Title 25, IndiansRelease 119-102
§337 Allotments in National Forests
Title 25 › CHAPTER 9 — ALLOTMENT OF INDIAN LANDS › § 337
Summary
The Secretary of the Interior may give parcels of national forest land to Indians who live on or have improvements on that land but who cannot get an allotment on a reservation (because their tribe has no reservation, the reservation had too little land, or they are not entitled there). Applicants must apply to the Secretary of Agriculture, who decides if the land is more valuable for farming or grazing than for timber; if it is, the Secretary of the Interior must make the allotment under the usual allotment laws.
Full Legal Text
Title 25, §337
Indians, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
The Secretary of the Interior is authorized, in his discretion, to make allotments within the national forests in conformity with the general allotment laws, to any Indian occupying, living on, or having improvements on land included within any such national forest who is not entitled to an allotment on any existing Indian reservation, or for whose tribe no reservation has been provided, or whose reservation was not sufficient to afford an allotment to each member thereof. All applications for allotments under the provisions of this section shall be submitted to the Secretary of Agriculture who shall determine whether the lands applied for are more valuable for agricultural or grazing purposes than for the timber found thereon; and if it be found that the lands applied for are more valuable for agricultural or grazing purposes, then the Secretary of the Interior shall cause allotment to be made as herein provided.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
25 U.S.C. § 337
Title 25, Indians
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102