25 C.F.R. § 163.1

Current through October 31, 2024
Section 163.1 - Definitions

Advance deposits means, in Timber Contract for the Sale of Estimated Volumes, contract-required deposits in advance of cutting which the purchaser furnishes to maintain an operating balance against which the value of timber to be cut will be charged.

Advance payments means, in Timber Contract for the Sale of Estimated Volumes, non-refundable partial payments of the estimated value of the timber to be cut. Payments are furnished within 30 days of contract approval and prior to cutting. Advance payments are normally 25 percent of the estimated value of the forest products on each allotment. Advance payments may be required for tribal land.

Alaska Native means native as defined in section 3(b) of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of December 18, 1971 (43 U.S.C. 1604 ).

ANCSA corporation means both profit and non-profit corporations established pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1604 ).

Approval means authorization by the Secretary, Area Director, Superintendent, tribe or individual Indian in accordance with appropriate delegations of authority.

Approving officer means the officer approving instruments of sale for forest products or his/her authorized representative.

Authorized representative means an individual or entity duly empowered to make decisions under a direct, clear, and specific delegation of authority.

Authorized tribal representative means an individual or entity duly empowered to make decisions under a direct, clear, and specific delegation of authority from an Indian tribe.

Beneficial owner means an individual or entity who holds an ownership interest in Indian land.

Bid deposit means, in Timber Contract for the Sale of Estimated Volumes or in Timber Contract for the Sale of Predetermined Volumes, a deposit with bid furnished by prospective purchasers. At contract execution, the bid deposit of the successful bidder becomes a portion of the contract required advance deposit in estimated volume contracts or an installment payment in predetermined volume contracts.

Commercial forest land means forest land that is producing or capable of producing crops of marketable forest products and is administratively available for intensive management and sustained production.

Expenditure plan means a written agreement between an Indian tribe and the Secretary documenting tribal commitment to undertake specified forest land management activities within general time frames.

Forest or forest land means an ecosystem at least one acre in size, including timberland and woodland, which: Is characterized by a more or less dense and extensive tree cover; contains, or once contained, at least ten percent tree crown cover, and is not developed or planned for exclusive non-forest resource use.

Forest land management activities means all activities performed in the management of Indian forest land including:

(a) All aspects of program administration and executive direction such as:
(1) Development and maintenance of policy and operational procedures, program oversight, and evaluation;
(2) Securing of legal assistance and handling of legal matters;
(3) Budget, finance, and personnel management; and
(4) Development and maintenance of necessary data bases and program reports.
(b) All aspects of the development, preparation and revision of forest inventory and management plans, including aerial photography, mapping, field management inventories and re- inventories, inventory analysis, growth studies, allowable annual cut calculations, environmental assessment, and forest history, consistent with and reflective of tribal integrated resource management plans where such plans exist.
(c) Forest land development, including forestation, thinning, tree improvement activities, and the use of silvicultural treatments to restore or increase growth and yield to the full productive capacity of the forest environment.
(d) Protection against losses from wildfire, including acquisition and maintenance of fire fighting equipment and fire detection systems, construction of fire breaks, hazard reduction, prescribed burning, and the development of cooperative wildfire management agreements.
(e) Protection against insects and disease, including:
(1) All aspects of detection and evaluation;
(2) Preparation of project proposals containing project descriptions, environmental assessments and statements, and cost- benefit analyses necessary to secure funding;
(3) Field suppression operations and reporting.
(f) Assessment of damage caused by forest trespass, infestation or fire, including field examination and survey, damage appraisal, investigation assistance and report, demand letter, and testimony preparation.
(g) All aspects of the preparation, administration, and supervision of timber sale contracts, paid and free use permits, and other Indian forest product harvest sale documents, including;
(1) Cruising, product marketing, silvicultural prescription, appraisal and harvest supervision;
(2) Forest product marketing assistance, including evaluation of marketing and development opportunities related to Indian forest products and consultation and advice to tribes, tribal and Indian enterprises on maximization of return on forest products;
(3) Archeological, historical, environmental and other land management reviews, clearances, and analyses;
(4) Advertising, executing, and supervising contracts;
(5) Marking and scaling of timber; and
(6) Collecting, recording and distributing receipts from sales.
(h) Provision of financial assistance for the education of Indians and Alaska Natives enrolled in accredited programs of postsecondary and postgraduate forestry and forestry-related fields of study, including the provision of scholarships, internships, relocation assistance, and other forms of assistance to cover educational expenses.
(i) Participation in the development and implementation of tribal integrated resource management plans, including activities to coordinate current and future multiple uses of Indian forest lands.
(j) Improvement and maintenance of extended season primary and secondary Indian forest land road systems.
(k) Research activities to improve the basis for determining appropriate management measures to apply to Indian forest land.

