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FOREST SERVICE MANUAL
TONGASS NATIONAL FOREST
FSM 1200 – ORGANIZATION
CHAPTER 30 – DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY
Supplement No.: 1200-2000-1
Effective Date: November 27, 2000
Duration: Effective until superseded or removed.
Approved: /s/Thomas Puchlerz
Forest Supervisor
Date Approved: 11/21/00
Posting Instructions: Supplements are numbered consecutively by Title and calendar year.
Post by document name. Remove the entire document and replace it with this supplement.
Retain this transmittal as the first page of this document. This is the first Tongass supplement
issued to this handbook.
New Document(s):
1233-1239
5 Pages
Superseded Document(s):
1230 (Chatham, dated 8/90)
1236.4 (Ketchikan, dated 5/81)
1233-1239 (Stikine, dated 8/94)
4 Pages
13 Pages
4 Pages
Digest:
1236.4 – Removes outdated summary of specific delegations of authority for the three “Area”
offices and reflects changes made as a unified Tongass.
TNF SUPPLEMENT 1200-2000-1
EFFECTIVE DATE: November 27, 2000
DURATION: Effective until superseded or removed.
1233-1239
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FSM 1200 - ORGANIZATION
CHAPTER 1230 – DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITY
1236.4 – National Forests.
1236.41 – Forest Supervisors.
1. In the Supervisors’ Offices of the Tongass National Forest, delegation to sign the
following types of correspondence and documents is limited to the Forest Supervisor or Assistant
Forest Supervisor, and is not redelegable to an Acting Forest Supervisor.
a. Documents establishing new policy or major or significant changes in
established policy.
b. Decisions made by the Forest Supervisor or Assistant Forest Supervisor under
the Appeal Regulations.
c. Transmittal of the Forest’s annual planning, budgeting, and management
information, letters directing use of staffing, all changes to budget and/or targets
during the year, and other documents of similar significance, unless otherwise
agreed to in writing.
d. Basic grants, agreements, and memoranda of understanding with other Federal
agencies, State authorities, tribal governments, and private organizations.
e. Official letters of retiring employees, messages of appreciation,
congratulations, or condolences to Forest Service personnel, or out-Service
people, as appropriate.
f. Changes to Tongass National Forest organization, including grade or
significant changes in duties.
g. All management review correspondence with the Regional Forester or a
District Ranger, and all management review documents, pertaining to
management reviews conducted by the Regional or Washington Offices,
including cancellation or establishment of reviews.
2. All other correspondence requiring signature by the Forest Supervisor or Assistant
Forest Supervisor may be signed by an Acting Forest Supervisor for either the Forest Supervisor
or Assistant Forest Supervisor, when the Acting delegation has been made in writing. A
Delegation of Authority letter will be signed by the Forest Supervisor and kept up-to-date,
describing a scheduled rotation for Acting Forest Supervisors. The types of correspondence
which may be signed by an Acting Forest Supervisor include the following:
a. Internal and external documents and correspondence involving major issues,
highly controversial events, and direction or policy decisions that pertain to the
TNF SUPPLEMENT 1200-2000-1
EFFECTIVE DATE: November 27, 2000
DURATION: Effective until superseded or removed.
1233-1239
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FSM 1200 - ORGANIZATION
CHAPTER 1230 – DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITY
total Forest program or which concern key, complex, or sensitive relationships or
other special situations.
b. Correspondence with members of Congress or the Governor of the State of
Alaska.
c. Records of Decision associated with environmental impact statement and
decision notices associated with environmental assessments or categorical
exclusions pertaining to actions for which the Forest Supervisor or Assistant
Forest Supervisor has approval authority and which are within the framework of
the Forest plan.
d. Letters to the Regional Forester concerning appeals made to the Regional
Forester under the Appeal Regulations.
e. Approval of Forest supplements to the Forest Service Manual or Forest Service
Handbooks.
f. Progress reports to the Regional Forester on the Forest Management Reviews
and Audits.
g. Correspondence responding to letters that were originally addressed to the
Regional Forester from individuals, Native corporations, State officials, and
others, when the request is specific to the Tongass National Forest and response
preparation is requested by the Regional Forester’s Office.
