Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
(a) the term "National Forest System" means national forests, national grasslands, and other lands managed by the U.S.D.A. Forest Service;
(b) the term "proclaimed national forest" means the Congressional designations of national forest or national grasslands and their boundaries;
(c) the term "National Forest Unit" means one of a number of management units of the National Forest System as determined by the Secretary of Agriculture under section 4, paragraph a of this Act;
(d) the term "National Forest Trust" means a chartered organization, with a membership and a board of trustees elected by the membership, that is authorized and obligated to manage a National Forest Unit in trust for the people of the United States;
(e) the term "Wilderness System" means the national forest wilderness areas and wild and scenic rivers within a state or region as determined by the Secretary of Agriculture under section 5, paragraph a of this Act;
(f) the term "Wilderness Trust" means a chartered organization, with a membership and a board of trustees elected by the membership, that is authorized and obligated to manage a Wilderness System in trust for the people of the United States;
(b) The Secretary shall appoint an interim supervisor for each National Forest Unit. The interim supervisor shall carry out the laws and regulations of the Forest Service until the first meeting of the Board of Trustees of the National Forest Unit.
(c) Upon establishment of the National Forest Unit boundaries, the Secretary shall create for each unit a National Forest Trust, which shall be a not-for-profit corporation chartered under the laws of the United States. Any citizen of the United States may become a member of any National Forest Trust for a nominal annual fee, initially set at $20 per year, paid to the supervisor or interim supervisor of the National Forest Unit. Each trust shall have complete jurisdiction over the lands and resources with the associated National Forest Unit, subject to the provisions of section 4, paragraphs e, f, g, and h of this Act.
(d) Within 90 days of the establishment of each National Forest Trust, the interim supervisor of each National Forest Unit shall arrange for members of each trust to elect, by a mail-in ballot, a nine-member Board of Trustees. Board members shall have three-year terms, with three members elected each year.
(e) The Board of Trustees for each National Forest Trust shall be obligated to manage the associated National Forest Unit in trust for the people of the United States. Such management shall be in accordance with accepted multiple use and sustained yield principles, and shall be aimed at producing the greatest good for the greatest number for the longest time. Such management shall also be subject to those federal laws that would apply to any private land trust or land owner.
(f) The Boards of Trustees of each National Forest Trust shall have the following powers:
(1) The power to select from among themselves a chair and other officers as deemed appropriate;
(2) The power to hire and fire the supervisor of the National Forest Unit or Wilderness System;
(3) The power to approve an annual operating plan, including the establishment of budgets, fees, activities, and projects, the allocations of land to various uses, and criteria and procedures used to sell or lease resources within the jurisdiction of the National Forest Trust;
(4) The power to set membership fees and arrange annual, mail-in elections for members of the Board.
(g) Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law, each National Forest Trust may charge fees at fair market value for any of the resources within their jurisdictions subject to the requirements of section 4, paragraph e of this Act.
(h) The Boards of Trustees shall not sell any of the lands within their jurisdictions. However, they may exchange land for land of equal value if such exchange will ease the management of lands in their jurisdiction and such exchanges meet the objectives specified in section 4, paragraph e of this Act. They may also purchase land from willing sellers within the legally proclaimed boundaries of the National Forest System lands under their jurisdiction.
(i) Board members shall receive no compensation for their time, but may elect to reimburse themselves for costs travelling to and from and participating in board meetings.
(j) Congress may revoke the charter of any National Forest Trust in the event of gross malfeasance or violation of any provision of section 4 of this Act.
(k) In the event that any National Forest Unit is unable to sustain itself with the funds provided for it under section 6 of this Act, the Board of Trustees for that unit may elect to transfer the lands under its jurisdiction to the jurisdiction of any other willing National Forest Trust.
(b) The Secretary shall appoint an interim manager for each Wilderness System. The interim manager shall carry out the laws and regulations of the Forest Service until the first meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Wilderness System.
(c) Upon establishment of the Wilderness System boundaries, there shall be created for each system a Wilderness Trust, which shall be a not-for-profit corporation chartered under the laws of the United States. Any citizen of the United States may become a member of any Wilderness Trust for a nominal annual fee, initially set at $20 per year, paid to the manager or interim manager of the Wilderness System. Each trust shall have complete jurisdiction over the lands and resources with the associated Wilderness System, subject to the provisions of section 5, paragraphs e, f, g, and h of this Act.
(d) Within 90 days of the establishment of each Wilderness Trust, the interim manager of each Wilderness System shall arrange for members of each trust to elect, by a mail-in ballot, a nine-member Board of Trustees. Board members shall have three-year terms, with three members elected each year. Initial members shall choose initial terms by lot.
(e) The Board of Trustees for each Wilderness Trust shall be obligated to manage the associated Wilderness System in trust for the people of the United States. Such management shall aim at maximizing the scientific, social, economic, and other values of the Wilderness System in accordance with provisions of the Wilderness Act of 1964 and the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968, as well as the special provisions of any other law passed in relation to lands within each Wilderness System.
