16 U.S.C. § 38 : US Code - Section 38: Exchange for State or private lands authorized

Search 16 U.S.C. § 38 : US Code - Section 38: Exchange for State or private lands authorized

The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized in his discretion to
accept, on behalf of the United States, title to any lands held in
private or State ownership within the townships described in
section 37 of this title, and in exchange therefor may patent not
to exceed an equal value of national forest land in the State of
Montana, surveyed and nonmineral in character, or the Secretary of
Agriculture may authorize the grantor to cut and remove not to
exceed an equal value of timber within the national forests of said
State, the values in each case to be determined by the Secretary of
Agriculture: Provided, That before any such exchange is effected,
notice of the contemplated exchange reciting the lands involved
shall be published once each week for four successive weeks in some
newspaper of general circulation in the county or counties in which
may be situated the lands to be accepted and in some like newspaper
published in any county in which may be situated any lands or
timber to be given in such exchange. Timber given in exchange shall
be cut and removed from national forests under the laws and
regulations relating to the national forests and under the
direction and supervision and in accordance with the requirements
of the Secretary of Agriculture.