SAF Policy, Economics & Administration 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield Act of 1960 directs National Forests to be managed for which combination of uses?
- Outdoor recreation, range, timber, watershed, and wildlife/fish (Correct answer)
- Timber, oil/gas, recreation, and wilderness
- Timber, water, grazing, and minerals only
- Recreation, wildlife, and wilderness only
Correct answer: Outdoor recreation, range, timber, watershed, and wildlife/fish
MUSYA explicitly lists outdoor recreation, range, timber, watershed, and wildlife and fish purposes as the five co-equal uses of National Forests.
Question 2: The Knutson-Vandenberg Act allows the Forest Service to collect funds from timber sales specifically for:
- Administrative overhead and staffing costs
- Reforestation and stand improvement on the harvested area (Correct answer)
- Road construction and maintenance throughout the forest
- Wildlife habitat improvement across the entire National Forest
Correct answer: Reforestation and stand improvement on the harvested area
K-V funds collected from timber sales must be used for reforestation and timber stand improvement on the area where the timber was sold.
Question 3: The Weeks Act of 1911 most significantly authorized the federal government to:
- Establish the National Park System in the East
- Purchase private lands to create eastern National Forests and protect headwaters (Correct answer)
- Set aside wilderness areas on existing federal lands
- Transfer Bureau of Land Management lands to the Forest Service
Correct answer: Purchase private lands to create eastern National Forests and protect headwaters
The Weeks Act enabled federal purchase of private lands in the eastern US to protect navigable stream watersheds and expand the National Forest System.
Question 4: Under the National Forest Management Act of 1976, forest plans must be revised at intervals not exceeding:
- 5 years
- 10 years
- 15 years (Correct answer)
- 20 years
Correct answer: 15 years
NFMA mandates forest plan revision at intervals not exceeding 15 years to ensure plans remain current with changing conditions and new science.
Question 5: The 25% Fund (historic 10% Fund) provisions for counties with National Forest lands serve primarily to:
- Fund Forest Service recreation programs on behalf of counties
- Share National Forest receipts with states for schools and roads in lieu of property taxes (Correct answer)
- Return 25% of timber sale revenue to the federal treasury
- Compensate counties for wildlife damage to agricultural lands
Correct answer: Share National Forest receipts with states for schools and roads in lieu of property taxes
The 25% Fund compensates counties for the tax-exempt status of federal lands by sharing a percentage of National Forest receipts to support local schools and roads.
Question 6: The Forest Reserve Act of 1897 (Organic Act) established National Forests primarily to:
- Maximize timber production to support national economic growth
- Protect watersheds and ensure a continuous timber supply (Correct answer)
- Preserve landscapes in an unaltered natural state
- Provide maximum outdoor recreational opportunities for citizens
Correct answer: Protect watersheds and ensure a continuous timber supply
The 1897 Organic Act established that National Forests exist to protect favorable water flows and provide a continuous timber supply.
Question 7: Which provision of NFMA prohibits below-cost timber sales unless the responsible official determines they are necessary to meet other multiple-use objectives?
- The non-declining flow requirement
- The economic efficiency standard requiring net present value maximization
- The requirement that timber be sold at not less than appraised value (Correct answer)
- The diversity of plant and animal communities requirement
Correct answer: The requirement that timber be sold at not less than appraised value
NFMA requires that National Forest timber be sold at not less than the appraised value, though below-cost sales may occur when necessary for other management objectives.
SAF Policy, Economics & Administration 2
The Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield Act of 1960 directs National Forests to be managed for which combination of uses?