§583a Cooperative agreements with private owners; privileges of private owners; recordation of agreements

Summary

Allow the Secretaries in charge of federal forest land to make cooperative agreements with private forest owners inside a managed unit so the land is run together. These agreements can let a private owner buy timber and other forest products from federal land without competitive bidding, but only at prices no lower than appraised value and with periodic changes in stumpage rates and other conditions the Secretary sets. The agreement must also limit when, how fast, and how timber on the private land can be cut so it fits the unit’s sustained-yield plan and the land’s capacity. The agreement will set the rules a private owner must follow when selling timber to others (it can set sale conditions but not the buyer’s price). It must protect the reasonable interests of other owners and may include other necessary terms. The agreement must be filed in the county where the private land is. Filing costs can come from funds for managing or protecting the federal forest land. Once filed, the agreement binds the owner’s heirs, future owners, and timber buyers for the life of the agreement.