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FOREST SERVICE HANDBOOK
Portland, Oregon
FSH 6509.11g - SERVICE-WIDE APPROPRIATION USE HANDBOOK
R6 Supplement No. 6509.11g-97-2
Effective July 7, 1997
POSTING NOTICE. Supplements are numbered consecutively by title and
calendar year. Post by document name. Remove entire document, if one exists, and
replace with this supplement. The last R6 Supplement to this handbook was
6509.11g-97-1 (6509.11g,0 Code).
This supplement supersedes Supplement 6509.11g-93-4.
Document Name
6509.11g,60
Digest:
62.3 - Removes obsolete reference to section 31.4.
62.6 - Removes material covered in the parent text.
/s/ Robert W. Williams
ROBERT W. WILLIAMS
Regional Forester
Superseded New
(Number of Sheets)
4
3
R6 SUPPLEMENT 6509.11g-97-2
EFFECTIVE 07/07/97
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FSH 6509.11g - SERVICE-WIDE APPROPRIATION USE HANDBOOK
R6 SUPPLEMENT 6509.11g-97-2
EFFECTIVE 07/07/97
CHAPTER 60 - PERMANENT APPROPRIATIONS
62 - WORKING FUNDS.
62.1 - Brush Disposal. Forest Service policy is that Brush Disposal (BD) funds shall
be collected and spent to treat debris resulting from timber sale operations only
when such treatment is for fuels management purposes. This is necessary due to
established rules of the Comptroller General for appropriation use to provide the
flexibility to use other appropriations to finance the treatment of such debris for
other than fuels management purposes (for example, use of KV funds for site
preparation purposes).
The term "fuels management purposes" refers to the level of fuel treatment required
that provides the most cost-efficient fire protection in support of land and resource
management direction. Treatment to the most cost-efficient protection level should
be charged to BD even if it is also sufficient to meet reforestation and other resource
objectives. It is BD's responsibility to treat the activity fuels to the established
(selected) fuel level (for protection purposes only), regardless of what else benefits.
Treatment beyond this level is to be funded from the program(s) requiring the need
for the further treatment.
1. Actual Brush Disposal Operations. Use the BD funds to pay all necessary
expenses to dispose of slash, other debris, and other actions necessary to achieve the
fuels management objectives on the sale, and as outlined in the fuel treatment plan.
4. Restrictions. BD funds shall only be used for the treatment of activity
fuels (fuels generated or altered by a timber sale) for fuels management purposes.
Treatment of activity fuels for other than fuels management purposes must be
financed by the benefiting funds requiring the treatment.
62.3 - Operation and Maintenance of Forest Service Quarters. Quarters
maintenance funds (QMQM) may only be used to operate and maintain Forest
Service employee quarters and the related indirect costs associated with this
activity. This fund is not available to maintain other government facilities such as
warehouses or offices. If there is a shortage of QMQM funds to operate and
maintain employee quarters, the excess costs are the responsibility of the benefiting
funds (the funds through which the employee is normally financed). However, if
they are financed from WFPR, WFSU or NFS system funds, the NFS maintenance
of improvements funds (NFFA) bears responsibility for the excess costs.
This fund may also be used to pay the rental costs of leased quarters (housing)
where the Government has leased quarters for employees due to extreme housing
shortages in the area. In such cases, the employees are charged an appropriate
quarters deduction by way of the payroll system for deposit to the quarters
maintenance fund. Operation of quarters as mentioned in the parent text includes
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rental costs, utility costs, and other direct costs related to providing housing for
employees.
62.4 - Restoration of Lands and Improvements. The parent text refers to
Comptroller General (CG) decision number B-226132 dated February 26, 1988, for
information on reimbursements to Forest Service appropriations. This CG decision
referred to section 579c of title 16 of the United States Code and stated in part the
following:
Although its legislative history provides little guidance on section 579's
intention, we think it reasonable to construe it as establishing a system for
funding repairs which is intended to operate in conjunction with generally
available appropriations. The language of 579c is consistent with this view.
We interpret the language "cover the cost to the United States of any
improvement, protection or rehabilitation work..." as meaning to cover the
costs of the repairs whether initially funded from general appropriations or
from deposits in the 579c account. Thus, when proceeds from bond
forfeitures subsequently are received, they are to be covered back into the
general appropriation used to the extent of the costs.
For clarification, 16 U.S.C. 579c covers situations broader than just bond
forfeitures. It also includes moneys received as a result of a judgment, compromise,
or settlement of any claim involving present or potential damage to lands or
improvements.
Based on this CG decision, if Forest Service appropriations were used to complete
the required work, and subsequent collections are then received under this
authority, the collections may be used to reimburse the cost charged to Forest
Service appropriations. Moneys received that exceed incurred costs shall be
deposited to miscellaneous receipts. An accounting adjustment shall be processed
to adjust the charges from the appropriations account that was initially charged to
a reimbursable account where the collections will also be deposited.