Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 58 Part 1.djvu/152

 PUBLIC LAWS-OHS. 144, 146-MAR. 29, 1944 "(c) As used in this joint resolution the term 'United States' means the several States, the District of Columbia, the Territories, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands." Approved March 29, 1944. AN ACT [CHAPTER 146] March 29, 1944 i[. 250] [Public Law 273] Cooperative sus- tained-yield forest management. Agreements with private landowners. Nonoompetltive purchases of forest . products. Limitation on har- o. 8Mer Protection f land- ower tnt.a To promote sustained-yield forest management in order thereby (a) to stabilize communities, forest industries, employment, and taxable forest wealth; (b) to assure a continuous and ample supply of forest products; and (c) to secure the benefits of forests in regulation of water supply and stream flow, prevention of soil erosion, amelioration of climate, and preservation of wildlife. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congressassembled, That in order to pro- mote the stability of forest industries, of employment, of communities, and of taxable forest wealth, through continuous supplies of timber; in order to provide for a continuous and ample supply of forest prod- ucts; and in order to secure the benefits of forests in maintenance of water supply, regulation of stream flow, prevention of soil erosion, amelioration of climate, and preservation of wildlife, the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior are severally authorized to establish by formal declaration, when in their respective judgments such action would be in the public interest, cooperative sustained-yield units which shall consist of federally owned or administered forest land under the jurisdiction of the Secretary establishing the unit and, in addition thereto, land which reasonably may be expected to be made the subject of one or moresof the cooperative agreements with private landowners authorized by section 2 of this Act. SEC. 2. The Secretary of Agriculture, with respect to forest land under his jurisdiction, and the Secretary of the Interior, with respect to forest land under his jurisdiction, are severally authorized, for the purposes specified in section 1 of this Act, to enter into cooperative agreements with private owners of forest land within a cooperative sustained-yield unit, established pursuant to section 1 of this Act, providing for the coordinated management of such private forest land and of federally owned or administered forest lands within the sustained-yield unit involved. Each cooperative agreement may give the cooperating private land- owner the privilege of purchasing without competitive bidding at prices not less than their appraised value, subject to periodic readjust- ments of stumpage rates and to such other conditions and requirements as the Secretary may prescribe, timber and other forest products from federally owned or administered forest land within the unit, in accord- ance with the provisions of sustained-yield management plans formu- lated or approved by the Secretary for the unit; shall limit the time, rate, and method of cutting or otherwise harvesting timber and other forest products from the land of the cooperating private landowner, due consideration being given to the character and condition of the timber, to the relation of the proposed cutting to the sustained-yield plan for the unit, and to the productive capacity of the land; shall pre- scribe the terms and conditions, but not the price, upon which the cooperating private landowner may sell to any person timber and other forest products from his land, compliance by the purchaser with such conditions to be required by the contract of sale; shall con- tain such provisions as the Secretary deems necessary to protect the reasonable interest of other owners of forest land within the unit; and shall contain such other provisions as the Secretary believes neces- sary to carry out the purposes of this Act. "United States." [58 STAT.

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