Task D Findings and Recommendations
D12 Finding
Recommendation ■ Tribes and BIA need to understand the breadth of governance available through contracting and compacting and consider the benefits of an ITARA proposal. Training from the Office of Self Governance should be conducted for BIA and tribes to fully implement the intent of the Indian Self Determination Act and improve the efficiency of tribal forest management activities. Tribes and BIA also need education and funding to support the expansion of ITARA to tribes that want to use it. Recommendation Improve the operating climate for tribally owned small log mills. ■ Make funding available for evaluating alternative processing options that can successfully utilize the products coming from the new mills. ■ Review national policy on providing tribes with funding and technical assistance and its effect on the tribes’ ability to develop a forest products infrastructure. ■ Consider an ecosystem services perspective that creates subsidies or provides offsets for improving water yield for adjacent urban communities, tap into markets for biomass, portable sawmills, marketing, and branding opportunities that are unique to tribal enterprises. Recommendation The BIA needs to issue uniform guidance for preparation and approval of Direct Pay Agreements.
Many tribes feel that the BIA requirements are redundant, take excessive time, and do not support the tribe in their goals and objectives.
D13 Finding
The BIA and some tribes have invested in milling infrastructure, but these mills (especially those dealing with small diameter material) have had limited success. ■ Tribes with these small milling systems are finding difficulty in securing enough volume to make it profitable. ■ Tribes are having difficulty in selling the final manufactured products. ■ Economics provided by tribal employment from tribally operated small log mills are often undervalued. Although NIFRMA and BIA regulations allow for direct deposits of timber revenue into local tribal bank accounts, some tribes are having difficulty establishing a Direct Pay agreement with the BIA. ■ Many tribes prefer to deposit timber revenue and FMDs directly into tribal local bank accounts rather than trust accounts using the BIA lock-box process. ■ There is a lack of clear guidance from the BIA regarding procedures for Direct Pay Agreements.
D14 Finding
116 Assessment of Indian Forests and Forest Management in the United States
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