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FOREST SERVICE MANUAL
DIXIE NATIONAL FOREST
FSM 1200 -ORGANIZATION
Supplement No. 1200-99-1
Effective November 15, 1999
POSTING NOTICE: Supplements are numbered consecutively by Title and
calendar year. Post by document name. Remove entire document and replace with
this supplement. Retain this transmittal as the first page of this document. The
last supplement to this Title was Supplement 1200-95-1 to FSM 1230
This supplement supersedes Supplement 1200-95-1 to FSM 1230.
Document Name
1230
Superseded
New
(Number of Pages)
6
6
Digest:
1230 - Includes Public Affairs Officer to the signing authority, updates the signing
authority for Dixie National Forest, and lists assignments and responsibilities of
Acting Forest Supervisor.
MARY WAGNER
Forest Supervisor
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FSM 1200 - ORGANIZATION
DNF SUPPLEMENT 1200-99-1
EFFECTIVE 11/15/1999
CHAPTER 1230 - DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITY
1230 - DELEGATIONS OF AUTHORITY
1236.41 - Forest Supervisors. Following are Acting Forest Supervisor assignment
for each calendar year are made:
January
Public Affairs Officer
February
Public Service Group Staff Officer
March
Ecosystem Stewardship Group Staff Officer
April
Work Environment Group Staff Officer
May
Public Affairs Officer
June
Public Service Group Staff Officer
July
Ecosystem Stewardship Group Staff Officer
August
Work Environment Group Staff Officer
September
Public Affairs Officer
October
Public Service Group Staff Officer
November
Ecosystem Stewardship Group Staff Officer
December
Work Environment Group Staff Officer
The Acting Forest Supervisor shall be available for duty during regular work hours
in the Supervisor's Office. during the absence of the Forest Supervisor. Specific
responsibilities of the Acting Forest Supervisor are:
1. Represent the Forest Supervisor at meetings or in contacts with individuals.
2. Consult with other staff officers on important matters before taking action
or making decisions.
3. Take prompt, direction action on any Forest emergencies or on critical
problems.
4. Inform the Forest Supervisor upon return of important matters handled and
matters needing further attention.
5. Sign correspondence in conformance with Dixie N.F. Supplement No 120099-1 to FSM 1236.43.
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When individual scheduled for "Acting" cannot be on duty, he/she is responsible to
find a substitute.
1236.43 - National Forest Signing Authorities
1. Policy. Delegation or authorizations prescribed below shall not preclude the
Forest Supervisor from exercising any of the powers conferred.
Staff Officers are delegated authority to exercise their responsibilities in the
program or functional area they direct. A Staff Officer does not have line authority,
but has authority to sign routine correspondence of a technical, procedural, or
informational nature over his own title, subject to the limitations specified below.
The person duly designated as Acting Forest supervisor during the absence of the
Forest Supervisor has all the signing authorities vested with the Forest Supervisor
except as limited in item 4 below, and will sign over the name and title of the Forest
Supervisor's name. (see Dixie N.F. Supplement to FSM 1236.41 for assignment of
the Acting Forest Supervisor).
In those areas, where Staff Officers are authorized to sign specialized documents for
the Forest Supervisor on a continuous basis, they will sign over the Forest
Supervisor's name and title and pen the word "for" in front of the Forest
Supervisor's name. (See item 5 below.)
2. Coordination. It is the responsibility of the primarily concerned Staff Officer
to assure that correspondence is correct, complete, clear, concise, consistent with
policy, and coordinated with other interested staff before presentation for signing to
the Forest Supervisor or designated Acting Forest Supervisor.
Correspondence shall be initialed on the file copy by the originating Staff Officer or
his designated "Acting" before presentation for signing. A copy of each piece of
correspondence shall be provided or routed to each involved Staff Officer and
District Ranger.
3. Forest Supervisor Will Sign.
a. Documents involving new policy or change in established policy.
b. Correspondence in reply to correspondence signed by the Regional
Forester or a Deputy Regional Forester.
c. Acknowledgment of correspondence received from members of
Congress, letters transmitting information to members of Congress, and
letters to the Regional Forester transmitting information for members of
Congress.
d. Correspondence with people outside the Forest Service which involves
policy, key individuals, or special sensitive situations.
