§460vv–9 Beech Creek National Scenic Area

Summary

Creates the Beech Creek National Scenic Area inside the Ouachita National Forest in Oklahoma, shown on a map called “Beech Creek National Scenic Area—Proposed,” dated March 1988. The Secretary of Agriculture must, as soon as possible after October 18, 1988, file that map and a legal description with the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs and the Committee on Agriculture of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the U.S. Senate. Those documents count the same as if written into the law and a copy will be kept for public viewing in the Office of the Chief of the Forest Service, Department of Agriculture. The Secretary must manage the scenic area like other national forests, but focused on protecting and improving the scenery and wildlife. Timber work should favor a mix of hardwoods and conifers, many age groups, natural succession, and trees that provide nuts and den sites for animals. Uneven-aged logging is the normal method, but even-aged cutting may be used for public safety or to deal with fire, insects, or disease.