US Code

Public Law 119-73 (01/23/2026)

16 U.S.C. § 1606a

Reforestation Trust Fund

(a)

Establishment; source of funds

There is established in the Treasury of the United States a trust fund, to be known as the Reforestation Trust Fund (hereinafter in this section referred to as the “Trust Fund”), consisting of such amounts as are transferred to the Trust Fund under subsection (b)(1) and any interest earned on investment of amounts in the Trust Fund under subsection (c)(2).

(b)

Transfers to Trust Fund

(1)

In general

The Secretary of the Treasury shall transfer to the Trust Fund an amount equal to the sum of the tariffs received in the Treasury after , under headings 4401 through 4412 and subheadings 4418.50.00, 4418.90.20, 4420.10.00, 4420.90.80, 4421.90.10 through 4421.90.20, and 4421.90.70 of chapter 44, subheadings 6808.00.00 and 6809.11.00 of chapter 68 and subheading 9614.10.00 of chapter 96 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States.

(2)

Frequency

The amounts required to be transferred to the Trust Fund under paragraph (1) shall be transferred at least quarterly from the general fund of the Treasury to the Trust Fund on the basis of estimates made by the Secretary of the Treasury.

(3)

Adjustment of estimates

Proper adjustment shall be made in the amounts subsequently transferred to the extent prior estimates were in excess of or less than the amounts required to be transferred.

(c)

Report to Congress; printing as House and Senate document; investments; sale and redemption of obligations; credits for Trust Fund

(1)
It shall be the duty of the Secretary of the Treasury to hold the Trust Fund, and (after consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture) to report to the Congress each year on the financial condition and the results of the operations of the Trust Fund during the preceding fiscal year and on its expected condition and operations during the next fiscal year. Such report shall be printed as both a House and Senate document of the session of the Congress to which the report is made.
(2)
(A)
It shall be the duty of the Secretary of the Treasury to invest such portion of the Trust Fund as is not, in his judgment, required to meet current withdrawals. Such investments may be made only in interest-bearing obligations of the United States or in obligations guaranteed as to both principal and interest by the United States. For such purpose, such obligations may be acquired (i) on original issue at the issue price, or (ii) by purchase of outstanding obligations at the market price. The purposes for which obligations of the United States may be issued under chapter 31 of title 31 are hereby extended to authorize the issuance at par of special obligations exclusively to the Trust Fund. Such special obligations shall bear interest at a rate equal to the average rate of interest, computed as to the end of the calendar month next preceding the date of such issue, borne by all marketable interest-bearing obligations of the United States then forming a part of the Public Debt; except that where such average rate is not a multiple of one-eighth of 1 percent, the rate of interest of such special obligations shall be the multiple of one-eighth of 1 percent next lower than such average rate. Such special obligations shall be issued only if the Secretary of the Treasury determines that the purchase of other interest-bearing obligations of the United States, or of obligations guaranteed as to both principal and interest by the United States on original issue or at the market price, is not in the public interest.
(B)
Any obligation acquired by the Trust Fund (except special obligations issued exclusively to the Trust Fund) may be sold by the Secretary of the Treasury at the market price, and such special obligations may be redeemed at par plus accrued interest.
(C)
The interest on, and the proceeds from the sale or redemption of, any obligations held in Trust Fund shall be credited to and form a part of the Trust Fund.
(d)

Obligations from Trust Fund

The Secretary of Agriculture is on and after , authorized to obligate such sums as are available in the Trust Fund (including any amounts not obligated in previous fiscal years) for—
(1)
section 1601 of this title reforestation and timber stand improvement as specified in subsection (e) of and other forest stand improvement activities to enhance forest health and reduce hazardous fuel loads of forest stands in the National Forest System; and
(2)
properly allocable administrative costs of the Federal Government for the activities specified above.

Pub. L. 96–451, title III, § 30394 Stat. 1991Pub. L. 97–424, title IV, § 42296 Stat. 2164Pub. L. 99–190, § 101(d) [title II, § 201]99 Stat. 1224Pub. L. 100–418, title I, § 1214(r)102 Stat. 1160Pub. L. 105–83, title III, § 322111 Stat. 1596Pub. L. 117–58, div. G, title III, § 70302(b)135 Stat. 1260(, , ; , , ; , , , 1245; , , ; , , ; , , .)

Editorial Notes

References in Text

section 1202 of Title 19The Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, referred to in subsec. (b)(1), is not set out in the Code. See Publication of Harmonized Tariff Schedule note set out under , Customs Duties.

