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FOREST SERVICE MANUAL
PACIFIC NORTHWEST REGION (REGION 6)
PORTLAND, OREGON
FSM 2800 – MINERALS AND GEOLOGY
CHAPTER 2850 – MINERAL MATERIALS
R6 Supplement No.: 2800-2007-1
Effective Date: May 25, 2007
Duration: This supplement is effective until superseded or removed.
Approved: CALVIN N. JOYNER
Deputy Regional Forester
Date Approved: May 24, 2007
Posting Instructions: Supplements are numbered consecutively by title and calendar year.
Post by document; remove the entire document and replace it with this supplement. Retain this
transmittal as the first page(s) of this document. The last R6 supplement to this manual was R6
Supplement No. 2800-2003-1 to the 2800 zero code.
New Document
2850
7 Pages
Superseded Document(s)
by Issuance Number and
Effective Date
2850R6 Supplement No. 2800-95-4,
dated June 29, 1995
2 Pages
Digest:
2850.1 – Emphasizes discretionary disposal provided by the authorities.
2850.3 – Emphasizes and clarifies Regional policy.
2850.43 – Delegates authority to Forest Supervisors and establishes administrative fees for
mineral material disposals.
2856.21 – Establishes a minimum value to charge and conversion factors to use for mineral
materials sales and for use in year-end reporting.
2859 – Defines categories for the year-end mineral materials production reports.
R6 SUPPLEMENT FSM-2800-2007-1
EFFECTIVE DATE: May 25, 2007
DURATION: This supplement is effective until superseded or removed.
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FSM 2800 – MINERALS AND GEOLOGY
CHAPTER 2850 – MINERAL MATERIALS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
2850.1 – Authority ...................................................................................................................... 3
2850.3 – Policy ........................................................................................................................... 3
2850.4 - Responsibility ............................................................................................................... 3
2850.43 – Authorized Officers................................................................................................ 3
2856 - APPRAISAL ........................................................................................................ 4
2856.2 - Fair Market Value......................................................................................................... 4
2856.21 - Market Data Approach ........................................................................................... 4
2859 – REPORTING ....................................................................................................... 6
Classification of Material............................................................................................................ 7
R6 SUPPLEMENT FSM-2800-2007-1
EFFECTIVE DATE: May 25, 2007
DURATION: This supplement is effective until superseded or removed.
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FSM 2800 – MINERALS AND GEOLOGY
CHAPTER 2850 – MINERAL MATERIALS
This chapter sets forth the policy and procedures for the sale and free use of mineral materials,
which are generally the common varieties of rocks and stones, including petrified wood, sand,
gravel, stone, pumice, cinders, clay, and other similar materials that are used in agricultural
supply and animal husbandry; building materials; abrasives; construction; and landscaping. See
the regulations at 36 CFR 228.41(c)(1-5) for a complete listing of minerals classified as mineral
materials and 36 CFR 228.41(d) for a discussion of mineral materials that may be subject to the
locatable mineral regulations because of unique properties that give them distinct and special
value.
2850.1 – Authority
Separate authorities govern the disposal of mineral materials located on National Forest System
lands reserved from the public domain and the two categories of acquired National Forest
System lands (acquired under the authority of the Weeks Act or the Bankhead-Jones Act).
Under all three authorities, the Forest Service has discretion to refrain from authorizing the
disposal of salable minerals.
2850.3 – Policy
Region 6 policy is to make mineral materials available to the public and to local, State, and
Federal government agencies where reasonable protection of, or mitigation of effects on, other
resources is assured, and where removal is not prohibited. Disposal to local, State and Federal
government agencies should be at no cost, other than the fee for issuance and administration.
2850.4 - Responsibility
2850.43 – Authorized Officers
Forest Supervisors are delegated authority to conduct sales and issue free-use permits for mineral
materials up to the maximum amounts indicated in 36 CFR 228, Subpart C (the amounts vary
depending on the type of disposal). All or part of this authority may be re-delegated to District
Rangers.
