Trees, portions of trees, and other forest products on National Forest System lands may be sold for the purpose of achieving the policies set forth in the Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield Act of 1960, as amended (74 Stat. 215; 16 U.S.C. 528-531), and the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974, as amended (88 Stat. 476; as amended, 16 U.S.C. 1600-1614), and the Program thereunder.

Trees, portions of trees, or other forest products in any amount on National Forest System lands may be disposed of for administrative use, by sale or without charge, as may be most advantageous to the United States, subject to the maximum cut fixed in accordance with established policies for management of the National Forests. Such administrative use shall be limited to the following conditions and purposes:

(a) For construction, maintenance or repair of roads, bridges, trails, telephone lines, fences, recreation areas or other improvements of value for the protection or the administration of Federal lands.

(b) For fuel in Federal camps, buildings and recreation areas.

(c) For research and demonstration projects.

(d) For use in disaster relief work conducted by public agencies.

(e) For disposal when removal is desirable to protect or enhance multiple-use values in a particular area.

Seized material (trees, portions of trees or other forest products cut in trespass from National Forest System lands) may be sold to the highest bidder under specific authorization from the Regional Forester. If advertisement is impractical, sales of material with an appraised value of less than $10,000 will be made on informal bids.

Trees or portions of trees may be exchanged for land under laws authorizing the exchange of National Forest timber. Cutting of exchange timber must comply with the purposes cited in § 223.1.

(a) Free use may be granted to individuals for firewood for personal use, except that such use may be limited to bona fide settlers, miners, residents and prospectors living within or immediately adjacent to the National Forest when the available supply is insufficient to meet the total demand. Free use may be granted to such bona fide settlers, miners, residents and prospectors for minerals, for fencing, building, mining, prospecting and domestic purposes.

(b) Free use will be granted individuals primarily to aid in the protection and silvicultural improvement of the forests. Except in unusual cases, the material will be restricted to dead, insect-infested, or diseased timber, logging debris, and thinnings. Other material may be granted in unusual cases where its refusal would cause unwarranted hardship. Where limited supply or other conditions justify such action, the free use of green material may be refused.

Supervisors may designate portions or all of a National Forest as free-use areas where such action is compatible with land management plans and shall give public notice of their action. Within such free-use areas, any dead timber or any green timber previously marked or designated by forest officers may be cut and removed for personal use for domestic purposes. Cutting and removal of timber in free-use areas shall be in accordance with such rules as may be prescribed by the district ranger to prevent fires, minimize damage to uncut trees and other resources, and to avoid confusion among users.

Similar material may be cut outside of a free-use area without permit in cases of emergency, but the person taking such material shall promptly notify the district ranger. Small quantities of material needed by transients while in the forest may also be taken without permit; subject to such rules as may be prescribed pursuant to § 261.70. In all other cases permits will be required for green material.

(a) Forest officers whom the supervisor may designate are authorized to grant free use of timber to individuals up to $200 in value in any one fiscal year. Supervisors may grant permits for material not exceeding $5,000 in value. Regional Foresters may approve permits for larger amounts, and in times of emergency may delegate authority to supervisors for not over $10,000 in value. Prior review by the Chief of the Forest Service will be given if the amount involved exceeds $10,000 in value.

(b) Regional Foresters may authorize supervisors to permit the removal of specific classes of material without scaling or measurement.

Free use will be granted to an owner of a mining claim located subsequent to July 23, 1955, or of a mining claim which is otherwise subject to Section 4 of the Act of July 23, 1955 (69 Stat. 367), if at any time said claim owner requires more timber for his mining operations, in connection with that claim, than is available on that claim because of Forest Service timber disposal therefrom subsequent to location of that claim. He will be granted, free of charge, timber from the nearest National Forest land which is ready for harvesting under the applicable management plan, substantially equivalent in kind and quantity to that estimated by the Forest Service to have been cut under Forest Service authorization from the claim subsequent to its location, Forest officers may be delegated authority to grant amounts of timber not in excess of those which these officers are authorized to sell in commercial sales.

Bona fide settlers, miners, residents, and prospectors for minerals in Alaska may take free of charge green or dried timber from the National Forests in Alaska for personal use but not for sale. Permits will be required for green saw timber. Other material may be taken without permit. The amount of material granted to any one person in 1 year shall not exceed 10,000 board feet of saw timber and 25 cords of wood, or an equivalent volume in other forms. Persons obtaining materials shall, on demand, forward to the supervisor a statement of the quantity taken and the location from which it was removed.

(a) National Forest timber will be granted free of charge to other branches of the Federal Government when authorized by law. Permits may be approved by forest officers for amounts not greater than they are otherwise authorized to sell.

(b) Permits for timber issued hereunder shall be in accordance with the conditions prescribed in § 223.30. The permittee may be required to report to the supervisor the amount of timber, by species, actually cut or may be required to furnish scalers for work under the direction of the forest officers in charge or, if authorized, to provide funds for the employment by the Forest Service of scalers to scale or measure the timber cut. The permittee may be required to dispose of the slash as cutting proceeds, or to employee people to work under the direction of a forest officer in disposing of the slash, or, if authorized, to provide funds for the employment of people for slash disposal under the direction of a forest officer.