In these cases, the “Acting” individual will sign the document “for” the Forest Supervisor or
Assistant Forest Supervisor and write the word “for” before the printed name of the Forest
Supervisor or Assistant Forest Supervisor.
3. There are situations that will require a Staff Officer located in a Supervisor’s Office to
act on behalf of the Forest Supervisor or Assistant Forest Supervisor and, as a result, sign
correspondence and documents for the Forest Supervisor or Assistant Forest Supervisor. In these
situations, the authority to act on behalf of the Forest Supervisor or Assistant Forest Supervisor is
delegated to whichever Staff Officer is physically present in the local Supervisor’s Office.
This authority does not extend to items related to policy, personnel actions or program
direction, or as restricted in Items 1 and 2 above, and is limited to items that require expeditious
treatment for efficient conduct of Forest Service business. This delegation of authority will
occur only in the absence of the Forest Supervisor, Assistant Forest Supervisor, and Acting
Forest Supervisor from the local Supervisor’s Office.
TNF SUPPLEMENT 1200-2000-1
EFFECTIVE DATE: November 27, 2000
DURATION: Effective until superseded or removed.
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FSM 1200 - ORGANIZATION
CHAPTER 1230 – DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITY
Every attempt must be made to brief the Forest Supervisor or Assistant Forest Supervisor
or their Acting prior to signing the document. The responsibility of a briefing should also be
extended to the Staff Officer with the functional or program responsibility for the document
signed.
In these cases, the Staff Officer will sign the document “for” the Forest Supervisor or
Assistant Forest Supervisor and writes the word “for” before the printed name of the Forest
Supervisor or Assistant Forest Supervisor. The specific conditions for which correspondence
may be signed by a Staff Officer “for” the Forest Supervisor or Assistant Forest Supervisor
include the following:
a. In the case where the correspondence or documents are not easily transmitted
to another office and need immediate action.
b. In the case where the correspondence or documents are of a routine or
administrative nature that can more efficiently be signed in the originating office,
including transmittal letters.
c. In the case of technical, procedural, instructional, and staff negotiation
correspondence, bearing signer’s file designations, yet requiring a Forest
Supervisor’s signature.
d. In the case of local emergencies, for public safety, and to protect the health and
welfare of employees.
4. For signature by the functionally responsible Staff Officer:
a. Except as restricted in Items 1 and 2, any correspondence or documents
necessary to discharge the obligation of carrying out assigned functions.
b. Technical, procedural, instructional, and staff negotiation correspondence,
bearing signer’s file designations.
c. Routine, administrative correspondence involving only the originator’s office
or staff, but bearing another staff’s functional designation. (A courtesy copy
should be sent to the staff with the functional responsibility.) If the
correspondence is of more significance than could be termed “routine” or
“administrative,” it should be signed by the Staff Officer of the staff with
functional responsibility.
TNF SUPPLEMENT 1200-2000-1
EFFECTIVE DATE: November 27, 2000
DURATION: Effective until superseded or removed.
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FSM 1200 - ORGANIZATION
CHAPTER 1230 – DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITY
5. For signature by a specialist or group leader:
Correspondence, external and internal, directed to specific subject matter must be granted by the
Forest Supervisor, Assistant Forest Supervisor, or Staff Officer, in writing, using the criteria in
FSM 1235.6.
6. Delegated to a specific person:
a. The Staff Officer for Forest Management. Is delegated authority to make
commercial sales, approve other timber use, approve log export permits, and all
authority delegated by the Regional Forester to the Forest Supervisor for these
purposes. (Not redelegable to an Acting Staff Officer for Forest Management
without written authorization by the Forest Supervisor or Assistant Forest
Supervisor.)