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Title 25, IndiansRelease 119-102

§197 Disposition of Dead Timber on Reservations in Minnesota

Title 25 › CHAPTER 5 — PROTECTION OF INDIANS › § 197

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary of the Interior may, each year and under rules he makes, let Indians on any Minnesota reservation cut, remove, sell, or otherwise dispose of dead trees, standing or fallen, for the sole benefit of those Indians. He may also let Chippewa Indians of Minnesota who share in proceeds from ceded lands (where the U.S. still owns the land) remove or otherwise dispose of dead trees on those ceded lands, but not sell them. If the timber appears to have been killed, burned, girdled, or otherwise damaged to make it sellable, he must refuse permission.

Full Legal Text

Title 25, §197

Indians, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

The Secretary of the Interior may in his discretion, from year to year, under such regulations as he may prescribe, authorize the Indians residing on any Indian reservation in the State of Minnesota, whether the same has been allotted in severalty or is still unallotted, to fell, cut, remove, sell, or otherwise dispose of the dead timber, standing or fallen on such reservation or any part thereof, for the sole benefit of such Indians; and he may also in like manner authorize the Chippewa Indians of Minnesota who have any interest or right in the proceeds derived from the sales of ceded Indian lands or the timber growing thereon, whereof the fee is still in the United States, to fell, cut, remove, or dispose of the dead timber, otherwise than by sale, standing or fallen, on such ceded land. But whenever there is reason to believe that such dead timber in either case has been killed, burned, girdled, or otherwise injured for the purpose of securing its sale under this section, then in that case authority shall not be granted.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Chippewa Reservation and Ceded Lands in MinnesotaAct June 27, 1902, ch. 1157, § 4, 32 Stat. 404, provided: “That so much of the Act of June seventh, eighteen hundred and ninety-seven, entitled ‘An Act making appropriations for the current and contingent expenses of the Indian Department and fulfilling treaty stipulations with various Indian tribes for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and ninety-eight, and for other purposes,’ as authorizes the sale of dead timber, standing or fallen, under

Regulations

prescribed by the Secretary of the Interior, on the Chippewa reservations and ceded lands in the State of Minnesota, is hereby repealed: Provided, That nothing herein contained shall be held in any way to affect contracts already entered into and now in force for the sale and cutting of dead timber, standing or fallen, on said reservations and ceded lands.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

25 U.S.C. § 197

Title 25, Indians

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102