Title 16ConservationRelease 119-73

§2107 Financial, technical, and related assistance to States

Title 16 › Chapter CHAPTER 41— - COOPERATIVE FORESTRY ASSISTANCE › § 2107

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary may give money, technical help, and other support to State foresters or similar State officials so they can build stronger, more efficient State forestry organizations to protect and manage non-Federal forest lands. That help can cover things like organization and program planning, budgets and accounting, personnel training and management, information services, and recordkeeping. The State forester or equivalent must ask for this help before it is given. The Secretary can also help collect, analyze, display, and report State forest data, train forest planners, and join State and Federal natural resources planning. That help must be only for the forestry parts of planning done under other laws and does not change any other law. The Secretary may run a technology program to move new tools and research into practice and share them with forestry staff, landowners, vendors, processors, agencies, and others. The Secretary can work through State foresters or, if needed, through USDA agencies, State subdivisions, institutions, organizations, or individuals to do pilot projects and field tests, study tax effects on forest management, build technical information systems, test and register chemicals, and provide training. The Secretary may provide funds to partners even if 31 U.S.C. 3324(a) and (b) would normally bar advance payments, and must use national and State forest planning committees in carrying out this work. Money may be appropriated each year as needed.

Full Legal Text

Title 16, §2107

Conservation — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)To aid in achieving maximum effectiveness in the programs and activities conducted under this chapter, the Secretary is authorized to provide financial, technical, and related assistance to State foresters or equivalent State officials for the development of stronger and more efficient State organizations that will enable them to fulfill better their responsibilities for the protection and management of non-Federal forest lands. Assistance under this subsection may include, but will not be limited to, assistance in matters related to organization management, program planning and management, budget and fiscal accounting services, personnel training and management, information services, and recordkeeping. Assistance under this subsection may be extended only upon request by State foresters or equivalent State officials.
(b)To ensure that data regarding forest lands are available for and effectively presented in State and Federal natural resources planning, the Secretary is authorized to provide financial, technical, and related assistance to State foresters or equivalent State officials in the assembly, analysis, display, and reporting of State forest resources data, in the training of State forest resources planners, and in participating in natural resources planning at the State and Federal levels. The Secretary shall restrict assistance under this subsection to the implementation of the forestry aspects of State and Federal natural resources planning conducted under other laws. This subsection shall not be construed, in any way whatsoever, as extending, limiting, amending, repealing, or otherwise affecting any other law or authority.
(c)To ensure that new technology is introduced, new information is integrated into existing technology, and forest resources research findings are promptly made available to State forestry personnel, private forest landowners and managers, vendors, forest operators, wood proc­essors, public agencies, and individuals, the Secretary is authorized to carry out a program of technology implementation.
(1)In implementing this subsection, the Secretary is authorized to work through State foresters or equivalent State officials, and, if the State forester or equivalent State official is unable to deliver these services, the Secretary is authorized to act through appropriate United States Department of Agriculture agencies, subdivisions of States, agencies, institutions, organizations, or individuals to—
(A)strengthen technical assistance and service programs of cooperators participating in programs under this chapter by applying research results and conducting pilot projects and field tests of management and utilization practices, equipment, and technologies, related to programs and activities authorized under this chapter;
(B)study the effects of tax laws, methods, and practices on forest management;
(C)develop and maintain technical information systems in support of programs and activities authorized under this chapter;
(D)test, evaluate, and seek registration of chemicals for use in implementing the programs and activities authorized under this chapter;
(E)conduct other activities, including training of State forestry personnel whom the Secretary deems necessary to ensure that the programs and activities authorized under this chapter are responsive to special problems, unique situations, and changing conditions.
(2)The Secretary may make funds available to cooperators under this chapter without regard to the provisions of section 3324(a) and (b) of title 31, which prohibits advances of public money.
(3)The Secretary shall use forest resources planning committees at National and State levels in implementing this subsection.
(d)There are hereby authorized to be appropriated annually such sums as may be needed to implement this section.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification In subsec. (c)(2), “section 3324(a) and (b) of title 31” substituted for “section 3648 of the Revised Statutes (31 U.S.C. 529)” on authority of Pub. L. 97–258, § 4(b), Sept. 13, 1982, 96 Stat. 1067, the first section of which enacted Title 31, Money and Finance.

Prior Provisions

A prior section 11 of Pub. L. 95–313 was renumbered section 14 and is classified to section 2110 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

16 U.S.C. § 2107

Title 16Conservation

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73