In carrying out the responsibilities set forth in 36 CFR 228, Subpart C, authorized officers shall
charge at least the following fees, to cover costs associated with issuance and administration of
free use permits and sales of mineral materials:
Up to 5 cubic yards
6 to 100 cubic yards
101 to 5000 cubic yards
5001 to 15000 cubic yards
15001 to 50000 cubic yards
50001 to 100000 cubic yards
100000+ cubic yards
$0
$25
$50
$100
$200
$400
$600
R6 SUPPLEMENT FSM-2800-2007-1
EFFECTIVE DATE: May 25, 2007
DURATION: This supplement is effective until superseded or removed.
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FSM 2800 – MINERALS AND GEOLOGY
CHAPTER 2850 – MINERAL MATERIALS
For large quantity disposals, base fees on the actual time Forest Service personnel spend in
preparing the permit/contract and an estimate of the time necessary to administer the
permit/contract. An additional administrative fee may be charged to cover costs incurred for the
preparation of project specific environmental analysis and other required documentation. These
are costs incurred in issuing the permit or disposal. Fees collected are returned to the Treasury
and are not available for use on the local unit.
2856 - APPRAISAL
2856.2 - Fair Market Value
2856.21 - Market Data Approach
The following are minimum values for sales, and for reporting free and in-service use of crushed
stone, sand and gravel, riprap and cinders. The values are based on mineral commodity statistics
published annually by the U. S. Geological Survey and vary geographically. Values used by
Forests that exceed the values shown below should be supported by appraisal. Use the
conversion factors below to derive per ton prices from cubic yard measures.
Siuslaw, Mt. Hood, Willamette
Crushed Stone
$0.49/ton
Sand and Gravel
$0.54/ton
Riprap
$0.64/ton
Cinders
$0.45/ton
Umpqua, Rogue River-Siskiyou
Crushed Stone
$0.51/ton
Sand and Gravel
$0.67/ton
Riprap
$0.64/ton
Cinders
$0.45/ton
Ochoco, Deschutes, Fremont-Winema
Crushed Stone
$0.62/ton
Sand and Gravel
$0.48/ton
Riprap
$0.64/ton
Cinders
$0.45/ton
Umatilla, Wallowa-Whitman, Malheur
Crushed Stone
$0.50/ton
Sand and Gravel
$0.53/ton
Riprap
$0.64/ton
Cinders
N.A. (cinders from these forests not reported in last 5 years)
R6 SUPPLEMENT FSM-2800-2007-1
EFFECTIVE DATE: May 25, 2007
DURATION: This supplement is effective until superseded or removed.
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FSM 2800 – MINERALS AND GEOLOGY
CHAPTER 2850 – MINERAL MATERIALS
Gifford Pinchot, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie, Olympic
Crushed Stone
$0.52/ton
Sand and Gravel
$0.51/ton
Riprap
$0.66/ton
Cinders
N.A. (cinders from these forests not reported in last 5 years)
Okanogan-Wenatchee
Crushed Stone
$0.66/ton
Sand and Gravel
$0.45/ton
Riprap
$0.66/ton
Cinders
N.A. (cinders from these forests not reported in last 5 years)
Colville
Crushed Stone
Sand and Gravel
Riprap
Cinders
$0.62/ton
$0.42/ton
$0.66/ton
N.A. (cinders not reported in last 5 years from the Colville)
Prices for landscape rock and dimension stone vary significantly based on local market forces.
Recent appraisals of landscape rock and dimension stone in Washington by the BLM suggest
that no less than $5.00/ton should be charged for common landscape rock and dimension stone.
“Special” rock materials require a mineral appraisal to ensure that we are receiving not less than
fair market value for the material. A competitive sale is the best way to determine fair market
value.
Conversion factors are used to convert cubic yards of the mineral materials to tons of mineral
materials for the different types of rock available around the Region. This is important because,
in most cases, the Forest Service disposes of mineral materials by the cubic yard, while we are
required to report mineral materials production in tons. Two acceptable methods of determining
the conversion factors are direct measurement or the use of “book” values. In the absence of
direct measurement, the Forests and Districts should use the values listed below, which are from
the Handbook for Mineral Examiners (BLM Handbook H-3890-1), and other sources as noted.