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e. Correspondence which involves functional activities of more than one
Staff Officer on which specific procedure or policy for coordination has not
been established.
f. Correspondence dealing with complaints, appeals, or trespass reports.
g. Personnel action requests pertaining to PFT or WAE employees, and
approval of performance and suggestion awards.
h. Correspondence to employees involving possible conflicts of interests.
i. Transmittal letters for District Management Reviews.
j. Progress reports to the Regional Forester for Forest Management
Reviews and audits.
k. Approval signature for Environmental Assessments and related
documents requiring Forest Supervisor's approval.
l. Cooperative agreements (except routine range cooperative agreements,
memorandums of understanding, and annual operating plans pertaining
thereto.
m. Five-Year Timber Sale Action Plans and Range Allotment
Management Plans.
n. Correspondence with Regional Forester District Rangers concerning
assignment, adjustment, and attainment of targets.
o. Correspondence which, in the judgement to the responsible Staff
Officer, should be signed by the Forest Supervisor.
p. Closure orders.
q. Approval of Dixie Supplements to the FSM or FSH.
r. Letter of charges or reprimand to employees with Forest Supervisor's
authority.
s. Initial requests to District Rangers for special or non-scheduled reports
or special jobs that cause a direct impact on District personnel.
4. Acting Forest Supervisor. The designated Acting Forest Supervisor will sign
over the name and title of the Forest Supervisor and pen in the word "for" in front of
the Forest Supervisor's name as follows:
a. During a three-day or less absence of the Forest Supervisor: Items 3e,
o, and s.
b. During a four-day or long absence of the Forest Supervisor: If urgency
dictates, any of the items 3a through 3s.
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c. In an emergency in which the situation warrants it, during even a brief
absence of the Forest Supervisor: any of the items 3a through 3s.
5. Signing Authority for Staff Officers. Staff Officers are responsible for
carrying out the functions assigned to them and, except as specified in items 1
through 4 above, for signing the correspondence and documents needed to discharge
those responsibilities. Considerable latitude is granted for authorizing signing,
with the understanding that Staff Officers are to assure the exercise of skill and
judgement in recognizing borderline correspondence which should go the Forest
Supervisor or the designated "Acting" Forest Supervisor for signing.
Each Staff Officer is authorized to sign over his own title, routine correspondence of
a technical, procedural, or informational nature; and such documents as
performance ratings, career development plans, T&A's, overtime approvals, etc. for
subordinates.
Staff Officers may designate a person to be "acting" in the Staff Officer's absence for
signing of routine functional correspondence. The "acting" will sign over the name
and title of the Staff Officer, and insert the word "for" in front of the Staff Officer's
name.
In addition, some Staff Officers are authorized, on a continuous basis, to sign the
final approval of specified documents by signing over the name and title of the
Forest Supervisor's name. During the Staff Officer's absence, these documents will
be sent to the Forest Supervisor or the designated "Acting" Forest Supervisor for
signing. The specified documents are as follows:
a. Work Environment Group Staff Officer to Sign:
(1) Recommendations for designation and changes in imprest funds and
cashiers.
b. Ecosystem Stewardship Group Staff Officer to Sign.
(1) Documents for executing Forest Supervisor timber sales (except
Environmental Assessments).
(2) Prescribed burning plans requiring Forest Supervisor's approval.
(3) Escaped Fire Analysis.
c. Public Service Group Staff Officer to Sign:
(1) Special use permits, permit amendments, and related
correspondence.
(2) Mineral lease applications.
(3) Land acquisition and exchange documents.
(4) Engineering plans and plats requiring Forest Supervisor's approval.
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(5) "Engineering Representative" designations for timber sale contracts.
(6) Recommendations for award of contracts
6. Other Signing Authorities.
a. Work supervisors are authorized to sign and approve those items over
their own title that are generally associated with a supervisorsubordinate relationship; such as general correspondence to the
subordinate, T&A reports, leave slips, and performance ratings.
b. The author of a technical report or technical inspection may sign the
document over the author's title. The responsible Staff Officer shall
transmit such documents to District Rangers.
c. Employees with special designations, such as Contracting Officer,
Engineering Representative, COR, Forest Safety Coordinator, Committee
Leader, I.D. Team Leader, Property Management Officer, Unit Certifying
Officer, Purchasing Agent, and so forth. are authorized to sign
appropriate documents and correspondence over such titles.