Weaknesses Found in Timber Sale Practices on the Plumas National Forest

Highlights

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed certain aspects of Forest Service timber operations in northern California. The request was made due to complaints made by small loggers and mill operators alleging mismanagement of timber sales at the Plumas National Forest.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected	Recommendation	Status
Department of Agriculture	The Secretary of Agriculture should require the Forest Service to improve its timber sale preparation and administration program in its Pacific Southwest Region by developing formal contingency plans to deal with future insect-infestation epidemics. The plans should provide for timely detailing of experienced timber staff to national forests facing insect epidemic conditions. Also, formal written emergency procedures should be developed for preparing and administering insect salvage timber sales.	Closed – Implemented Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
Department of Agriculture	The Secretary of Agriculture should require the Forest Service to improve its timber sale preparation and administration by developing specific procedures for administering timber sales with multiple logging systems. These procedures should provide for closer monitoring of the timber volume harvested under various logging systems to facilitate price adjustments where appropriate. Unless special controls are provided, tractor logging should not generally be allowed until helicopter logging requirements on a sale are satisfied.	Closed – Implemented Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
Department of Agriculture	The Secretary of Agriculture should require the Forest Service to improve its timber sale preparation and administration program in its Pacific Southwest Region by reemphasizing the need to closely monitor timber harvest operations to ensure that only designated trees are harvested on salvage sales and violations can be identified more timely.	Closed – Implemented Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
Department of Agriculture	The Secretary of Agriculture and the Administrator of the Small Business Administration should take the following actions to strengthen the Forest Service's small business timber sale programs: (1) explore the feasibility, including whether legislation is necessary, of establishing goals for timber sales to the smaller logging and mill operations within the present 500-employee set-aside criterion; and (2) strengthen the special salvage timber sale program regulations to prevent small timber companies from acting as brokers or agents for large companies.	Closed – Implemented Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
Small Business Administration	The Secretary of Agriculture and the Administrator of the Small Business Administration should take the following actions to strengthen the Forest Service's small business timber sale programs: (1) explore the feasibility, including whether legislation is necessary, of establishing goals for timber sales to the smaller logging and mill operations within the present 500-employee set-aside criterion; and (2) strengthen the special salvage timber sale program regulations to prevent small timber companies from acting as brokers or agents for large companies.	Closed – Implemented Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
Department of Agriculture	The Secretary of Agriculture should require the Forest Service to revise its timber sale performance deposit/bond procedures on Plumas to provide equitable and consistent treatment to all sized purchasers of Federal timber, giving consideration to the financial capability of the buyer and the potential loss to the Government from nonperformance. The Forest Service should ensure through its internal reviews that equitable and consistent treatment in this area and in regard to incorporating incremental stumpage deposits in small timber sale provisions is provided on all forests.	Closed – Implemented Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
Forest Service	The Secretary of Agriculture should require the Forest Service to revise its timber sale performance deposit/bond procedures on Plumas to provide equitable and consistent treatment to all sized purchasers of Federal timber, giving consideration to the financial capability of the buyer and the potential loss to the Government from nonperformance. The Forest Service should ensure through its internal reviews that equitable and consistent treatment in this area and in regard to incorporating incremental stumpage deposits in small timber sale provisions is provided on all forests.	Closed – Implemented Please call 202/512-6100 for information.
Department of Agriculture	The Secretary of Agriculture should require the Forest Service to discontinue mill-deck-deferred-scaling arrangements on future Forest Service timber sales.	Closed – Not Implemented Agriculture does not agree with this recommendation applied to existing sites. It plans to revise the Forest Service Manual by June 1983 to prohibit approval of new mill-deck scaling sites and to stress log accountability and scaling quality control. Notwithstanding these actions, GAO continues to believe the recommendation has merit and should remain open.
Small Business Administration	The Secretary of Agriculture should require the Forest Service to discontinue mill-deck-deferred-scaling arrangements on future Forest Service timber sales.	Closed – Not Implemented Agriculture does not agree with this recommendation applied to existing sites. It plans to revise the Forest Service Manual by June 1983 to prohibit approval of new mill-deck scaling sites and to stress log accountability and scaling quality control. Notwithstanding these actions, GAO continues to believe the recommendation has merit and should remain open.

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Employment

Federal aid programsForest managementNational forestsPerformance bondsSmall business set-asidesTimber salesSmall businessMortalityRoad constructionPrice adjustments