as measured by changes in net primary productivity?, to what geographic extent will potential ecosystem types change or move across the US, as measured in composition and boundary changes?, what changes in forest productivity will occur as measured by changes in volume, growth and biomass?, what are the potential impacts on the forest sector under climate change, as measured by employment and timber prices?, when forest policy questions for the RPA Assessment, such as reduced NFS harvest, are examined with and without climate change, do the forest sector impacts differ greatly in magnitude or kind?, and what are the opportunities and costs of emissions mitigation using forest ecosystem management and forest product technologies?
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Strategic Plan for fiscal year (FY) 2010–2015 targets the restoration of watershed and forest health as a core management objective of the national forests and grasslands. To achieve this goal, the Forest Service, an agency of USDA, is directed to restore degraded watersheds by strategically focusing investments in watershed improvement projects and conservation practices at landscape and watershed scales. The Forest Service formed the National Watershed Condition Team and tasked it with developing a nationally consistent, science-based approach to classify the condition of all National Forest System (NFS) watersheds and to develop outcome-based performance measures for watershed restoration. The team evaluated alternative approaches for classifying watersheds (USDA Forest Service 2007) and developed the watershed condition classification (WCC) system described in this technical guide. The team designed the WCC system to—Classify the condition of all NFS watersheds; Be quantitative to the extent feasible; Rely on Geographic Information System (GIS) technology; Be cost effective; Be implementable within existing budgets; Include resource areas and activities that have a significant influence on watershed condition. National forests are required to revise the classification on an annual basis. The WCC system is a national forest-based, reconnaissance level evaluation of watershed condition achievable within existing budgets and staffing levels that can be aggregated for a national assessment of watershed condition. The WCC system offers a systematic, flexible means of classifying watersheds based on a core set of national watershed condition indicators. The system relies on professional judgment exercised by forest interdisciplinary (ID) teams, GIS data, and national databases to the extent they are available, and on written rule sets and criteria for indicators that describe the three watershed condition classes (functioning properly, functioning at risk, and impaired function). The WCC system relies on Washington Office and regional office oversight for flexible and consistent application among national forests. The WCC system is a first approximation of watershed condition, and we will revise and refine it over time. The expectation is that we will improve and refine individual resource indicators and that we will develop databases and map products to assist with future classifications. The WCC information will be incorporated into the watershed condition framework, which will ultimately be employed to establish priorities, evaluate program performance, and communicate watershed restoration successes to interested stakeholders and Congress. The watershed condition goal of the Forest Service is “to protect National Forest System watersheds by implementing practices designed to maintain or improve watershed condition, which is the foundation for sustaining ecosystems and the production of renewable natural resources, values, and benefits” (FSM 2520). U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack reemphasized this policy in his “Vision for the Forest Service” when he stated that achieving restoration of watershed and forest health would be the primary management objective of the Forest Service (USDA 2010). This Watershed Condition Classification Technical Guide helps to implement this policy objective by—1. Establishing a systematic process for determining watershed condition class that all national forests can apply consistently; 2. Improving Forest Service reporting and tracking of watershed condition; 3. Strengthening the effectiveness of the Forest Service to maintain and restore the productivity and resilience of watersheds and their associated aquatic systems on NFS lands.
Ground water is the Nation's principal reserve of fresh water and represents much of its potential future water supply. Ground water on National Forest System (NFS) lands is a major contributor to flow in many streams and rivers and has a strong influence on the health and diversity of plant and animal species in forests, grasslands, riparian areas, lakes, wetlands, and cave systems. It also provides drinking water to hundreds of communities. Demands for safe drinking water and requirements to maintain healthy ecosystems are increasing, and complex social and scientific questions have arisen about how to assess and manage the water resources on NFS lands. This technical guide was developed to help address these issues. Today, many of the concerns about ground water resources on or adjacent to public land involve questions about depletion of ground water storage, reductions in streamflow, potential loss of ground water-dependent ecosystems, land subsidence, saltwater intrusion, and changes in ground water quality. The effects of many human activities on ground water resources and on the broader environment need to be clearly understood in order to properly manage these systems. Throughout this technical guide, we emphasize that development, disruption, or contamination of ground water resources has consequences for hydrological systems and related environmental systems. Ground water and surface water are interconnected and interdependent in almost all ecosystems. Ground water plays significant roles in sustaining the flow, chemistry, and temperature of streams, lakes, springs, wetlands, and cave systems in many settings, while surface waters provide recharge to ground water in other settings. Ground water has a major influence on rock weathering, streambank erosion, and the headward progression of stream channels. Pumping of ground water can reduce river flows, lower lake levels, and reduce or eliminate discharges to wetlands and springs. It also can influence the sustainability of drinking-water supplies and maintenance of critical ground water-dependent habitats. Increasingly, attention is being placed on how to manage ground water (and surface-water) resources on public lands in a sustainable manner. The potential for ground water resources to become contaminated from anthropogenic as well as natural sources is being scientifically assessed. Each ground water system and development situation is unique and requires a specific analysis to draw appropriate conclusions. This technical guide begins by reviewing the legislative and policy framework, and the issues related to ground water inventory, monitoring, contamination, and development. Individual sections then focus on key concepts, principles and methods for managing ground water resources. Relevant special topics, case studies, and field examples are highlighted throughout the text. Additional information on some topics can be found in the appendixes. This technical guide provides guidance for implementing the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service national ground water policy. It describes hydrological, geological, and ecological concepts, as well as the managerial responsibilities that must be considered to ensure the wise and sustainable use of ground water resources on NFS lands. This document is one part of a four-part information system on ground water management on the national forests and grasslands. The other three parts are (1) Forest Service policy on ground water (Forest Service Manuals [FSM] 2543 and 2880); (2) a Forest Service sourcebook on State ground water laws, regulations, and case law for all 43 States with NFS land; and (3) a ground water inventory and monitoring technical guide. When complete, the four parts will provide line officers and technical specialists at all field levels with the science, policy, and legal framework for Forest Service ground water-resource management.
Forests are valuable in our daily lives, crucial to our nation's ecomony, and integral to the long-term health of the environment. Yet, forestry research has been critically underfunded, and the data generated under current research programs is not enough to meet the diverse needs of our society. Forestry Research provides a research agenda that should yield the information we need to develop responsible policies for forest use and management. In this consensus of forestry experts, the volume explores: The diverse and competing concerns of the timber industry, recreational interests, and wildlife and environmental organizations. The gap between our need for information and the current output of the forestry research program. Areas of research requiring attention: biology of forest organisms, ecosystem function and management, human-forest interactions, wood as raw material, and international trade and competition. Forestry Research is an important book of special interest to federal and state policymakers involved in forestry issues, research managers, researchers, faculty, and students in the field.
This guide showcases the increasing interest in ecosystem services, discusses the motivations for valuations of FES (forest ecosystem services) at the State level, and places this work in the context of economic accounting. Readers may be interested in this report to expand their understanding of approaches used and value forest ecosystem services. However, the intended target audience for this report is State forestry officials charged with requesting, selecting, guiding, and evaluating the results of FES assessments in their states. Foresters, construction officials utilizing forest based products, educators, instructors and students in the fields of environmental science and forestry, environmentalists, and investors in the forest products category may also be interested in this work. Check out our Environment & Nature resources collection here:https://bookstore.gpo.gov/catalog/environment-nature Trees & Forests collection here:https://bookstore.gpo.gov/catalog/environment-nature Water Management collection here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/catalog/water-management
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.