(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this part, the non-commercial cutting of standing timber by local rural residents for appropriate subsistence uses, such as firewood or house logs, may be permitted in park areas where subsistence uses are allowed as follows:

(1) For standing timber of diameter greater than three inches at ground height, the Superintendent may permit cutting in accordance with the specifications of a permit if such cutting is determined to be compatible with the purposes for which the park area was established; and

(2) For standing timber of diameter less than three inches at ground height, cutting is authorized unless restricted by the Superintendent.

(b) The gathering by local rural residents of fruits, berries, mushrooms, and other plant materials for subsistence uses, and the gathering of dead or downed timber for firewood for noncommercial subsistence uses, shall be allowed without a permit in park areas where subsistence uses are allowed.

(c) The gathering by local rural residents of plant materials to make handicrafts for customary trade or barter is authorized in park areas where subsistence uses are allowed in accordance with terms and conditions established by the superintendent and posted on the park Web site. The use of paid employees to collect plant materials is prohibited. This prohibition does not apply to qualified educational or cultural programs that collect plant materials to create handicrafts, provided that the resulting handicrafts are not exchanged through barter or customary trade.

(d)

(1) If you are a NPS-qualified subsistence (recipient), you may designate another NPS-qualified subsistence user to collect plants on your behalf in accordance with this section for the following purposes:

(i) Making handicrafts for personal use, customary trade, or barter; or

(ii) Making handicrafts for qualified educational or cultural programs.

(2) The designated collector must obtain a permit from the superintendent. The designated collector may not charge the recipient for his/her services or for the collected items.

(e) The superintendent may establish conditions, limits, and other restrictions on gathering activities. Violating a condition, limit, or restriction is prohibited.

(f) Notwithstanding any other provision of this part, the Superintendent, after notice and public hearing in the affected vicinity and other locations as appropriate, may temporarily close all or any portion of a park area to subsistence uses of a particular plant population. The Superintendent may make a closure under this paragraph only if necessary for reasons of public safety, administration, resource protection, protection of historic or scientific values, conservation of endangered or threatened species, or the purposes for which the park area was established, or to ensure the continued viability of the plant population. For purposes of this section, the term “temporarily” shall mean only so long as reasonably necessary to achieve the purposes of the closure.

(1) If the Superintendent determines that an emergency situation exists and that extraordinary measures must be taken for public safety or to assure the continued viability of a particular plant population, the Superintendent may immediately close all or any portion of a park area to the subsistence uses of such population. Such emergency closure shall be effective when made, shall be for a period not to exceed sixty (60) days, and may not subsequently be extended unless the Superintendent establishes, after notice and public hearing in the affected vicinity and other locations as appropriate, that such closure should be extended.

(2) Notice of administrative actions taken pursuant to this section, and the reasons justifying such actions, shall be published in at least one newspaper of general circulation within the State and at least one local newspaper if available, and information about such actions and reasons also shall be made available for broadcast on local radio stations in a manner reasonably calculated to inform local rural residents in the affected vicinity. All closures shall be designated on a map which shall be available for public inspection at the office of the Superintendent of the affected park area and the post office or postal authority of every affected community within or near the park area, or by the posting of signs in the vicinity of the restrictions, or both.

[71 FR 69333, Nov. 30, 2006, as amended at 73 FR 3185, Jan. 17, 2008; 82 FR 3633, Jan. 12, 2017]