§ 485. — Exchange of lands in national forests; cutting timber in national forests in exchange for lands therein.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 16USC485]
TITLE 16--CONSERVATION
CHAPTER 2--NATIONAL FORESTS
SUBCHAPTER I--ESTABLISHMENT AND ADMINISTRATION
Sec. 485. Exchange of lands in national forests; cutting timber
in national forests in exchange for lands therein
When the public interests will be benefited thereby, the Secretary
of Agriculture is authorized in his discretion to accept on behalf of
the United States title to any lands within the exterior boundaries of
the national forests which, in his opinion, are chiefly valuable for
national-forest purposes, and in exchange therefor may patent not to
exceed an equal value of such national-forest land, in the same State,
surveyed and nonmineral in character, or he may authorize the grantor to
cut and remove an equal value of timber within the national forests of
the same State; the values in each case to be determined by him. Before
any such exchange is effected notice of the contemplated exchange
reciting the lands involved shall be published once each week for four
successive weeks in some newspaper of general circulation in the county
or counties in which may be situated the lands to be accepted, and in
some like newspaper published in any county in which may be situated any
lands or timber to be given in such exchange. Timber given in such
exchanges shall be cut and removed under the laws and regulations
relating to the national forests, and under the direction and
supervision and in accordance with the requirements of the Secretary of
Agriculture. Lands conveyed to the United States under this section and
section 486 of this title shall, upon acceptance of title, become parts
of the national forest within whose exterior boundaries they are
located.
(Mar. 20, 1922, ch. 105, Sec. 1, 42 Stat. 465; Pub. L. 86-509,
Sec. 1(a), June 11, 1960, 74 Stat. 205.)
Transfer of Functions
Functions of Secretary of the Interior under this section and
section 486 of this title, with respect to exchanges of non-Federal
lands for national forest lands or timber, transferred to Secretary of
Agriculture, see Pub. L. 86-509, June 11, 1960, 74 Stat. 205, set out as
a note under section 2201 of Title 7, Agriculture.
``Secretary of Agriculture is authorized'', ``in his opinion'', ``he
may authorize'' and ``the values in each case to be determined by him''
substituted in text for ``Secretary of the Interior is authorized'',
``in the opinion of the Secretary of Agriculture'', ``the Secretary of
Agriculture may authorize'' and ``the values in each case to be
determined by the Secretary of Agriculture'', respectively, in view of
transfer of functions under this section to Secretary of Agriculture
from Secretary of the Interior by section 1(a) of Pub. L. 86-509, set
out as a note under section 2201 of Title 7.
Section Referred to in Other Sections
This section is referred to in sections 21c, 192b-9, 251a, 482i,
484a, 577f, 689d of this title.
