(a) The Act of August 28, 1937 (43 U.S.C. 1181a) authorizes the sale of timber from the Revested Oregon and California Railroad and Reconveyed Coos Bay Wagon Road Grant Lands and directs that such lands shall be managed for permanent forest production and the timber thereon sold, cut and removed in conformity with the principle of sustained yield for the purpose of providing a permanent source of timber supply, protecting watersheds, regulating streamflow and contributing to the economic stability of local communities and industries, and providing recreational facilities.

(b) The Act of July 31, 1947, as amended (30 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) authorizes the disposal of timber and other vegetative resources on public lands of the United States including lands embraced within an unpatented mining claim located after July 23, 1955, if the disposal of such resources is not otherwise expressly authorized by law including, but not limited to, the Act of June 28, 1934, as amended (43 U.S.C. 315 through 315o-1) and the U.S. mining laws; is not expressly prohibited by laws of the United States; and would not be detrimental to the public interest.

(1) The Act also authorizes the United States, its permittees, and licensees to use so much of the surface of any unpatented mining claim located under the mining law of the United States after July 23, 1955, as may be necessary for access to adjacent land for the purposes of such permittees or licensees. Any authorized use of the surface of any such mining claim shall be such as not to endanger or materially interfere with prospecting, mining, or processing operations or uses reasonably incident thereto.

(2) Where the lands have been withdrawn in aid of a function of a Federal department or agency other than the Department of the Interior, or of a State county, municipality, water district, or other local governmental subdivision or agency, the Secretary of the Interior may make disposals under the regulations in this subpart only with the consent of such other Federal department or agency or of such State, or local governmental unit. The Act provides, however, that the Secretary of Agriculture shall dispose of materials if such materials are on lands administered by the Secretary of Agriculture for national forest purposes or for purposes of title III of the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act or where withdrawn for the purpose of any other function of the Department of Agriculture.

(3) The provisions of the Act in disposal of vegetative or mineral materials do not apply to lands in any national park, or national monument or to any Indian lands or lands set aside or held for the use or benefit of Indians including lands over which jurisdiction has been transferred to the Department of the Interior by Executive order for the use of Indians.

(c) The Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriation Act, 1976 (Pub. L. 94-165) prohibits the use of funds appropriated thereunder for sale of unprocessed timber from Federal lands west of the 100th meridian in the contiguous 48 States which will be exported from the United States, or which will be used as a substitute for timber from private lands which is exported by the purchaser. The law also provides that the export restriction shall not apply to specific quantities of grades and species of timber which the Secretary of the Interior determines to be surplus to domestic lumber and plywood manufacturing needs.

(d) Authority for small sales of timber for use in Alaska is contained in the Act of May 14, 1898, as amended (16 U.S.C. 615a).

(e) Authority to enforce the provisions of this title is contained in the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.).

[37 FR 22797, Oct. 25, 1972, as amended at 41 FR 12659, Mar. 26, 1976; 56 FR 10174, Mar. 11, 1991]


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