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§ 527. Use of Forest Service funds for administration of certain lands. The Forest Service may expend funds available for national forest protection and management for the administration of lands under contract for purchase or for the acquisition of which condemnation proceedings have been instituted under sections 471, 499, 505, 521, 564-570 of this title, and lands transferred to the Forest Service for administration. (Sept. 21, 1944, ch. 412, title II, § 211, 58 Stat. 737.)

FOREST PROTECTION; FOREST SERVICE; REFORESTATION

§ 551. Protection of national forests; rules and regulations.— The Secretary of Agriculture shall make provisions for the protection against destruction by fire and depredations upon the public forests and national forests which may have been set aside or which may be hereafter set aside under the provisions of section 471 of this title, and which may be continued; and he may make such rules and regulations and establish such service as will insure the objects of such reservations, namely, to regulate their occupancy and use and to preserve the forests thereon from destruction; and any violation of the provisions of sections 473-482 of this title or such rules and regulation shall be punished as is provided for in section 104 of title 18. (June 4, 1897, ch. 2, § 1, 30 Stat. 35; Feb. 1, 1905, ch. 288, § 1, 33 Stat. 628.)

§ 552. Consent to agreement by States for conservation of forests and water supply.-Consent of the Congress of the United States is given to each of the several States of the Union to enter into any agreement or compact, not in conflict with any law of the United States, with any other State or States for the purpose of conserving the forests and the water supply of the States entering into such agreement or compact. (Mar. 1, 1911, ch. 186, § 1, 36 Stat. 961.)

§ 552a. Reservation of forest lands for protection of municipal water supplies.-Whenever a municipality obtains its water supply from a national forest and has entered into a cooperative agreement with the Secretary of Agriculture for the protection of the watershed within the national forest from which the water is secured, the President of the United States may, and he is hereby, authorized, upon application by said muncipality, and endorsed by the governing board of the county or counties in which the lands concerned are located and approved by the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior, to reserve and set aside from all forms of location, entry, or appropriation any nationalforest lands, which are covered by such cooperative agreement, subject, however, to valid, existing rights and claims, and such reservation shall remain in force until revoked by the President or by an Act of Congress: Provided, That nothing herein shall affect the power of the Secretary of the Interior to withdraw and utilize withdrawn lands under the Federal reclamation laws: And provided further, That the President, upon recommendation of the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture, may, by Executive order, when in his judgment the public interest would best

be served thereby and after reasonable notice has been given through the Department of the Interior, restore any of the lands so withdrawn to appropriation under an applicable public-land law. (May 28, 1940, ch. 220, § 1, 54 Stat. 224.)

§ 552b. Same; administration of lands; rules and regulations.— Lands withdrawn under the provisions of sections 552a-552d of this title shall be administered by the Secretary of Agriculture under such agreements for the protection of the watershed as he may make with the municipality concerned, and the Secretary of Agriculture is hereby authorized, in addition to the rules and regulations adopted for the administration of the national forests, to adopt and prescribe such further rules and regulations as he considers necessary to effect the adequate protection of the watershed, including a rule or regulation forbidding persons other than forest officers and representatives of the municipality from going on the lands so reserved or making any use whatever thereof. (May 28, 1940, ch. 220, § 2, 54 Stat. 224.)

§ 552c. Same; reimbursement of United States for loss of revenue. Whenever national-forest lands are withdrawn under sections 552a-552d of this title, and the municipality concerned objects to the utilization of the timber or other resources of lands withdrawn, and the Secretary of Agriculture agrees to withhold such resources from utilization, said municipality_shall pay to the Forest Service annually an amount which the Secretary of Agriculture shall determine is necessary to reimburse the United States for the loss of net annual revenues which would be derived from the resources so withheld from disposition. (May 28, 1940, ch. 220, § 3, 54 Stat. 225.)

§ 552d. Same; punishment of violations of regulations.-Any violation of the regulations issued under sections 552a-552d of this title shall be punished as is provided in section 104 of Title 18. (May 28, 1940, ch. 220, § 4, 54 Stat. 225.)

