:
1231.2
Page 1 of 3
FOREST SERVICE MANUAL
SANDY, OREGON
FSM 1200 – ORGANIZATION
CHAPTER 1230 – DELEGATIONS OF AUTHORITY AND
RESPONSIBLITY
Mt. Hood Supplement No.: 1200-2001-1
Effective Date: February 5, 2001
Duration: Effective until superseded or removed
Approved:/s/ Gary L. Larsen
Date Approved: 2/02/2001
Forest Supervisor
Posting Instructions: 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.
1231.2
New Document(s):
3 Pages
Superseded Document(s):
(Last supplement was Mt. Hood
Supplement FSM 1200-99-1)
Digest:
1231.2
Updates signing designations and authorities to reflect changes in
personnel and organization.
MH SUPPLEMENT-1200-2001-1
EFFECTIVE DATE:2/05/2001
DURATION: Effective until superseded or removed
1231.2
Page 2 of 3
FSM 1200 - ORGANIZATION
1231.2 – Approval and Signing Authorities for National Forest. To expedite correspondence,
full delegation of signing authority is necessary. At the same time, creation of written material
must be carefully controlled as to quantity, quality, coordination and adherence to organization
objectives. If full delegation of signing authority is not accepted and executed in a responsible
manner, impacts on work programs can endanger the overall effectiveness of the organization.
For this reason, the delegation of signing authority carries a burden of accountability.
1. Mt. Hood National Forest Headquarters Approval and Signing Authorities.
The following general types of correspondence originate at the Forest level:
a. Letters destined outside the Forest Service.
b. Memoranda to the Regional Forester, Regional Office Directors, Research Stations,
Centers or Experimental Forests and to other Forests.
c.
Memoranda to the District Rangers or others within the Forest organization.
d.
Contracts, agreements, permits and purchase orders.
e.
Forms, exclusive of those listed in d requiring signature.
2. Executive Signing Authority. Persons delegated authority to sign correspondence are
responsible for its tone and content and for verifying that there is evidence of proper staff
concurrences. The file copy must bear concurrences of the originator of the correspondence and
of the appropriate staff officer.
The author is also responsible for clarity, tone, completeness, and for compliance with policy,
procedure and practice. Typists and section heads responsible for review are expected to correct
obvious errors or draw attention of the author to lack of clarity or chance for misunderstanding.
3. Signing Authorities. Line correspondence will be signed by the Forest Supervisor, or
during the Forest Supervisor’s absence, by the Deputy Forest Supervisor. During absence of
both the supervisor and the Deputy, line correspondence will be signed by the Staff Officer
assigned as “Acting “ or designated substitute. Acting or designated substitute will sign as
shown in the following example. See MH Supplement FSM 1234 for “Acting” Forest
Supervisor assignments.
Lisa K. Norris
for GARY L. LARSEN
Forest Supervisor
MH SUPPLEMENT-1200-2001-1
EFFECTIVE DATE:2/05/2001
DURATION: Effective until superseded or removed
1231.2
Page 3 of 3
FSM 1200 - ORGANIZATION
Line correspondence is:
“Correspondence which changes work assignments, revises work programs, gives direction
and orders, or sets up policies.”
Each principal Staff Officer will sign over staff title, all staff correspondence originating in that
staff activity. For example:
LISA K. NORRIS
Natural Resources Officer
Staff correspondence is:
“Purely informational in nature, gives assistance and guidance to subunits or refers to
established policies, procedures or regulations, but carries no demand.”
Staff correspondence covering more than one Staff Officer’s activity must be signed by the
Supervisor, Deputy or designated “Acting.”
Some correspondence may fall into a grey zone between “line” and “staff”. When this occurs, it
should be signed by the Supervisor, Deputy or designated “Acting.”
A principal Staff Officer may delegate to subordinates the authority to sign over their titles on
correspondence of a purely routine, noncontroversial nature. This delegation will be by specific
written authority to the individual; a copy will be maintained in the official files.
Ranger Districts on the Mt. Hood National Forest will follow the same authority for signature of
District correspondence with the District Ranger or acting signing all line correspondence, and
staff officers signing staff correspondence.
Some district and forest employees are authorized to sign certain correspondence and documents
related to their positions, such as:
Contracting Officers Representative
Personnel Officer