Conveyance of Small Tracts

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service is revising regulations to implement certain changes to the Small Tracts Act, enacted in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, also known as the 2018 Farm Bill. These statutory changes raise the value limit of tracts to be conveyed outside of the National Forest System under the Small Tracts Act from $150,000 to $500,000, and create a new conveyance category for parcels used as landfills, sewage treatment plants, or cemeteries under a Forest Service special use or other authorization. The changes also direct funds received from the conveyance of certain eligible lands to the Sisk Act fund available to the Secretary of Agriculture. These amendments to the Small Tracts Act are expected to provide the Forest Service with more flexibility for resolving property conflicts with private landowners and alleviate management burden and expense to the Forest Service.