National Legislation
No fewer than 82 laws influence Forest Service activities on national forests (Floyd 1999). Four laws provide the main direction for managing natural resources on national forest lands. The Organic Administration Act of 1897 initiated the practice of forest management on the national forests and directs that forests be established to improve and protect the resources to secure water, and to provide a continuous supply of timber. More than 30 years later, the Multiple-Use Sustained Yield Act (MUSYA) authorized the Secretary of Agriculture to manage the national forests to ensure multiple-use and sustained yield of the renewable resources. MUSYA expanded the management objectives for the national forests to include outdoor recreation, range, watersheds, and fish and wildlife.
The Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act (RPA) of 1974 institutionalized land and resource management planning in the Forest Service. The legislation requires the Secretary to prescribe land and resource management planning regulations that incorporate standards and guidelines, which are fully integrated into each national forest management plan. In particular, the legislation directs that plans address recreation and wilderness, range, timber, watershed, and fish and wildlife. The RPA was amended in 1976 by the National Forest Management Act (NFMA) to provide additional statutory direction on preparation and revision of land and resources management plans (LRMPs).
The NFMA restated that LRMPs (a.k.a., forest plans) include coordination of outdoor recreation, range, timber, watershed, fish and wildlife, and wilderness (NFMA 1976, section 6 (c)(1)). Forest plans determine forest management systems, harvesting levels, and procedures in light of all of the uses set forth in subsection (c)(1) (NFMA 1976, section 6(c)(2)). The plans provide management direction through a combination of activities for the use and protection of the natural resources within the bounds of the national legislation. To accomplish this, forest plans: 1) establish goals and objectives for a 10-15 year period, 2) prescribe standards and guidelines, prescriptions, resources needed, and 3) monitor and evaluate the impact of management activities (White Mountain National Forest LRMP 1986). The law also directs that plans be revised every 10-15 years, depending on the local situation.
Two other national policies could affect NTFPs harvesting. The Endangered Species Act (ESA) was created to prevent the extinction of plants by providing measures to stop species and habitat loss. The ESA prohibits activities that might endanger species listed as endangered, unless authorized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) is designed to ensure that commercial demand for plants (and animals) does not threaten their survival. The Office of Management Authority of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service administers this international agreement for the United States. More information is available for both ESA and CITES from the Fish and Wildlife Service International Affairs website (http://international.fws.gov/).
References
Encyclopedia ID: p1879
