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section. The regulations shall include, but not be 

 limited to— 



"(1) specifying procedures to insure that land 

 management plans are prepared in accordance 

 with the National Environmental Policy Act of 

 1969, including, but not limited to, direction on 

 when and for what plans an environmental im- 

 pact statement required under section 102(2) 

 (C) of that Act shall be prepared ; 

 "(2) specif ying guidelines which — 



"(A) require the identification of the suit- 

 ability of lands for resource management; 



"(B) provide for obtaining inventory data 

 on the various renewable resources, and soil 

 and water, including pertinent maps, graphic 

 material, and explanatory aids; and 



"(C) provide for methods to identify special 

 conditions or situations involving hazards to 

 the various resources and their relationship to 

 alternative activities; 



"(3) specifying guidelines for land manage- 

 ment plans developed to achieve the goals of the 

 Program which — 



"(A) insure consideration of the economic 

 and environmental aspects of various systems 

 of renewable resource management, includ- 

 ing the related systems of silviculture and pro- 

 tection of forest resources, to provide for out- 

 door recreation (including wilderness) , range, 

 timber, watershed, wildlife, and fish; 



"(B) provide for diversity of plant and 

 animal communities based on the suitability 

 and capability of the specific land area in 

 order to meet overall multiple-use objectives, 

 and within the multiple -use objectives of a 

 land management plan adopted pursuant to 

 this section, provide, where appropriate, to the 

 degree practicable, for steps to be taken to pre- 

 serve the diversity of tree species similar to 

 that existing in the region controlled by the 

 plan; 



"(C) insure research on and (based on con- 

 tinuous monitoring and assessment in the 

 field) evaluation of the effects of each manage- 

 ment system to the end that it will not produce 

 substantial and permanent impairment of the 

 productivity of the land; 



"(D) permit increases in harvest levels based 

 on intensified management practices, such as 

 reforestation, thinning, and tree improvement 

 if (i) such practices justify increasing the har- 

 vests in accordance with the Miiltiple-Use 

 Sustained-Yield Act of 1960, and (ii) such har- 

 vest levels are decreased at the end of each 

 planning period if such practices cannot be 

 successfully implemented or funds are not 

 received to permit such practices to continue 

 substantially as planned; 



"(E) insure that timber will be harvested 

 from National Forest System lands ohly 

 wliere — 



"(i) soil, slope, or other watershed condi- 

 tions will not be irreversibly damaged ; 

 "(ii) there is assurance that such lands 



can be adequately restocked within five 

 years after harvest; 



"(iii) protection is provided for streams, 

 streambanks, shorelines, lakes, wetlands, 

 and other bodies of water from deterimental 

 changes in water temperatures, blockages 

 of water courses, and deposits of sediment, 

 where harvests are likely to seriously and 

 adversely affect water conditions or fish 

 habitat; and 



"(iv) the harvesting system to be used is 

 not selected primarily because it will give the 

 greatest dollar return or the greatest unit 

 output of timber; and 



"(F) insure that clearcutting, seed tree cut- 

 ting, shelterwood cutting, and other cuts de- 

 signed to regenerate and even-aged stand of 

 timber will be used as a cutting method on 

 National Forest System lands only where — 

 "(i) for clearcutting, it is determined to 

 be the optimum method, and for other such 

 cuts it is determined to be appropriate, to 

 meet the objectives and requirements of the 

 relevant land management plan; 



"(ii) the interdisciplinary review as deter- 

 mined by the Secretary has been completed 

 and the potential environmental, biological, 

 esthetic, engineering, and economic impacts 

 on each advertised sale area have been as- 

 sessed, as well as the consistency of the sale 

 with the multiple use of the general area; 

 "(iii) cut backs, patches, or strips are 

 shaped and blended to the extent practica- 

 ble with the natural terrain; 



"(iv) there are established according to 

 geographic areas, forest types, or other suit- 

 able classifications the maximum size limits 

 for areas to be cut in one harvest operation, 

 including provision to exceed the established 

 limits after appropriate public notice and 

 review by the responsible Forest Service of- 

 ficer one level above the Forest Service offi- 

 cer who normally would approve the harvest 

 proposal: Provided, That such limits shall 

 not apply to the size of areas harvested as 

 a result of natural catastrophic conditions 

 such as fire, insect and disease attack, or 

 windstorm; and 



" (V) such cuts are carried out in a manner 

 consistent with the protection of soil, water- 

 shed, fish, wildlife, recreation, and esthetic 

 resources, and the regeneration of the timber 

 resource. 



"(h) (1) In carrying out the purposes of subsec- 

 tion (g) of this section, the Secretary of Agricul- 

 ture shall appoint a committee of scientists who 

 are not officers or employees of the Forest Service. 

 The committee shall provide scientific and tech- 

 nical advice and counsel on proposed guidelines 

 and procedures to assure that an effective inter- 

 disciplinary approach is proposed and adopted. The 

 committee shall terminate upon promulgation of 

 the regulation, but the Secretary may, from time 

 to time, appoint similar committees when consid- 



