Sale and Disposal of National Forest System Timber; Special Forest Products and Forest Botanical Products

The Department is issuing this final rule to regulate the sustainable free use, commercial harvest, and sale of special forest products and forest botanical products from National Forest System lands. The rule is needed to promote sustainability in light of the increased public demands for both timber and non-timber special forest products and forest botanical products over the past 10 years. In many cases, these demands are challenging sustainability, particularly in the most heavily used parts of the National Forest System. This rule will help ensure the continued sustainability of special forest products and forest botanical products. The rule also revises 36 CFR 261.6 to reflect new free use and personal use authorizations for special forest products and forest botanical products and to specify the types of contractual documents currently used by the Forest Service. In addition, the Forest Service made minor textual clarifications to section 261.6.