§ 553. Duties of officials of Forest Service; stock laws; protection of fish and game.-Officials of the Forest Service designated by the Secretary of Agriculure shall, in all ways that are practicable, aid in the enforcement of the laws of the States or Territories with regard to stock, for the prevention and extinguishment of forest fires, and for the protection of fish and game, and with respect to national forests, shall aid the other Federal bureaus and departments on request from them, in the performance of the duties imposed on them by law. (May 23, 1908, ch. 192, 35 Stat. 259.)

TRANSFER OF FUNCTIONS

Functions of Secretary of Agriculture relating to conservation of wildlife, game, and migratory birds were transferred to Secretary of Interior by Reorg. Plan No. II, § 4 (f), eff. July 1, 1939, 4 Fed. Reg. 2731, 53 Stat. 1433, set out in note under section 133t of Title 5, Executive Departments and Government Officers and Employees.

§ 554. Forest supervisors and rangers.-Forest supervisors and rangers shall be selected, when practicable, from qualified citizens of the States or Territories in which the national forests, respectively, are situated. (Feb. 1, 1905, ch. 288, § 3, 33 Stat. 628.)

§ 554a. Employees to be appointed without regard to political affiliations.-Forest inspectors, superintendents, supervisors, surveyors, rangers, and fire patrol are to be hereafter appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture wholly with reference to their fitness and without regard for their political affiliations. (July 7, 1898, ch. 571, § 1, 30 Stat. 673; Feb. 1, 1905, ch. 288, § 1, 33 Stat. 628.)

TRANSFER OF FUNCTIONS

The forest preserves were transferred from Secretary of the Interior to Secretary of Agriculture by act February 1, 1905, cited to text.

§ 554b. Medical care for employees engaged in hazardous work. -Appropriations for the Forest Service shall be available for medical supplies and services and other assistance necessary for the immediate relief of artisans, laborers, and other employees engaged in any hazardous work under the Forest Service. (Sept. 21, 1944, ch. 412, title II, § 202, 58 Stat. 736.)

CODIFICATION

This section was enacted as a part of the Department of Agriculture Organic Act of 1944.

§ 554c. Care of employees' graves.-Appropriations for the Forest Service shall be available within such limitations as may be prescribed therein for the expenses of properly caring for the graves of persons who have lost their lives as a result of fighting fires while employed by the Forest Service. (Sept. 21, 1944, ch. 412, title II, § 206, 58 Stat. 736.)

CODIFICATION

This section was enacted as a part of the Department of Agriculture Organic Act of 1944.

§ 555. Forest headquarters and ranger stations. Where no suitable Government land is available for national forest headquarters or ranger stations, the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to purchase such lands out of any funds appropriated for building improvements on the national forests, but not more than $2,500 shall be so expended in any one year; and to accept donations of land for any national forest purpose. (Mar. 3, 1925, ch. 457, § 5, 43 Stat. 1133.)

§ 556. Appropriations for Forest Service; use for transportation or traveling expenses; preparation or publication of newspaper or magazine articles. No part of any funds appropriated for the Forest Service shall be used to pay the transportation or traveling expenses of any forest officer or agent except he be traveling on business directly connected with the Forest Service and in furtherance of the works, aims, and objects specified and authorized by law; nor shall any such funds be paid or used for the purpose of paying for, in whole or in part, the preparation or publication of any newspaper or magazine article, but this shall not prevent the giving out to all persons, without discrimination, including newspapers and magazine writers and publishers, of any facts or official information of value to the public. (May 11, 1922, ch. 185, 42 Stat. 521.)

§ 557. Employees of Forest Service; subsistence furnished to; personal equipment; supplies, and medical attention.-The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to furnish subsistence to employees of the Forest Service, to purchase personal equipment and supplies for them, and to make deductions therefor from moneys appropriated for salary payments or otherwise due such employees. He is also authorized, in his discretion, to provide out of moneys appropriated for the general expenses of the Forest Service medical attention for employees of the Forest Service located at isolated situations, including the moving of such employees to hospitals or other places where medical assistance is available, and in case of death to remove the bodies of deceased employees to the nearest place where they can be prepared for shipment or for burial. (Mar. 3, 1925, ch. 457, §§ 4, 6, 43 Stat. 1133.)

