Title 16, ConservationRelease 119-102
§482n–1 Cutting of Timber Within Forest; Reservation of Patent Rights
Title 16 › CHAPTER 2 — NATIONAL FORESTS › SUBCHAPTER I — ESTABLISHMENT AND ADMINISTRATION › § 482n–1
Summary
From May 24, 1949, patents issued under U.S. mining laws there give the holder the mineral deposits and let them cut mature timber needed to extract and process those minerals, if the timber is cut under national-forest rules. The United States keeps the surface title, and uses beyond mining or prospecting need Department of Agriculture approval.
Full Legal Text
Title 16, §482n–1
Conservation, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
On and after May 24, 1949, all patents issued under the United States mining laws affecting lands within the above-described area shall convey title to the mineral deposits within the claim, together with the right to cut and remove so much of the mature timber therefrom as may be needed in extracting and removing and beneficiation of the mineral deposits, if the timber is cut under sound principles of forest management as defined by the national-forest rules and regulations, but each patent shall reserve to the United States all title in or to the surface of the lands and products thereof, and no use of the surface of the claim or the resources therefrom not reasonably required for carrying on mining or prospecting shall be allowed except under the rules and regulations of the Department of Agriculture.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
16 U.S.C. § 482n–1
Title 16, Conservation
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102