(f) The Boards of Trustees of each Wilderness Trust shall have the following powers:
(1) The power to select from among themselves a chair and other officers as deemed appropriate;
(2) The power to hire and fire the supervisor of the National Forest Unit or Wilderness System;
(3) The power to approve an annual operating plan, including the establishment of budgets, fees, activities, and projects, the allocations of land to various uses, and criteria and procedures used to sell or lease resources within the jurisdiction of the National Forest or Wilderness Trust;
(4) The power to purchase land from willing sellers or to purchase conservation easements from public land agencies or willing private landowners. Such land shall be added to the Wilderness System and managed with the aims expressed in section 4, paragraph e.
(5) The power to set membership fees and arrange annual, mail-in elections for members of the Board.
(g) Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law, each Wilderness Trust may charge fees at fair market value for any of the resources within their jurisdictions subject to the requirements of section 5, paragraph e of this Act.
(h) The Boards of Trustees shall not sell any of the lands within their jurisdictions. However, they may exchange land for land of equal value if such exchange will ease the management of lands in their jurisdiction and such exchanges meet the objectives specified in section 5, paragraphs e of this Act.
(i) Board members shall receive no compensation for their time, but may elect to reimburse themselves for costs travelling to and from and participating in board meetings.
(j) Congress may revoke the charter of any Wilderness Trust in the event of gross malfeasance or violation of any provision of section 4 of this Act.
(k) In the event that any Wilderness System is unable to sustain itself with the funds provided for it under section 6 of this Act, the Board of Trustees for that unit may elect to transfer the lands under its jurisdiction to the jurisdiction of any other willing Wilderness System.
(b) During the first fiscal year beginning after passage of this Act, Congress may appropriate funds to each National Forest Unit and Wilderness System equal to the funds appropriated for the management of the lands within such National Forest Unit or Wilderness System during the previous fiscal year, exclusive of funds spent by the Regional, Washington, or other non-ranger district or non-national forest supervisor offices of the Forest Service.
(c) At the end of each fiscal year beginning with the first fiscal year after passage of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall audit each National Forest Unit to determine the total funds expended and the total receipts collected by that unit during the fiscal year. Receipts collected by each unit shall be divided as follows:
(1) 100 percent of the net receipts shall be retained by the National Forest Trust to be spent managing and improving the lands and resources under the trust's jurisdiction;
(2) 15 percent of the gross receipts shall be paid to states in lieu of property taxes;
(3) All remaining receipts, up to a maximum of 20 percent of the gross receipts, shall be paid to the National Biodiversity Trust Fund;
(4) All remaining receipts shall be deposited into the general fund of the United States Treasury.
(d) All fees and donations collected by each Wilderness System shall be retained by the associated Wilderness Trust to be spent managing, improving, and enlarging the Wilderness System.
(e) National Forest Trusts may retain 100 percent of any donations paid to the trusts to spend on managing and improving the lands and resources under the trust's jurisdiction, provided that such donations shall not be made in exchange for any goods or services provided by the National Forest Unit in the trust's jurisdiction. Donations made in exchange for goods or services shall be considered user fees and shall be distributed as provided in section 6, paragraph c of this Act.
(f) The distributions of funds described in section 6, paragraphs c, d, and e of this Act shall not be a part of the budget of the United States and shall not require annual approval or appropriation by the United States Congress.
(g) Funds appropriated to National Forest Units and Wilderness Systems under section 6, paragraph b, and funds retained by National Forest Units or Wilderness Systems under section 6, paragraph c, d, and e of this Act that are not spent in any given fixcal year may be carried over by such National Forest Units or Wilderness Systems to be spent in any future fiscal year.
(h) Trust funds held by the Treasury in account for the Forest Service under the Act of August 11, 1916, the Knutson-Vandenberg Act of 1930, the National Forest Roads and Trails Act of 1964, and the National Forest Management Act of 1976 as of the first day of the first fiscal year after passage of this Act shall be made available to the National Forest Units that generated those funds so that they may be used for the purposes for which they were intended according to established plans approved by the Supervisors.
(b) Any agency of the Federal Executive, the States, and any political or governmental subdivision thereof, any corporation, not-for-profit corporation, private entity or person may hold a conservation easement on national forest land. In a transaction involving a contract for use of forest or rangeland resources, any bids for a conservation easement on the area must be accorded equal weight with bids for traditional resource uses; the highest bid shall be accepted, taking into account the true cost of a conservation easement when adjusted according to the factors detailed in the previous paragraph.
(b) The National Biodiversity Trust is to be governed by a Biodiversity Board of Trustees who shall administer funds in the National Biodiversity Trust Fund by purchasing conservation easements or paying landowners or land managers for providing habitat for threatened and endangered species of wildlife. The Biodiversity Board of Trustees shall consist of seven members selected by the director of the Smithsonian Institute each of whom is qualified in biology, zoology, botony, ecology, or another of the life sciences.
(c) No more than 1 percent of the National Biodiversity Trust Fund may be used for administrative purposes. No more than 20 percent of the National Biodiversity Trust Fund may be used for research and inventory purposes. The remainder of the fund must be dedicated to the protection of biodiversity, including but not limited to:
(1) The purchase of conservation easements on public or private land;
(2) Payments to public land managers or private landowners who provide habitat for threatened and endangered species of wildlife;
(3) Grants to other federal, state or local agencies, or to corporations or individuals, in support of projects aimed at protecting or improving biodiversity.
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