31 



direct the Secretary of Agriculture to examine, locate and recom- 

 mend for purchase such forested, cut-over or denuded lands within 

 the watersheds of navigable streams as in his judgment may be neces- 

 sary to the regulation of the flow of navigable streams or for the 

 production of timber and to report to the National Forest Reserva- 

 tion Commission the results of such examination; but before any 

 lands are purchased by the commission said lands shall be examined 

 by the Secretary of Agriculture, in cooperation with the Director of 

 the Geological Survey, and a report made by them to the commis- 

 sion showing that the control of such lands by the Federal Govern- 

 ment will promote or protect the navigation of streams or by the 

 Secretary of Agriculture showing that such control will promote the 

 production of timber thereon. 



(Authority extended to Porto Rico by Public Resolution 129, Seventy-first 

 Congress (46 Stat. 1516)) 



Sec. 7. That to enable owners of land chiefly valuable for the 

 growing of timber crops to donate or devise such lands to the United 

 States m order to assure future timber supplies for the agricultural 

 and other industries of the State or for other national forest pur- 

 poses, the Secretary of Agriculture is hereby authorized, in his dis- 

 cretion, to accept on behalf of the United States title to any such land 

 so donated or devised, subject to such reservations by the donor of the 

 present stand of merchantable timber or of mineral or other rights 

 for a period not exceeding twenty years as the Secretary of Agri- 

 culture may find to be reasonable and not detrimental to the purposes 

 of this section, and to pay out of any moneys appropriated for the 

 general expenses of the Forest Service the cost of recording deeds 

 or other expenses incident to the examination and acceptance of title. 

 Any lands to which title is so accepted shall be in units of such size 

 or so located as to be capable of economical administration as national 

 forests either separately or jointly with other lands acquired under 

 this section, or jointly with an existing national forest. All lands to 

 which title is accepted under this section shall, upon acceptance of 

 title, become national forest lands, subject to all laws applicable to 

 lands acquired under the act of March 1, 1911 (Thirty-sixth Statutes 

 at Large, page 961), and amendments thereto. In the sale of timber 

 from national forest lands acquired under this section preference 

 shall be given to applicants who will furnish the products desired 

 therefrom to meet the necessities of citizens of the United States 

 engaged in agriculture in the States in which such national forest is 

 situated : Provided, That all property, rights, easements, and benefits 

 authorized by this section to be retained by or reserved to owners of 

 lands donated or devised to the United States shall be subject to the 

 tax laws of the States where such lands are located. 



Sec. 8. That the Secretary of Agriculture is hereby authorized to 

 ascertain and determine the location of public lands chiefly valuable 

 for stream-flow protection or for timber production, which can be 

 economically administered as parts of national forests, and to report 

 his findings to the National Forest Reservation Commission estab- 

 lished under the act of March 1, 1911 (Thirty-sixth Statutes at Large, 

 page 961) , and if the commission shall determine that the administra- 

 tion of said lands by the Federal Government will protect the flow of 