§ 557a. Field season contracts; authority to make prior to appropriation. The Secretary of Agriculture is hereafter authorized, in connection with the administration of the national forests, to enter into contracts for the procurement of services, materials, and supplies for the ensuing fiscal year, prior to the passage of an appropriation therefor: Provided, That such contracts shall aliquot the cost for such service by fiscal years and shall not be binding on the United States as to that part for the ensuing year unless and until an appropriation applicable to the payment thereof is made: And provided further, That all such contracts shall by their terms provide that the obligation of the United States is contingent upon the passage of an applicable appropriation and that no payment thereunder will be made until such appropriation becomes available for expenditure. (June 30, 1932, ch. 331, 47 Stat. 473.)

§ 558. Leaves of absence to employees of Forest Service in Alaska.-Employees of the Forest Service who are assigned to permanent duty in Alaska may, in the discretion of the Secretary of Agriculture, without additional expense to the Government, be granted leave of absence not to exceed thirty days in any one year, which leave may, in exceptional and meritorious cases, where such an employee is ill, be extended in the discretion of the Secretary of Agriculture, not to exceed thirty days additional in any one year. (Mar. 4, 1913, ch. 145, 37 Stat. 843.)

CROSS REFERENCES

Leave of absence of employee of Department of Agriculture in Alaska, see section 535 of Title 5, Executive Departments and Government Officers and Employees.

Reduction of annual leave of Government employees not to apply to employees in Alaska, see section 30a of Title 5, Executive Departments and Government Officers and Employees.

§ 559. Arrests for violations of laws and regulations by employees of Forest Service. All persons employed in the Forest Service of the United States shall have authority to make arrests for the violation of the laws and regulations relating to the national forests and national parks, and any person so arrested shall be taken before the nearest United States commissioner, within whose jurisdiction the forest or national park is located, for trial;

and upon sworn information by any competent person any United States commissioner in the proper jurisdiction shall issue process for the arrest of any person charged with the violation of said laws and regulations; but nothing herein contained shall be construed as preventing the arrest by any officer of the United States, without process, of any person taken in the act of violating said laws and regulations. (Mar. 1905, ch. 1405, 33 Stat. 873.)

§ 559a. Reward for information leading to arrest and conviction for violating laws and regulations.-The Secretary of Agriculture may pay rewards from appropriations available for the protection and management of the national forests, under such regulations as he may prescribe, for information leading to the arrest and conviction for violation of the laws and regulations relating to fires in or near national forests, or for the unlawful taking of, or injury to, Government property. (Sept. 21, 1944, ch. 412, title II, § 201, 58 Stat. 736.)

CODIFICATION

This section was enacted as a part of the Department of Agriculture Organic Act of 1944.

§ 560. Use of timber for telephone lines for fire protection.The Secretary of Agriculture, whenever he may deem it necessary for the protection of the national forests from fire, may permit the use of timber free of charge for the construction of telephone lines. (Mar. 4, 1913, ch. 145, 37 Stat. 843.)

§ 562. Forest experiment station in California.-In order to determine and demonstrate the best methods for the conservative management of forest and forest lands and the protection of timber and other forest products, the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized and directed (1) to establish and maintain, in cooperation with the State of California and with the surrounding States, a forest experimental station at such place or places as he may determine to be most suitable, and (2) to conduct, independently or in cooperation with other branches of the Federal Government, the States, universities, colleges, county and municipal agencies, business organizations, and individuals, such silvicultural, dendrological, forest fire, economic, and other experiments and investigations as may be necessary. (Mar. 3, 1925, ch. 424, § 1, 43 Stat. 1108.)

§ 562a. Forest experiment station in Ohio and Mississippi Valleys. The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to establish and maintain a forest experiment station in the States of the Ohio Valley and central Mississippi Valley, at such a place or places as may be selected by him, and he is hereby authorized and directed to conduct silvicultural, forest-fire, dendrological, and other experiments and investigations, independently or in cooperation with other branches of the Federal Government, and with States, universities, colleges, county and municipal agencies, associations, and individuals, to determine the best methods for the growing, management, and protection of timber crops on forest lands and farm wood lots. Such annual appropriations as may thereafter be necessary for its maintenance and operation are hereby authorized. (July 3, 1926, ch. 767, §§ 1, 2, 44 Stat. 838.)

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