Forest management deduction means a percentage of the gross proceeds from the sales of forest products harvested from Indian land which is collected by the Secretary pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 413 to cover in whole or in part the cost of managing and protecting such Indian forest lands.

Forest management plan means the principal document, approved by the Secretary, reflecting and consistent with an integrated resource management plan, which provides for the regulation of the detailed, multiple-use operation of Indian forest land by methods ensuring that such lands remain in a continuously productive state while meeting the objectives of the tribe and which shall include: Standards setting forth the funding and staffing requirements necessary to carry out each management plan, with a report of current forestry funding and staffing levels; and standards providing quantitative criteria to evaluate performance against the objectives set forth in the plan.

Forest products means marketable products extracted from Indian forests, such as: Timber; timber products, including lumber, lath, crating, ties, bolts, logs, pulpwood, fuelwood, posts, poles, and split products; bark; Christmas trees, stays, branches, firewood, berries, mosses, pinyon nuts, roots, acorns, syrups, wild rice, mushrooms, and herbs; other marketable material; and gravel which is extracted from, and utilized on, Indian forest land.

Forestry-related field or forestry-related curriculum means a renewable natural resource management field necessary to manage Indian forest land and other professionally recognized fields as approved by the education committee established pursuant to § 163.40(a)(1) .

Forest resources means all the benefits derived from Indian forest land, including forest products, soil productivity, water, fisheries, wildlife, recreation, and aesthetic or other traditional values of Indian forest land.

Forester intern means an Indian or Alaska Native who: Is employed as a forestry or forestry-related technician with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, an Indian tribe, or tribal forest-related enterprise; is acquiring necessary academic qualifications to become a forester or a professional trained in forestry-related fields; and is appointed to one of the Forester Intern positions established pursuant to § 163.40(b) .

Indian means a member of an Indian tribe.

Indian enterprise means an enterprise which is designated as such by the Secretary or tribe.

Indian forest land means Indian land, including commercial, non-commercial, productive and non-productive timberland and woodland, that are considered chiefly valuable for the production of forest products or to maintain watershed or other land values enhanced by a forest cover, regardless of whether a formal inspection and land classification action has been taken.

Indian land means land title which is held by: The United States in trust for an Indian, an individual of Indian or Alaska Native ancestry who is not a member of a federally-recognized Indian tribe, or an Indian tribe; or by an Indian, an individual of Indian or Alaska Native ancestry who is not a member of a federally recognized tribe, or an Indian tribe subject to a restriction by the United States against alienation.

Indian tribe or tribe means any Indian tribe, band, nation, rancheria, Pueblo or other organized group or community which is recognized as eligible for the special programs and services provided by the United States to Indians because of their status as Indians and shall mean, where appropriate, the recognized tribal government of such tribe's reservation.

Installment payments means, in Timber Contract for the Sale of Predetermined Volumes, scheduled partial payments of the total contract value based on purchaser bid. Payments made are normally not refundable.

Integrated resource management plan means a document, approved by an Indian tribe and the Secretary, which provides coordination for the comprehensive management of the natural resources of such tribe's reservation.

Noncommercial forest land means forest land that is available for extensive management, but is incapable of producing sustainable forest products within the general rotation period. Such land may be economically harvested, but the site quality does not warrant significant investment to enhance future crops.

Productive forest land means forest land producing or capable of producing marketable forest products that is unavailable for harvest because of administrative restrictions or because access is not practical.

Reservation means an Indian reservation established pursuant to treaties, Acts of Congress, or Executive Orders and public domain Indian allotments, Alaska Native allotments, rancherias, and former Indian reservations in Oklahoma.

Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior or his or her authorized representative.

Stumpage rate means the stumpage value per unit of measure for a forest product.

Stumpage value means the value of a forest product prior to extraction from Indian forest land.

Sustained yield means the yield of forest products that a forest can produce continuously at a given intensity of management.

Timberland means forest land stocked, or capable of being stocked, with tree species that are regionally utilized for lumber, pulpwood, poles or veneer products.

Trespass means the removal of forest products from, or damaging forest products on, Indian forest land, except when authorized by law and applicable federal or tribal regulations. Trespass can include any damage to forest resources on Indian forest land resulting from activities under contracts or permits or from fire.

Tribal forest enterprise means an Indian enterprise that is initiated and organized by a reservation's recognized tribal government.

Unproductive forest land means forest land that is not producing or capable of producing marketable forest products and is also unavailable for harvest because of administrative restrictions or because access is not practical.

Woodland means forest land not included within the timberland classification, stocked, or capable of being stocked, with tree species of such form and size to produce forest products that are generally marketable within the region for products other than lumber, pulpwood, or veneer.

25 C.F.R. §163.1