§583d Notice; registered mail and publication; costs; contents; request for hearing; time; determination and record available for inspection

Summary

Before creating a sustained-yield unit or signing a cooperative agreement, the agency must tell each landowner by registered or certified mail and publish a notice in local newspapers. The agency can pay the publishing costs from funds for managing the federal forest land. The notice must say where the unit would be, who the cooperators are, how long the agreement would last, where and how much timber is on each cooperator’s land and on the federal land, the expected cutting rate, and the time and place of a public hearing at least 30 days after the first notice so nearby communities can comment. For any noncompetitive timber sale worth more than $500 in stumpage value, the agency must publish a notice once a week for four straight weeks. The notice must give the timber amount and appraised value and say where to ask for a public hearing. The State, the county, or any person with a reasonable interest may ask for a hearing, but the request must arrive at the place named in the notice within 15 days after the first publication. If a timely request is made, the hearing must be announced at least 10 days before it happens using the same notice method. The Secretary’s decision after the hearing, and the hearing record, must be open for public inspection while any resulting plan or agreement is in effect.