An Act to authorize and direct that the national forests be managed under principles of multiple use and to produce a sustained yield of products and services, and for other purposes
PL 86-517 (H.R.10572), enacted 06/12/1960

74 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 86-517-JUNE 12, 1960 
215 
Public Law 86-517 
AN ACT 
June 12, 1960 
To authorize and direct that the national forests be managed under principles of 
[H. R. 10572] 
multiple use and to produce a sustained yield of products and services, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, That it is the policy 
of the Congress that the national forests are established and shall be 
administered for outdoor recreation, range, timber, watershed, and 
wildlife and fish purposes. 
The purposes of this Act are declared to 
be supplemental to, but not in derogation of, the purposes for which 
the national forests were established as set forth in the Act of June 4, 
1897 (16 U.S.C. 475). Nothing herein shall be construed as affecting 
the jurisdiction or responsibilities of the several States with respect to 
wildlife and fish on the national forests. 
Nothing herein shall be 
construed so as to affect the use or administration of the mineral 
resources of national forest lands or to affect the use or administration 
of Federal lands not within national forests. 
SEC. 2. The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized and directed to 
develop and administer the renewable surface resources of the national 
forests for multiple use and sustained yield of the several products 
and services obtained therefrom. 
In the administration of the na-
tional forests due consideration shall be given to the relative values of 
the various resources in particular areas. The establishment and 
maintenance of areas of wilderness are consistent with the purposes 
and provisions of this Act. 
SEC. 3. In the effectuation of this Act the Secretary of Agriculture 
is authorized to cooperate with interested State and local governmen-
tal agencies and others in the development and management of the 
national forests. 
SEC. 4. As used in this Act, the following terms shall have the fol-
lowing meanings: 
(a) "Multiple use" means: The management of all the various re-
newable surface resources of the national forests so that they are 
utilized in the combination that will best meet the needs of the Amer-
ican people; making the most judicious use of the land for some or 
all of these resources or related services over areas large enough to 
provide sufficient latitude for periodic adjustments in use to conform 
to changing needs and conditions; that some land will be used for 
less than all of the resources; and harmonious and coordinated man-
agement of the various resources, each with the other, without impair-
ment of the productivity of the land, with consideration being given 
to the relative values of the various resources, and not necessarily the 
combination of uses that will give the greatest dollar return or the 
greatest unit output. 
(b) "Sustained yield of the several products and services" means 
the achievement and maintenance in perpetuity of a high-level annual 
or regular periodic output of the various renewable resources of the 
national forests without impairment of the productivity of the land. 
Approved June 12, 1960. 
National iforests. 
Management. 
30 Stat. 34. 
M u l t i p l e 
use; 
sustained yield. 
Definitions.