Permission may be granted to cut, damage, or destroy trees, portions of trees, or other forest products on National Forest System lands without advertisement when necessary for the occupancy of a right-of-way or other authorized use of National Forest System land. Payment for timber of merchantable size and quality will be required at its appraised value, but at not less than applicable minimum prices established by Regional Foresters, and payment will be required for young growth timber below merchantable size at its damage appraisal value. Payment will not be required:

(a) For timber necessarily killed or cut in connection with land uses which are of substantial benefit to the National Forests;

(b) For timber necessarily killed or cut and used by the permittee which would have been granted free under other applicable regulations; or

(c) For timber which will be cut by the permittee which the Forest Service retains for sale in log or other product form.

Forest officers authorizing free use shall ensure that such use is in compliance with applicable land management plans and is conducted in a manner which protects National Forest System resource values.

(a) The cutting of trees, portions of trees or other forest products may be authorized on any National Forest System lands, except for:

(1) Timber reserved by a grantor of land, during the life of such reservation.

(2) Timber reserved from cutting under other regulations.

(3) Timber on unpatented mining claims located prior to July 23, 1955, unless the claimant has executed a waiver pursuant to section 6 of the Act of July 23, 1955 (69 Stat. 367), or unless pursuant to a proceeding under Section 5 of that Act, the claimant has failed to file a verified statement or has failed to establish the validity and effectiveness of his asserted rights.

(4) Timber on lands identified in land management plans as not suited for timber production, except that salvage sales or sales necessitated to protect other multiple-use values may be made.

(b) The cutting of timber on mining claims shall be conducted in such manner as not to endanger or materially interfere with prospecting, mining or processing operations.

(c) Timber on an unpatented claim to which the United States does not otherwise have disposal rights may be disposed of with the written consent of the claimant, or, in emergencies without the consent of the claimant.

(d) Timber on an unpatented claim may be cut by the claimant only for the actual development of the claim or for uses consistent with the purposes for which the claim was entered. Any severance or removal of timber, other than severance or removal to provide clearance, shall be in accordance with plan of operations required by Part 252 of this chapter, and with sound principles of forest management.

(e) With prior approval by the Regional Forester, timber on lands under option by the United States or on offered lands included in an approved land exchange agreement may be sold. Before the sale is made, a cooperative agreement must be made with the owner of the land authorizing the Forest Service to conduct the sale and providing for return of stumpage receipts to the owner if title to the land is not accepted by the United States.

(f) With prior approval by the Regional Forester, cutting of exchange timber described in § 223.4 may be authorized in advance of the acceptance of title to the non-Federal land offered in exchange.

(a) Pursuant to section 8105 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Pub. L. 110-246, 122 Stat. 1651) [hereinafter the “2008 Farm Bill”], Regional Foresters or designated Forest Officers may, at their discretion, provide trees, portions of trees, or forest products to Indian tribes free of charge for traditional and cultural purposes provided that:

(1) The trees, portions of trees, or forest products are provided to tribal officials on behalf of an Indian tribe for traditional and cultural purposes; and

(2) The trees, portions of trees, or forest products will not be used for commercial purposes.

(b) The following definitions apply to this section:

Indian tribe. The term “Indian tribe” means any Indian or Alaska Native tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, or other community the name of which is included on a list published by the Secretary of the Interior pursuant to section 104 of the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 479a-1).

Traditional and cultural purpose. The term “traditional and cultural purpose,” with respect to a definable use, area, or practice, means that the use, area, or practice is identified by an Indian tribe as traditional or cultural because of the long-established significance or ceremonial nature of the use, area, or practice to the Indian tribe.

Tribal officials: The term “tribal officials” means elected or duly appointed officials of Indian tribal governments.

(c) Requests for trees, portions of trees, or forest products made under this section must be submitted to the local Forest Service District Ranger's Office(s) in writing. Requests may be made:

(1) Directly by a tribal official(s) who has been authorized by the Indian tribe to make such requests; or

(2) By providing a copy of a formal resolution approved by the tribal council or other governing body of the Indian tribe.

(d) Requests for trees, portions of trees, and forest products made under this section must be directed to the appropriate Forest Service District Ranger(s)' Office from which the items are being requested. Tribal officials are encouraged to explain their requests to the Regional Forester or designated Forest Officer and, if necessary, describe how the request fits a traditional and cultural purpose. When an Indian tribe requests forest products located on two or more National Forests, authorized tribal officials should notify each of the affected Forest Service District Ranger's Offices of the requests made on other forests.

(e) Agency Line Officers and managers (who have been authorized by name through official Forest Service correspondence) are authorized to provide trees, portions of trees, and forest products under this section subject to the following limitations:

(1) District Rangers and Forest Officers may provide material not exceeding $25,000 in value in any one fiscal year to an Indian tribe;

(2) Forest Supervisors may provide material not exceeding $50,000 in value in any one fiscal year to an Indian tribe;

(3) Regional Foresters may provide material not exceeding $100,000 in value in any one fiscal year to an Indian tribe; and

(4) The Chief of the Forest Service may provide material exceeding $100,000 in value to an Indian tribe.

(f) A request for trees, portions of trees, or forest products under this section may be conditioned or denied for reasons including, but not limited to the following:

(1) Protecting public health and safety;

(2) Preventing interference with Forest Service and/or commercial operations;

(3) Complying with Federal and State laws and regulations;

(4) Ensuring sustainability; or

(5) Otherwise protecting National Forest System land and resources.

(g) All decisions made under this section must comply with the National Forest Management Act, relevant land management plans, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, all other applicable laws and regulations, and are subject to tribal treaty and other reserved rights and the savings provisions of the Cultural and Heritage Cooperation Authority (25 U.S.C. 3057(b)).