Codification

Section was not enacted as part of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 which comprises this subchapter.

Pub. L. 97–258, § 4(b)96 Stat. 1067In subsec. (c)(2)(A), “chapter 31 of title 31” substituted for “the Second Liberty Bond Act, as amended” on authority of , , , the first section of which enacted Title 31, Money and Finance.

Amendments

Pub. L. 117–58, § 70302(b)(1)2021—Subsec. (b). , substituted “Transfers to Trust Fund” for “Transfer of certain tariff receipts to Trust Fund; fiscal year limitation; quarterly transfers; adjustment of estimates” in subsec. heading; inserted par. heading and substituted “The Secretary” for “Subject to the limitation in paragraph (2), the Secretary” in par. (1); struck out par. (2) which provided that the Secretary could not transfer more than $30,000,000 to the Trust Fund for any fiscal year; redesignated par. (3) as (2) and inserted par. (2) heading; and redesignated second sentence of former par. (3) as (3) and inserted par. (3) heading.

Pub. L. 117–58, § 70302(b)(2)section 1601 of this titleSubsec. (d)(1). , substituted “subsection (e) of section 1601” for “section 1601(d)” and made technical amendment to reference in original act which appears in text as reference to .

Pub. L. 105–831997—Subsec. (d)(1). inserted before semicolon “and other forest stand improvement activities to enhance forest health and reduce hazardous fuel loads of forest stands in the National Forest System”.

Pub. L. 100–41819 U.S.C. 12021988—Subsec. (b)(1). amended par. (1) generally. Prior to amendment, par. (1) read as follows: “Subject to the limitation in paragraph (2), the Secretary of the Treasury shall transfer to the Trust Fund an amount equal to the sum of the tariffs received in the Treasury after , under subparts A and B of part 1 of schedule 2 of the Tariff Schedules of the United States () and under part 3 of such schedule.”

Pub. L. 99–1901985—Subsec. (d). amended subsec. (d) generally, substituting provisions authorizing the Secretary to obligate available sums in the Trust Fund, for provisions requiring the Secretary to expend all available amounts in each of fiscal years 1983, 1984, and 1985.

Pub. L. 99–190Subsec. (e). struck out subsec. (e) which related to sense of Congress with respect to disposition of unexpended funds.

Pub. L. 97–424, § 422(b)1983—Subsec. (b)(1). , struck out “and before ,” after “”.

Pub. L. 97–424, § 422(a)section 1601(d)(2) of this titlesection 1601(d)(3) of this titleSubsec. (d). , substituted provisions relating to fiscal years 1983 through 1985 for provision that directed that for each of the first 5 fiscal years beginning after , there was authorized after that date to be appropriated to the Secretary of Agriculture, out of any amounts in the Trust Fund, an amount equal to the sum of the amount by which the sum estimated by the Secretary of Agriculture for the fiscal year under to be necessary for reforestation and other treatment of acreage, as set forth in the report transmitted by the Secretary to the Congress under that section for the fiscal year, exceeded the sum of the amounts appropriated for the fiscal year under the authorization contained in and under any other provision of law to carry out the same purpose; and such sums as were determined by the Secretary of Agriculture to be properly allocable to administrative costs of the Federal Government incurred for the fiscal year in connection with the reforestation program carried out under this chapter.

Pub. L. 97–424, § 422(a)section 500 of this titleSubsec. (e). , substituted provision that it is the intent of Congress that the Secretary expend all of the funds available in the Trust Fund in each fiscal year and that any such funds which are not expended in a given fiscal year remain available for expenditure without fiscal year limitation; except that any funds not expended prior to , shall, no later than , be distributed to the States for use in State forestry programs pursuant to the formula set forth in for provision that the Secretary of the Treasury pay into the general fund of the Treasury any amounts, including interest earned on such amounts, remaining in the Trust Fund after , which were not expended and remained in the Trust Fund.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 1988 Amendment

Pub. L. 100–418section 1217(b)(1) of Pub. L. 100–418section 3001 of Title 19Amendment by effective , and applicable with respect to articles entered on or after such date, see , set out as an Effective Date note under , Customs Duties.

Termination of Reporting Requirements

section 3003 of Pub. L. 104–66section 1113 of Title 31For termination, effective , of provisions in subsec. (c)(1) of this section relating to reporting to Congress each year, see , as amended, set out as a note under , Money and Finance, and page 143 of House Document No. 103–7.