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Effective Date: 8/3/82

Series: Public Lands

Part 611: Forest Pest Control Program

Chapter 2: Federal Responsibilities

Originating Office: Bureau of Land Management

2.1 Department of Agriculture.

A. Authority for the administration of the existing legislation is vested in the Secretary of Agriculture.

B. The Secretary of Agriculture has delegated this authority to the Chief of the Forest Service. The Chief of the Forest Service is responsible for:

(1) Providing and financing overall leadership and coordination for insect and disease control activities on all forest lands when the activities are financed wholly or in part with Federal funds.

(2) Providing and financing technical assistance required by bureaus of the Department of the Interior for control projects and programs on forest lands under their jurisdiction.

(3) Performing and financing detection surveys and the entomological or pathological evaluation of insect and disease outbreaks on Interior forest lands. This includes transferring to Interior any amounts of the Department of Agriculture budget for insect and disease control work made available for control activities on forest lands administered by Interior, including Indian forest lands.

(4) Assisting Interior bureaus with the organization and performance of field surveillance on forest lands.

(5) Keeping affected Interior bureaus informed of insect and disease conditions, on forest lands of other ownerships, that may affect lands administered by Interior.

(6) Suppressing insect and disease outbreaks in national forests and cooperating with affected agencies in suppressing insect and disease outbreaks on other public and private lands which threaten trees on lands administered by Interior.

(7) Training key Interior employees in techniques for the prevention, detection, and suppression of destructive forest insects and diseases.

C. Authority to present annually, as a part of the Forest Service budget, the consolidated estimate of needs for the coordinated forest pest control program has been delegated to the Forest Service.

2.2 Department of the Interior.

A. The Assistant Secretary-Land and Minerals Management, has assigned the primary responsibility to the Bureau of Land Management for :

(1) Coordinating the program within the Department;

(2) Maintaining the necessary liaison with the Washington Office of the Forest Service in all aspects of the program, including the presentation of a summary of project proposals covering the entire Department; and

(3) Reporting accomplishments on Interior lands.

B. The bureaus are responsible for cooperating with the Regional Offices of the Forest Service in the planning and development of forest pest control projects for the forests or woodlands under their respective jurisdictions. This includes:

(1) Facilitating detection surveys and entomological or pathological evaluations made by the Forest Service on lands administered by Interior.

(2) Deciding for or against control action on the basis of:

(a) The biological evidence presented by the Forest Service;

(b) An evaluation of the resources threatened;

(c) Possible adverse effects of control action as determined by representatives of the Department of the Interior.

(3) Performing and financing the field surveillance needed to supplement detection surveys.

(4) Conducting and financing suppression projects on lands administered by Interior. (See 611 DM 3.1B.)

(5) Cooperating with other agencies in insect and disease control programs and projects of other ownerships that involve land administered by Interior.

C. The bureaus are responsible for the following:

(1) Preliminary reports of infestation or infection. All field employees will be constantly alert for signs of any infestation or infection harmful or potentially harmful to any forest or woodland under their jurisdiction. Any unusual insect or disease activity will be reported to the Area, Regional, or State Office of the bureau involved, which will in turn report the situation to the proper regional office of the Forest Service.

(a) These reports should include a description of the physical appearance of the outbreak, location of the infestation or infested area and, whenever possible, be accompanied by a specimen of the damaged tree with causal agent.

(b) These reports may include, under certain circumstances, reference to the advisability of salvage logging and to the potential insect outbreak that may develop in the insect or disease killed trees (standing or down).

(2) Appraisal surveys. When the evidence is sufficient to indicate that a serious situation may develop, the Forest Service is responsible for initiating a survey of the situation. These surveys on Department of the Interior lands should be accomplished with the fullest cooperation from the field representatives of the Department. If the appraisal survey indicates the need for control and sets forth an approved biological method for treatment, it is then necessary for the administering agency of the Department to determine whether the control project falls within its forest management plans.

(3) Insect and disease project proposal. Forest Service Form 3400-2, accompanied by Bureau summaries concerning all projects for which financing is required during the next fiscal year, will be submitted to the Director, Bureau of Land Management, by August 31 of each year. Report Control Symbol 2-DOA-47-005 has been assigned this reporting requirement. Projects will be listed in order of priority. This form will be used to propose both insect and disease programs.

(4) Insect and disease accomplishment and expenditure reports. Summaries of the accomplishments and expenditures for the preceding fiscal year will be submitted to the Director, Bureau of Land Management by November 1 of each year. Report Control Symbol 2-DOA-47-003 has been assigned this reporting requirement. These summaries for each project will contain the information as shown in the format of Illustration 1.

2.3 Committees.

A. A committee established at the headquarters level and consisting of representatives from the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Park Service serves as the formal mechanism for coordination and planning, and provides a forum for the exchange of views among the participants. Meetings are scheduled as needed and convene at the call of the chairperson. Provisions are made for convening meetings at the call of any participating bureau or office. The committee, which is chaired by the Bureau of Land Management representative, is established and operates in compliance with the provisions of 308 DM 4.

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611 DM 2

Illustration 1

8/3/82 #2427

Replaces 12/9/81 #2369