Final Directives on American Indian and Alaska Native Relations Forest Service Manual 1500, Chapter 1560, and Forest Service Handbook 1509.13, Chapter 10

The Forest Service has revised its internal Agency directives for American Indian and Alaska Native Relations to update existing direction for the Agency to work effectively with Indian tribes. The directives were last revised in 2004, with an Interim Directive issued in 2012. The final issuance of these directives, effective upon publication, will provide consistent overall internal Forest Service policy to: Explain the methods used to engage with tribes on a government-to-government basis, describe the authorities for working with tribes, delineate meaningful consultation procedures, and outline dispute resolution options. The tribal and public comment period closed concurrently on September 22, 2015. The Agency considered all comments in developing these final directives.