Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA)

 

The Freedom of Information Act, also known as "FOIA," was passed in 1966 to make it easier to obtain information from Federal agencies. The Act was amended in 1974 to improve access to government records. In 1996, the Act was further amended to address electronic records.

This Act ensures that you have access to the records of the USDA Forest Service.   Some records are not releasable--any personnel information covered by the Privacy Act, for example, or records from an ongoing law enforcement investigation. Generally, however, most of the Region's records are available upon request.

Your FOIA request should be in writing and can be mailed electronically, sent via surface mail or faxed.   Be sure to include your telephone number, your mailing address and e-mail address, is available. Be as specific as possible when describing the records you want.

If you know that the records you are asking for are maintained by a specific national forest within the Southern Region, request records directly from that Forest FOIA Coordinator.   If the records are located in the Regional Office for the Southern Region, or if you are not certain where these records are maintained, direct your request to the Regional FOIA Coordinator at 1720 Peachtree Road, NW, Suite 811N, Atlanta, GA   30309

Most requests can be filled within 20 working days of receipt. If the request is extensive and requires research or the retrieval of records from remote offices, we may take a little longer to respond.

Because of the new FOIA requirements, the Forest Service has developed a FOIA reading room to make frequently requested records available electronically. This site contains records such as appeals, litigation, final opinions, policy interpretations, administrative staff manuals, and other documents