---
kind: "section"
citation: "16 U.S.C. § 567a"
title: "16"
title_heading: "Conservation"
number: "567a"
heading: "Cooperation by Secretary of Agriculture with States in acquisition and administration of State forests"
release: "119-102"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/16/567a"
units:
  - "Chapter 3 — Forests; Forest Service; Reforestation; Management"
  - "Subchapter I — General Provisions"
---

# §567a. Cooperation by Secretary of Agriculture with States in acquisition and administration of State forests


For the purpose of stimulating the [acquisition](/usc/16/620e.md?p=1), development, and proper administration and management of [State](/usc/16/6456.md?p=2) forests and of insuring coordinated effort by Federal and [State](/usc/16/6456.md?p=2) agencies in carrying out a comprehensive national [program](/usc/16/460ss–6.md?p=1) of forest-land management, the [Secretary](/usc/16/580p.md?p=3) of Agriculture is authorized to enter into cooperative agreements with appropriate officials of any [State](/usc/16/6456.md?p=2) or [States](/usc/16/544.md?p=r) for acquiring in the name of the United States, by purchase or otherwise, such [forest lands](/usc/16/544.md?p=f) within the cooperating [State](/usc/16/6456.md?p=2) as in his judgment the [State](/usc/16/6456.md?p=2) is adequately prepared to administer, develop, and manage as [State](/usc/16/6456.md?p=2) forests in accordance with the provisions of [sections 567a to 567c](/usc/16/567a..567c.md) of this title and with such other terms not inconsistent therewith as he shall prescribe, such [acquisition](/usc/16/620e.md?p=1) to include the mapping, examination, appraisal, and surveying of such lands and the doing of all things necessary to perfect title thereto in the United States: Provided, That, since it is the declared policy of Congress to maintain and, where it is in the national interest to extend the national-forest [system](/usc/16/668ee.md?p=14), nothing herein shall be construed to modify, limit, or change in any manner whatsoever the future ownership and administration by the United States of existing [national forests](/usc/16/5207.md?p=3) and related facilities, or hereafter to restrict or prevent their extension through the [acquisition](/usc/16/620e.md?p=1) by purchase or otherwise of additional lands for any national-forest purpose: Provided further, That [sections 567a to 567c](/usc/16/567a..567c.md) of this title shall not be construed to limit or repeal any legislation authorizing land exchanges by the Federal Government, and [private lands](/usc/16/620e.md?p=6) acquired by exchange within the limits of any [area](/usc/16/539m–1.md?p=1-A) subject to a cooperative agreement of the character herein authorized shall hereafter be subject to the provisions of [sections 567a to 567c](/usc/16/567a..567c.md) of this title.


## Source credit

(Aug. 29, 1935, ch. 808, § 1, 49 Stat. 963.)