Start a Partnership with the USDA Forest Service of Obtain Federal Financial Assistance

The Office of Tribal Relations (OTR) for the Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, prepared this booklet to provide you, our tribal counterparts, with a better understanding of how best to work in partnership with the Forest Service. The Federal Government’s trust responsibilities and treaty obligations require the Forest Service to engage with Indian tribes in timely and meaningful consultation on policies that have a substantial direct effect on one or more Indian tribes (USDA Departmental Regulation 1350-002). Consultation alone, however, is insufficient. In addition to consultation, coordination and collaboration lead to information exchange, common understanding, informed decisionmaking, and mutual benefit.