I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3650 
To authorize States to select and acquire certain National Forest System 
lands to be managed and operated by the State for timber production 
and other purposes under the laws of the State, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 29, 2015 
Mr. YOUNG of Alaska introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on 
Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 
in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the juris-
diction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To authorize States to select and acquire certain National 
Forest System lands to be managed and operated by 
the State for timber production and other purposes 
under the laws of the State, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘State National Forest Management Act of 2015’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
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Sec. 1. Short title. 
Sec. 2. Definitions. 
Sec. 3. State selection of eligible portions of the National Forest System for ac-
quisition and management. 
Sec. 4. Transition provisions during the exchange-transition period. 
Sec. 5. Transition provisions outside the transition period. 
Sec. 6. Miscellaneous duties of the parties and other provisions relating to the 
transfer. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) The term ‘‘Commissioner’’ means the head 
of the Department of Natural Resources of a State 
or comparable State agency. 
(2) The term ‘‘eligible portions of the National 
Forest System’’ means all right, title, and interest of 
the United States in and to the surface and sub-
surface lands and real property (including structures 
and facilities owned by the Forest Service) included 
as part of the National Forest System in a State. 
The term does not include Conservation System 
Units (as that term is defined in the Alaska Na-
tional Interest Lands Conservation Act) and areas 
or national memorials protected by an Act of Con-
gress. 
(3) The term ‘‘Federal obligation’’— 
(A) means any obligation or duty of the 
Forest Service arising out of any lease, permit, 
license, contract, and other legal instruments 
issued by or with the Forest Service relating to 
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eligible portions of the National Forest System; 
and 
(B) does not include any obligation with 
respect to a Federal law, regulation, or policy. 
(4) The term ‘‘forest operations’’ means the de-
velopment of forest operating plans for eligible por-
tions of the National Forest System acquired by a 
States, including the conduct of inventories of tim-
ber resources and the engineering of necessary ac-
cess needed necessary for timber management and 
related management activities. 
(5) The term ‘‘patent date’’ means the last day 
of the selection-transition period. 
(6) The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 
of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the For-
est Service. 
(7) The term ‘‘selection date’’ means the date 
on which a State elects to acquire eligible portions 
of the National Forest System and notifies the Sec-
retary of such election under section 3(a). 
(8) The term ‘‘selection-transition period’’ 
means the period beginning on the selection date 
and ending no more than one year thereafter, on the 
patent date. 
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