TASK E: An analysis of the potential for reducing or eliminating relevant administrative procedures, rules and polices of the Bureau of Indian Affairs consistent with the Federal trust responsibility.
IFMAT I – 1993 II – 2003 III - 2013
Recommendation Implementation Status Transition From BIA Administration to Tribal Direct Operations of Forestry Programs
Recommendations in Response to Task E Findings
Partially implemented through the expansion of the self-determination and the self-governance programs.
Redefine the U.S. government’s role in discharging its trust responsibility so that tribal governments have primary responsibility for directing Indian forestry. The U.S. government should provide financial support, technical assistance, research access, and trust oversight. Technical assistance and trust oversight should be independent of each other. The new arrangement should reflect the following: ■ Each tribe should be the principal agent responsible for crafting, implementing, and monitoring a coordinated resource management plan congruent with its vision for forests and forest management. ■ Standards for evaluating performance in meeting the trust responsibility should be measured through both tribal monitoring and trust oversight. ■ BIA forestry should be reorganized to separate technical assistance from trust oversight. The BIA should retain technical assistance, but trust oversight should be delegated to an independent commission. ■ Technical assistance from the BIA should include full support for coordinated resource planning and management and also research access. A single manager should be responsible for delivering the entire natural-resource program at the local level. (IFMAT–I - Major Recommendation, page ES-15) Redefine the U.S government’s role in discharging its trust responsibility so that tribal governments have primary responsibility for directing Indian forestry (See individual sub-recommendations below). (Recommendation E1, V-37)
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There continues to be increased transition to direct tribal operations of forestry programs under P.L. 93-638. The Indian Trust Asset Reform Act (ITARA-2016) changes the BIA’s role in carrying out its trust responsibility and provides significant new authorities for tribes to exercise self-governance in management of Indian forests.
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A-44 Assessment of Indian Forests and Forest Management in the United States
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