tribes to retain receipts from federal Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) projects, similar to states and ensure that cross-boundary authorities, initiatives and projects also serve tribal entities, not just their partners (J7). Create a specific non-competitive funding source for tribes to apply to that facilitates building relationships with neighbors (J6). BIA needs to provide opportunities for more tribal certified NASP training and/or provide the technical support for landscape projects (K9). Defining the governance structure of tribal forestry for the future: ■ Initiate a special independent commission to 1) evaluate the need to restructure and/ or consolidate the BIA, 2) conduct a balanced assessment of potential positive and negative impacts for both tribes and the BIA of increased numbers of tribes moving to self-governance, 3) what or how should the BIA be structured (E3) and 4) reassigning regions that are based off cultural-ecological characteristics rather than geographical boundaries (such as merging Maine tribes with the Midwest BIA region rather than being in the Eastern region). Consider strategically located forestry BIA service centers that tribes are allowed to reach out to based off their needs. ■ IFMAT IV recommends the Secretary of the Interior extend
and co-management processes forward. Encourage partners and tribes to maintain leadership for the duration of large-scale cross-boundary projects (J3). Performance evaluations should encourage federal employees to successfully utilize collaborative and co- management processes. As personnel leave positions, a checklist of duties and responsibilities incorporated in a plan needs to be completed for a smooth transition (K2). Address immediate threats to tribal forests: ■ Increase the rate of thinning to reduce stocking and improve forest fire resiliency. Utilization of thinning material is critical to improving forest health. Revise hazardous fuels reduction rules to integrate with thinning activities (D11). ■ Provide specific, “capacity building” training by the BIA for tribal foresters and technicians who may not have a strong background in forestry specific education. Such training could take the form of a “boot camp” that would prepare such foresters to be successful and would qualify them for entry into the National Advanced Silviculture Program (NASP) (C4). Training, education, and mentoring programs targeted at timber sales management need to be implemented at the BIA and tribe at all levels (D1). ■ Expand “strike team” model
implementation needs to be provided to BIA Regional offices (C10). Establish a training program that provides BIA officials and tribal leaders with better strategies of engaging with self-governance tribes through a spirit of government to government and consistent with Congressional policy rather than domination (G16). Sources of funding should be identified, and information provided to tribes about how to secure needed funding to participate in the ITARA Demonstration Project (H10). ■ Streamline the process of converting fee land into trust land (G10). ■ Clarify the relationship between BIA and tribes with respect to acquired fee lands. Allow tribes to integrate management of trust and fee forestlands, and co- management agreements into a single FMP (H2). ■ Review, under ITARA, the context of the Secretary’s trust responsibility and its fulfillment and changes in performance of inherent federal functions including related funding issues (G18). ■ Review the relevancy and address contemporary needs of tribes (G3) given the increasing trend of SG tribes. Rebrand the BIA to be a champion of tribal forestry that emphasizes support rather than having a focus on being a regulatory/ compliance agency. ■ Incentivize and reward tribes and federal agency staff that successfully move collaborative effectiveness of “forestry programs of the BIA” to
to create small, experienced teams that can assist tribes in technical areas of need including BAER, NEPA, geospatial analysis, forest
the ITARA Demonstration Project indefinitely (E12/ G17). Funding, policy, and procedural guidance concerning ITARA
14 Assessment of Indian Forests and Forest Management in the United States
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