Page images
PDF
EPUB

[H. R. 10877]

An Act Authorizing appropriations to be expended under the provisions of sections 4 to 14 of the Act of March 1, 1911, entitled "An Act to enable any State to cooperate with any other State or States, or with the United States, for the protection of the watersheds of navigable streams, and to appoint a commission for the acquisition of lands for the purpose of conserving the navigability of navigable rivers," as amended.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That there is hereby authorized to be appropriated, out of any money in the United States Treasury not otherwise appropriated, to be expended under the provisions of sections 4 to 14 of the Act of March 1, 1911 (United States Code, title 16, sections 513 to 521), as amended by the Acts of March 4, 1913 (United States Code, title 16, section 518), June 30, 1914 (United States Code, title 16, section 500), and June 7. 1924 (United States Code, title 16, section 570), not to exceed $3,000,000 for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1981, and not to exceed $3,000,000 for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1932.

Approved, June 2, 1930.

(6)

[S. 3521]

AN ACT

To facilitate purchases of forest lands under the Act approved March 1, 1911.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That to allow and facilitate the purchase of forest lands under the provisions of the Act approved March 1, 1911 (36 Stat. 961; U.S.C., title 16, secs. 613-5211), in States which desire that such purchases shall be made but cannot give their formal consent thereto until the next meeting of their legislative bodies, it is hereby provided that a written statement of consent signed by the Governor of the State prior to January 1, 1935, and containing the certification that a majority of the individual members of the current State legislative body have expressed in writing to the Governor their concurrence in and approval of such statement of consent shall be regarded as fully complying with and satisfying the requirements of that part of section 7 of said Act of March 1, 1911, which provides that no deed or other instrument of conveyance shall be accepted or approved by the Secretary of Agriculture under said Act until the legislature of the State in which the land lies shall have consented to the acquisition of said land by the United States.

Approved, June 14, 1934.

1 So in original

(7).

[H. R. 4830.]

An Act To provide for the protection of forest lands, for the reforestation of denuded areas, for the extension of national forests, and for other purposes, in order to promote the continuous production of timber on lands chiefly suitable therefor

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of Agriculture is hereby authorized and directed, in cooperation with appropriate officials of the various States or other suitable agencies, to recommend for each forest region of the United States such systems of forest fire prevention and suppression as will adequately protect the timbered and cut-over lands therein with a view to the protection of forest and water resources and the continuous production of timber on lands chiefly suitable therefor.

SEC. 2. That if the Secretary of Agriculture shall find that the system and practice of forest fire prevention and suppression provided by any State substantially promotes the objects described in the foregoing section, he is hereby authorized and directed, under such conditions as he may determine to be fair and equitable in each State, to cooperate with appropriate officials of each State, and through them with private and other agencies therein, in the protection of timbered and forest-producing lands from fire. In no case other than for preliminary investigations shall the amount expended by the Federal Government in any State during any fiscal year, under this section, exceed the amount expended by the State for the same purpose during the same fiscal year, including the expenditures of forest owners or operators which are required by State law or which are made in pursuance of the forest protection system of the State under State supervision and for which in all cases the State renders satisfactory accounting. In the cooperation extended to the several States due consideration shall be given to the protection of watersheds of navigable streams, but such cooperation may, in the discretion of the Secretary of Agriculture, be extended to any timbered or forest producing lands within the cooperating States.

SEC. 3. That the Secretary of Agriculture shall expend such portions of the appropriations authorized herein as he deems advisable to study the effects of tax laws, methods, and practices upon forest perpetuation, to cooperate with appropriate officials of the various States or other suitable agencies in such investigations and in devising tax laws designed to encourage the conservation and growing of timber, and to investigate and promote practical methods of insuring standing timber on growing forests from losses by fire and other causes. There is hereby authorized to be appropriated annually, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, not more than $2,500,000, to enable the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out the provisions of sections 1, 2, and 3 of this Act.

SEC. 4. That the Secretary of Agriculture is hereby authorized and directed to cooperate with the various States in the procurement, production, and distribution of forest-tree seeds and plants, for the purpose of establising wind breaks, shelter belts, and farm wood lots upon denuded or nonforested lands within such cooperating States, under such conditions and requirements as he may prescribe to the end that forest-tree seeds or plants so procured, produced, or distributed shall be used effectively for planting denuded or nonforested lands in the cooperating States and growing_timber thereon: Provided, That the amount expended by the Federal Government in cooperation with any State during any fiscal year for such purposes shall not exceed the amount expended by the State for the same purposes during the same fiscal year. There is hereby authorized to be appropriated annually, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, not more than $100,000, to enable the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out the provisions of this section.

