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2 - 



Discussion of Sale Purpose Code Application 



In order to properly identify the primary purpose of the timber sale, each sale 

 will need to be evaluated beginning at the position statement (gate 1) phase of 

 project development. The general primary purpose of the proposal, including 

 which forest plan objectives are to be achieved, should be identified at gate 1 

 and documented in the position statement . As the proposal undergoes further 

 development through the environmental analysis, the purpose documentation may 

 be refined. Portions of timber sales may be split and their purposes described 

 separately in the environmental analysis documentation or project file. In 

 addition, an activity code may be included to identify the principle 

 benefitting resource or a more specific primary purpose. 



The following timber sale purpose codes may be used: 



TC - - Timber Commodity Purpose 

 FS - - Forest Stewardship Purpose 

 PP - - Personal Use 



In deciding the primary purpose, consider whether the vegetation management 

 proposal would be continued through some other means, even if timber harvest 

 was not available. That is, would we attempt to achieve the vegetation 

 management and resulting project objectives by securing appropriate funds to 

 implement a non-harvest alternative. When forest stewardship objectives are 

 identified as the primary purpose for sales or portions of sales, an analysis 

 must be completed that indicates that timber harvest is the most financially 

 efficient means of achieving the objective. Other viable means of achieving 

 the same vegetation management results, such as controlled burning, should be 

 examined and their financial effects weighed against those of timber harvest. 

 Document the results of this analysis in the project file, environmental 

 assessment, or environmental impact statement. Salvage sales may be included 

 in either the timber commodity or forest stewardship component depending on the 

 primary purpose of the salvage . 



In addition to the purpose code, an activity code must be assigned to each sale 

 or portion of a sale to identify the primary benefitting resource or further 

 define the purpose. National activity codes that may be used with the timber 

 commodity purpose code (TC) include: 



01 - Timber Resource . Includes sales or portions primarily designed to 

 provide wood products to meet demand. 



National activity codes that may be used with the forest stewardship purpose 

 code (FS) include: 



10 - Forest a-'d Ecosystem Health . Includes objectives to promote long-term 

 forest health through forest pest and fuels management. Projects 

 specifically designed to prevent resource losses and ecosystem damage 

 from catastrophic events, such as fires or wind storms, are also 

 included. This category could also include salvage to offset the cost 

 of reforestation and site rehabilitation after catastrophic events. 



