Timber Cutting Permits

Expected Timeframe:

Can take as little as 2 weeks (clearing for a homesite) or up to 1 year (Large-scale timber harvest).

Penalties:

Harvesting timber on trust or allotted lands without a BIA Timber Cutting Permit can result in severe penalties. The landowner not only forgoes the money he or she would have received for the harvested timber but also is liable for a fine from the BIA of triple the value of the harvested timber. In addition, the Lummi Nation may issue a fine ranging between $500 and $10,000.

Timber Cutting Permit Steps


Landowners are often surprised at the amount of time it can take to obtain a valid Timber Cutting Permit. To provide you with an understanding of all the field and office work involved, the checklist used by the Forestry Division to ensure compliance with all tribal and federal rules is provided below.

Once all of these steps are completed and all requirements are met, we are then able to issue a valid BIA approved Timber Cutting Permit.

1. Obtain Land Use Application
2. Verify Ownership
3. Preliminary Reconnasaince
4. Property Line Survey
5. Environmental & Biological Assessment
6. Timber Cruise, Road Layout & Harvest Design
7. Timber Appraisal & Marketing
8. Forest Officer’s Report or Narrative
9. Sale Advertisement & Prospectus
10. Timber Cutting Permit or Timber Sale Contract
11. Pre-logging Conference
12. Contract Execution and Compliance
13. Site Preparation
14. Statement of Completion
15. Reforestation