Authorities

The Forest Service Tribal Relations Program is directed by a number of policies, executive orders, and statutes.

U.S. Forest Service

• FSH 1509.13 - Tribal Relations Handbook, Chapter 10 - Consultation with Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Corporations (PDF, 458 KB)
• FSM 1500 - External Relations, Chapter 1560 - State, Tribal, County, and Local Agencies; Public and Private Organizations (PDF, 1.1 MB)

U.S. Department of Agriculture

• USDA Departmental Regulation on Consultation (PDF, 110 KB)
• Departmental Regulation 1350-001, September 11, 2008 (PDF, 39 KB)
• Departmental Regulation 1340-007, March 14, 2008 (PDF, 597 KB)

Topic-Specific

Tribal Forest Protection Act

• FSH 2409.19 - Renewable Resources Handbook, Chapter 60 - Stewardship Contracting, Amendment No. 22409.19-2016-1 (.doc, 219 KB)
• USDA Forest Service Tribal Forest Protection Act (TFPA) Briefing Paper (PDF, 75 KB)
• Tribal Forest Protection Act Frequently Asked Questions (PDF, 15 KB)

Indian Tribal Energy Development and Self-Determination Act Amendments of 2017, Public Law 115-325, “Indian Energy Act”

This Act (section 202) amends the Tribal Forest Protection Act of 2004 to direct the Department of the Interior, for land under Bureau of Land Management jurisdiction, and the Department of Agriculture (USDA), for land under Forest Service jurisdiction, to enter into agreements with Tribes to carry out demonstration projects to promote biomass energy production on Indian forest land and in nearby communities by providing them with reliable supplies of woody biomass from federal lands. Interior and USDA must enter into agreements with tribal organizations to carry out additional biomass demonstration projects.

• The Indian Energy Act (PDF, 230 KB)
• Section 202, Tribal and Alaska Native Biomass Demonstration Projects (PDF, 132 KB)

The Farm Bill

Law

• Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-334) ("2018 Farm Bill")
• Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-234, "The Farm Bill")
  • Section 8003 (Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program) (PDF, 17 KB)
  • Sections 8101 to 8107 (Subtitle B - Cultural and Heritage Cooperation Authority) (PDF, 28 KB)

Policy

• Forest Service Manual (FSM) 1500, External Relations, Chapter 1560, State, Tribal, County, and Local Agencies; Public and Private Organizations; Interim Directive No. 1560-2010-1 (.doc, 102 KB) - interim directive for implementing Sections 8103 and 8106 of the “2008 Farm Bill” regarding reburial sites on National Forest System land, reburial, and prohibition on disclosure.
• United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service 36 CFR Part 261, Prohibitions in Areas Designated by Order; Closure of National Forest System Lands To Protect Privacy of Tribal Activities - final rule implementing Sections 8102 and 8104 of the “2008 Farm Bill”.
• Forest Service Handbook (FSH), FSH 2409.18 – Timber Sale Preparation Handbook, Chapter 80 – Use of Timber Other than Commercial Timber Sales, Special Forest Products – Forest Botanical Products, Section 82.5 Forest Products for Traditional and Cultural Purposes, Amendment No. 2409.18-2017-1 (.doc, 76 KB) - Directive for granting trees, portions of trees, or forest products to federally recognized Indian Tribes free-of-charge for non-commercial traditional and cultural purposes, per Section 8105 of the “2008 Farm Bill”.

Indian Financing Act

• Indian Financing Act of 1974 (25 U.S.C. § 1544) Section 504
• Forest Service Manual (FSM) 1500, External Relations, Chapter 1563.01f - Contracting and Cooperative Agreements with Tribes (.doc)

Ecological Restoration

• Forest Service Manual (FSM) 2000, National Forest Resource Management, Chapter 2020 - Ecological Restoration and Resilience, Interim Directive No. 2020-2011-1 (.doc, 114 KB) - interim directive for using ecological restoration to sustainably manage National Forest System lands.
• Consultation Documentation Form: PDF Format, 12 KB; Microsoft Word format, 28 KB
• Questions and Answers (PDF, 36 KB)

Direction Not Available Yet

• National Forest Planning Rule
• Roadless Rule

Executive Orders

• Executive Order 13007 “Indian Sacred Sites” (PDF, 46 KB)
• Executive Order 13175 “Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal Governments” (PDF, 142 KB)
• Executive Memo, April 29, 1994 “Government-to-Government Relationship” (PDF, 55 KB)
• Executive Memo, September 23, 2004 “Government-to-Government Relationship” (PDF, 126 KB)

Statutes

• Farm Bill: Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-234) (PDF, 17 KB)
• Tribal Forest Protection Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-278, July 22, 2004) (PDF, 32 KB)
• Healthy Forest Restoration Act (HFRA) (Section 303 of Public Law 108-148, December 3, 2003) (PDF, 99 KB)
• National Indian Forest Resources Management Act (NIFRMA) (Public Law 101-630, November 28, 1990) (PDF, 59 KB)
• American Indian Religious Freedom Act (AIRFA) (Public Law 103-344, October 6, 1994) (PDF, 21 KB)
• Archaeological Resources Protection Act (Public Law 96-95, October 31, 1979) (PDF, 242 KB)
• Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) (Public Law 101-601, November 16, 1990) (PDF, 190 KB)