The following conversion factors will be used in lieu of test results:
Basalt (crushed, pit run, landscape)
1.75 tons/cubic yard
Andesite
1.50 tons/cubic yard
Granite/Gneiss
1.60 tons/cubic yard
Cinders
1.00 ton/cubic yard *
Tuff
1.40 tons/cubic yard
Sandstone
1.45 tons/cubic yard
Shale
1.55 tons/cubic yard
Sand and Gravel (average dry & wet)
1.60 tons/cubic yard
*Direct measurement – Deschutes NF
R6 SUPPLEMENT FSM-2800-2007-1
EFFECTIVE DATE: May 25, 2007
DURATION: This supplement is effective until superseded or removed.
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FSM 2800 – MINERALS AND GEOLOGY
CHAPTER 2850 – MINERAL MATERIALS
2859 – REPORTING
Annual reporting reflects a need for basic information about the mineral materials program that
may be used in program development, budget process, policy formulation, and congressional
inquiry. At the end of each fiscal year the WO requires a report be filed showing the amount and
value of mineral materials produced by principal use (or classification) and by method of
disposal.
All units are required to use the automated reporting system in I-web for mineral materials. All
mineral material disposals will be recorded in I-web’s mineral materials database, which allows
for automatic upward reporting, i.e., the Washington Office and Regional Offices will be able to
pull a variety of reports from the database.
In order to ensure reasonably accurate reporting of internal mineral material use, those using
mineral material sources for Forest Service projects should get a permit sometime during the life
of the project. The permit will allow the Forest rock resource manager to track use and users of
our rock pits and quarries. There is no cost to the project. Basic information, such as material
source, quantity and type of material, will need to be provided to an I-Web mineral material user
or the Forest I-Web mineral material data steward. On most Forests, the front-liners have access
to the mineral material database and can issue the permit.
In addition to Forest Service use, we supply the information annually to the U. S. Geological
Survey (USGS) which integrates it with BLM data and production data provided by private
companies. The information is used to support executive policy decisions pertaining to
emergency preparedness, national defense, and analyses for minerals legislation and industrial
trends. The USGS is the official publisher of federal statistics on mineral commodities for the
nation.
R6 SUPPLEMENT FSM-2800-2007-1
EFFECTIVE DATE: May 25, 2007
DURATION: This supplement is effective until superseded or removed.
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FSM 2800 – MINERALS AND GEOLOGY
CHAPTER 2850 – MINERAL MATERIALS
Classification of Material:
Mineral materials types listed in the I-web database are defined chiefly by their principal use, but
modified somewhat to accommodate the needs of reporting the information to the USGS. For
example, the 228C regulations classify one group of mineral materials as building stone. Since
the term “dimension stone” is preferred by the USGS in their reports, list building stone as
dimension stone.
The categories used in the production report are:
Dimension Stone – This is the same as building stone and construction stone, if the
materials meet width, length, and thickness specifications.
Sand & gravel – Sand and gravel is produced from a pit that consists primarily of
unconsolidated materials, e.g., alluvium. The value reported for sand and gravel should
be the in-place or pit run value. It should not be the value of the material after
processing, i.e., excavation, crushing, and stockpiling.
Crushed Stone – Crushed stone is produced from a pit that consists primarily of
consolidated materials. Although it may be used for a variety of purposes, in Region 6 it
is most commonly used as aggregate for road base and surfacing. The value reported for
crushed stone should be the in-place or pit run value. It should not be the value of the
rock after processing, i.e., excavation, crushing, and stockpiling.
Clay – An extremely fine-grained natural earthy material composed primarily of hydrous
aluminum silicates. It may be a mixture of clay minerals and small amounts of non-clay
materials or it may be predominantly one clay mineral.
Riprap – Large, durable fragments of broken rock, specially selected and graded, thrown
together irregularly or fitted together to prevent erosion and thereby preserve the shape of
a surface, slope, or underlying structure.
Landscape rock – This category includes boulders, decorative rock, moss rock, columnar
basalt/andesite, and other usually large rocks that people use for landscaping around their
yards.
Cinder - A loose, usually glassy or vesicular, volcanic fragment erupted from a volcano
that is coarser than volcanic ash but smaller than a volcanic bomb.
Specialty Material – This category includes pumice, obsidian, peat, quartz crystal, etc.