Title 16 — ConservationRelease 119-73
§500 Payment and evaluation of receipts to State or Territory for schools and roads; moneys received; projections of revenues and estimated payments
Title 16 › Chapter CHAPTER 2— - NATIONAL FORESTS › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER I— - ESTABLISHMENT AND ADMINISTRATION › § 500
Summary
Starting May 23, 1908, the Treasury must pay each State or Territory money from national forests. The amount equals the average of 25% of the forest revenues for that year and the six years before. Payments go to counties where the forest is located and must be used for public schools and public roads. If a forest is in more than one State or county, each place gets a share based on how much area it has. Payments from sales of wood are based on stumpage value. "moneys received" (starting October 1, 1976) includes collections under the Act of June 9, 1930 and credits given to timber buyers for building roads on the National Forest Transportation System. The Secretary of Agriculture must give States current projections of these revenues and estimated payments during the budget estimate process so States can plan local budgets.
Full Legal Text
Title 16, §500
Conservation — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
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.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
References in Text
Act of
June 9, 1930, referred to in text, is act
June 9, 1930, ch. 416, 46 Stat. 527, popularly known as the Knutson-Vandenberg Act, which is classified generally to section 576, 576a, and 576b of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see
Short Title
note set out under section 576 of this title and Tables. Act of
May 23, 1908, referred to in text, is act
May 23, 1908, ch. 192, 35 Stat. 251. A portion of that act appearing at 35 Stat. 260 is classified to this section. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Tables. Codification “National forest” substituted in text for “forest reserve” the first, third and fourth time appearing, and for “reserve” the second time appearing, and “forest” substituted for “reserve”, on authority of act Mar. 4, 1907, ch. 2907, 34 Stat. 1269, which provided that forest reserves shall hereafter be known as national forests. Section is a combination of acts
May 23, 1908, as amended, and Mar. 1, 1911, as amended.
Prior Provisions
Provisions similar to those in this section were contained in the following prior appropriation acts:
June 28, 1944, ch. 296, 58 Stat. 444.
July 12, 1943, ch. 215, 57 Stat. 412.
July 22, 1942, ch. 516, 56 Stat. 680.
July 1, 1941, ch. 267, 55 Stat. 423.
Amendments
2008—Pub. L. 110–343, which directed substitution of “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” for “twenty-five percentum” and all that follows through “shall be paid” in provisions of both acts
May 23, 1908, and Mar. 1, 1911, on which this section is based, was executed by making the substitution for “twenty-five per centum of all moneys received during any fiscal year from each national forest shall be paid”, to reflect the probable intent of Congress. 1976—Pub. L. 94–588 inserted provision that beginning Oct. 1, 1976, the term “moneys received” would 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, and that 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. 1950—Act Apr. 24, 1950, struck out second proviso relating to limitation paid county. 1944—Act Sept. 21, 1944, inserted sentence relating to stumpage value of the timber. 1914—Act
June 30, 1914, changed per centum to be paid to each State from five to twenty-five.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Short Title
of 2000 Amendment Pub. L. 106–393, § 1(a), Oct. 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 1607, which provided that the Act could be cited as the “Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000”, was repealed by Pub. L. 110–343, div. C, title VI, § 601(a), Oct. 3, 2008, 122 Stat. 3893. See section 1 of Pub. L. 106–393, set out as a
Short Title
note under section 7101 of this title.
Savings Provision
Provisions of Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, Pub. L. 94–579, Oct. 21, 1976, 90 Stat. 2743, not to be construed as affecting the distribution of livestock grazing revenues to local governments under this section, see section 701(j) of Pub. L. 94–579, set out as a note under section 1701 of Title 43, Public Lands. Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Pub. L. 107–76, title VII, § 751, Nov. 28, 2001, 115 Stat. 739, provided for the determination of the full payment amount for each eligible State and eligible county for fiscal years 2002 to 2006 under former section 102 of Pub. L. 106–393, formerly set out below. Pub. L. 106–393, §§ 2, 3, Oct. 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 1608, 1609, which related to findings and purposes and provided definitions for Pub. L. 106–393, was repealed by Pub. L. 110–343, div. C, title VI, § 601(a), Oct. 3, 2008, 122 Stat. 3893. See section 7101 and 7102 of this title. Pub. L. 106–393, titles I–IV, Oct. 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 1611–1623, as amended by Pub. L. 110–28, title V, § 5401(c), May 25, 2007, 121 Stat. 166; Pub. L. 110–343, div. C, title VI, § 601(a), Oct. 3, 2008, 122 Stat. 3893, provided that: [SECS. 101 to 403. Repealed. Pub. L. 110–343, div. C, title VI, § 601(a), Oct. 3, 2008, 122 Stat. 3893. See sections 7111 to 7153 of this title.] “SEC. 404. CONFORMING
Amendments
.” [Repealed section 13982 of Pub. L. 103–66, which was set out as a note below, and section 13983 of Pub. L. 103–66, which was set out as a note under section 1181f of Title 43, Public Lands.] Advisory Committee on Forest Counties Payments Pub. L. 106–291, title III, § 320, Oct. 11, 2000, 114 Stat. 990, as amended by Pub. L. 108–319, § 1, Oct. 5, 2004, 118 Stat. 1212, established the Forest Counties Payments Committee to recommend methods for making payments to States and counties with Federal lands and provided for its termination on Sept. 30, 2007. [Pub. L. 108–319, § 1, Oct. 5, 2004, 118 Stat. 1212, provided that the amendment made by section 1 to section 320 of Pub. L. 106–291 was effective as of Oct. 11, 2003.] Sharing of Forest Service Timber Sale Receipts Pub. L. 103–66, title XIII, § 13982, Aug. 10, 1993, 107 Stat. 681, as amended by Pub. L. 103–443, § 1(a), Nov. 2, 1994, 108 Stat. 4631, which related to the amount of payments for each fiscal year from 1994 through 2003 that the Secretary of the Treasury was to make, in lieu of making the 25-percent payments to States, for the benefit of counties eligible to receive the 25-percent payments to States, was repealed by Pub. L. 106–393, title IV, § 404, Oct. 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 1623. Distribution of Moneys Received From Timber Salvage Sales Program Pub. L. 102–381, title II, Oct. 5, 1992, 106 Stat. 1401, provided: “That notwithstanding any other provision of law, moneys received from the timber salvage sales program in fiscal year 1993 and subsequent fiscal years shall be considered as money received for purposes of computing and distributing 25 per centum payments to local governments under 16 U.S.C. 500, as amended.” Similar provisions were contained in the following appropriations act: Pub. L. 103–138, title II, Nov. 11, 1993, 107 Stat. 1402.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
16 U.S.C. § 500
Title 16 — Conservation
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73