§583a Cooperative Agreements with Private Owners; Privileges of Private Owners; Recordation of Agreements

Summary

The Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior can make cooperative agreements with private owners inside a sustained-yield forest unit to manage private and federal forest land together. These agreements can let a private owner buy timber and other forest products from federal land without public bidding, as long as they pay at least the appraised value and follow any periodic price adjustments and other rules the Secretary sets. The agreements can limit when, how much, and how timber is cut on the private land to match the unit’s management plan and the land’s capacity. They can set rules (but not the sale price) for how the owner may sell timber to others, and require buyers to follow those rules. The agreements must protect the rights of other landowners and may include other necessary terms. Each agreement must be recorded in the county where the private land is located (the recording cost can come from funds for managing the federal land). Once recorded, the agreement binds the owner’s heirs, later owners, and timber buyers for the life of the agreement.