Special Forest Products

1
Special Forest Products

• Program Overview

2
What todays objectives are

• Authorities
• For disposal of timber and other forest products
• Definitions
• Special Forest Products Botanical Products
• Procedures for disposal by sale or free-use
• Planning/NEPA
• Valuation
• Contract/permit forms
• Use of Timber Information Manager (TIM)
• NEW Forest Botanical Products Program

3
What the authorities are

• 36 CFR 223
• Authority to sell timber (trees, portions of
  trees, and other forest products) (223.1)
• Provides free use to individuals primarily to aid
  in the protection and silvicultural improvement
  of the forests (223.5)
• 36 CFR 223 FSM 2467 FSH 2409.18-80
• Provide authority and guidance for disposal of
  special forest products

4
What the definitions are

• Special Forest Products include
• Non-Timber Vegetative Products
• Non-Convertible Products
• Timber products that do NOT have a common
  conversion to cubic feet of solid wood
• Some Convertible Products
• Timber products that can be measured in cubic
  feet of solid wood
• NOTE Not all convertible products are included
  in the definition for special forest products.

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What Special Forest Products include

• Non-Timber Vegetative Products
• include, but are not limited to
• Mosses Echinatia
• Fungus bryophytes Roots
• Bulbs Berries
• Seeds Wildflowers
• Beargrass Salal
• Ferns Transplants (shrubs)

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What Special Forest Products include

• Non-Convertible Timber Products include
• Christmas trees Tree sap
• Boughs Bark
• Cones Burls
• Yew Bark Transplants (trees)

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What Special Forest Products include

• The following Convertible Timber Products
• Posts Poles
• Rails Shingle Shake bolts
• Firewood Fence stays
• Vegas Mine props
• Bow staves

8
What forest botanical products include

• NON-VEGETATIVE PRODUCTS
• Mosses Echinatia
• Fungus bryophytes Roots
• Bulbs Berries
• Seeds Wildflowers
• Beargrass Salal
• Ferns Transplants (shrubs)
• NON-CONVERTIBLES
• Tree sap Bark
• Boughs Burls
• Cones Transplants (trees)
• Yew Bark Christmas trees are NOT included

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How do we dispose of Special Forest Products?

• Follow NEPA/Forest Plan requirements
• Determine proper value for each product
• Use Timber Information Manager
• Develop a product plan
• Choose proper contract or permit form
• Issue the contract/permit instrument

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What the Forest Plan and NEPA requirements
include

• FSM 2403.2 Forest Resource and Project Planning
• References to FSM 1920 1950
• FSM 2404.21c Scope of Authority RF or as
  delegated
• authority and responsibility to oversee and
  supervise the requisite environmental analysis
  and documentation pursuant to NEPA
• FSM 2431.04b Forest Supervisor
• Carefully select sale areas available to meet
  Forest plan goals and objectives
• FSM 2430.44 District Ranger
• Conduct environmental analysis necessary to
  ensure timber sales are integrated with other
  resource uses and are in compliance with the
  requirements of the Forest plan

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What the valuation requirements are

• Minimum Rates
• Establish the lowest rate for which the FS may
  sell timber, except for catastrophically
  affected timber.
• Minimum rates are
• Non-convertible products .01 per unit of
• 
  measure
• Convertible products
• High value species - 10 per CCF
• Medium value species - 6 per CCF
• Low value species - 1 per CCF

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What the valuation requirements include

• Standard Rates FSM 2431.31a
• Represent the lowest rates at which the FS may
  sell timber without a supporting appraisal
  calculation.
• Forests, Districts, or Appraisal Zones can
• set STANDARD rates
• that equal or exceed minimum rates!

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What the sale permits or contracts are

• For SALE of timber and other forest products
• 20 MINIMUM charge (FSM 2431.31c) except for
  Christmas trees (5 each)
• Permits
• FS-2400-1 Forest Products Removal Cash Receipt
• Can add appropriate resource protection
  provisions
• Contracts (ex. 2400-3T, 6T) for sales
• Over 300 in value
• Greater than 1 year in duration
• Other reasons (FSH 2409.18 Chapter 50, Section
  53.5)

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What the free-use permits are

• Authorities
• 36 CFR 223 FSM 2467 FSH 2409.18 Chapter 80
• For personal use
• FS-2400-8 Forest Products Free-Use Permit
• Can add appropriate resource protection
  provisions
• Amount of free-use allowed per individual per
  year generally 20
• References 36 CFR 223.8-10 FSM 2404

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What the Plant Collection Bioprospecting forms
are

• Permit Forms FS-2400-8, FS-2400-1
• Contract over 300 in value
• Additional Terms and Conditions required, and
  provided in
• Reference Letter USDA, FS, W.O.
• File Code 2400/2600/4000
• Date March 3, 1999
• http//fs.web.r9.fs.fed.us/departments/nr/Wildlife
  /Botany/wo_2400_2600_19990303.doc

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What about gathering of products without a permit?

• FSH 2409.18, Chapter 80, Section 87.51a
• FOR PERSONAL USE
• No permit/sale agreement for gathering small
  amounts of minor products
• Persons are expected to exercise reasonable care
  in protecting the resource from damage.
• Exercise control where necessary to prevent
  damage to resource values by destructive
  harvesting, or out-of-season harvesting.

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What the permit process is

• Timber Information Manager
• Is a software program that we utilize to issue
  forest product contract and permits.
• Requires you to enter a Forest Products Plan for
  each item you wish to sell or provide for
  free-use
• Requires a minimum charge of 20 per permit or
  contract except Christmas trees (5 each)
• TIM WEBSITE LINK http//fsweb.ftcol.wo.fs.fed.us
  /frs/tim/index.shtml

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What the Forest Botanical Products Program is

• 16 USC 528 (2003)
• Provides for a pilot program of charges and fees
  for harvest of forest botanical products.
• Pertains to the sale of botanical products
  (non-timber vegetative products and
  non-convertible products (Christmas trees
  excluded)

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What the Forest Botanical Products Program is

• FS retains fees to pay for
• Costs of conducting inventories
• Determining sustainable levels of harvest
• Monitoring assessing impacts of harvest levels
  methods
• Conducting restoration activities including
  necessary vegetation, and
• Covering costs with granting, modifying, or
  monitoring the authorization for harvest,
  including costs of any environmental or other
  analysis.

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What some of the typical botanical products
already being collected are

• Limbs/boughs
• Non-Convertibles (other than Christmas trees)
• Transplants
• Bark
• Cones-Dry
• Mosses
• Other plants

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What the collections have been as of July 31,
2005

• Chequamegon-Nicolet 17,122
• Chippewa 2,180
• Green Mountain Finger Lakes 1,389
• Hiawatha 6,144
• Monongahela
  440
• Ottawa
  3,890
• Superior
  2,830
• Wayne
  1,420
• White
  1,144

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SUMMARY

• At a MINIMUM, you have an opportunity to help
  with
• Setting standard rates
• Determining products to be offered for harvest
• Product Plan development
• Determining permit appropriateness for minor
  products for personal use
• Developing a Pilot Botanical Program for each of
  your Forests

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Questions