SEC. 5. That the Secretary of Agriculture is hereby authorized and directed, in cooperation with appropriate officials of the various States or, in his discretion, with other suitable agencies, to assist the owners of farms in establishing, improving, and renewing woodlots, shelter belts, windbreaks, and other valuable forest growth, and in growing and renewing useful timber crops: Provided, That, except for preliminary investigations, the amount expended by the Federal Government under this section in cooperation with any State or other cooperating agency during any fiscal year shall not exceed the amount expended by the State or other cooperating agency for the same purpose during the same fiscal year. There is hereby authorized to be appropriated annually out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, not more than $100,000 to enable the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out the provisions of this section.

SEC. 6. That section 6 of the Act of March 1, 1911 (Thirty-sixth Statutes at Large, page 961), is hereby amended to authorize and direct the Secretary of Agriculture to examine, locate and recommend for purchase such forested, cut-over or denuded lands within the watersheds of navigable streams as in his judgment may be necessary to the regulation of the flow of navigable streams or for the production of timber and to report to the National Forest Reservation Commission the results of such examination; but before any lands are purchased by the commission said lands shall be examined by the Secretary of Agriculture, in cooperation with the Director of the Geological Survey, and a report made by them to the commission showing that the control of such lands by the Federal Government will promote or protect the navigation of streams or by the Secretary of Agriculture showing that such control will promote the production of timber thereon.

SEC. 7. That to enable owners of lands chiefly valuable for the growing of timber crops to donate or devise such lands to the United States in order to assure future timber supplies for the agricultural and other industries of the State or for other national forest purposes, the Secretary of Agriculture is hereby authorized, in his discretion, to accept on behalf of the United States title to any such land so donated or devised, subject to such reservations by the donor of the

present stand of merchantable timber or of mineral or other rights for a period not exceeding twenty years as the Secretary of Agriculture may find to be reasonable and not detrimental to the purposes of this section, and to pay out of any moneys appropriated for the general expenses of the Forest Service the cost of recording deeds or other expenses incident to the examination and acceptance of title. Any lands to which title is so accepted shall be in units of such size or so located as to be capable of economical administration as national forests either separately or jointly with other lands acquired under this section, or jointly with an existing national forest. All lands to which title is accepted under this section shall, upon acceptance of title, become national forest lands, subject to all laws applicable to lands acquired under the Act of March 1, 1911 (Thirtysixth Statutes at Large, page 961), and amendments thereto. In the sale of timber from national forest lands acquired under this section preference shall be given to applicants who will furnish the products desired therefrom to meet the necessities of citizens of the United States engaged in agriculture in the States in which such national forest is situated: Provided, That all property, rights, easements, and benefits authorized by this section to be retained by or reserved to owners of lands donated or devised to the United States shall be subject to the tax laws of the States where such lands are located.

SEC. 8. That the Secretary of Agriculture is hereby authorized to ascertain and determine the location of public lands chiefly valuable for stream-flow protection or for timber production, which can be economically administered as parts of national forests, and to report his findings to the National Forest Reservation Commission established under the Act of March 1, 1911 (Thirty-sixth Statutes at Large, page 961), and if the commission shall determine that the administration of said lands by the Federal Government will protect the flow of streams used for navigation or for irrigation, or will promote a future timber supply, the President shall lay the findings of the commission before the Congress of the United States.

SEC. 9. That the President, in his discretion, is hereby authorized to establish as national forests, or parts thereof, any lands within the boundaries of Government reservations, other than national parks, reservations for phosphate and other mineral deposits or water-power purposes, national monuments, and Indian reservations, which in the opinion of the Secretary of the department now administering the area and the Secretary of Agriculture are suitable for the production of timber, to be administered by the Secretary of Agriculture under such rules and regulations and in accordance with such general plans as may be jointly approved by the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary formerly administering the area, for the use and occupation of such lands and for the sale of products therefrom. That where such national forest is established on land previously reserved for the Army or Navy for purposes of national defense the land shall remain subject to the unhampered use of the War or Navy Department for said purposes, and nothing in this section shall be construed to relinquish the authority over such lands for purposes of national defense now vested in the Department for which the lands were formerly reserved. Any moneys available for the maintenance, improvement, protection, construction of

« PreviousContinue »