Other Permits

Federal Regulations mandate that all commercial and non-commercial uses of Forest Lands be accounted for by special use permits. All research proposals require an assessment of whether the action is subject to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). If the action requires NEPA, coordination with the forest will be required and a NEPA decision signed before the actions can take place.

Many activities occur on the forest that may conflict with research projects, such as group recreational events, routine utility corridor maintenance, tree thinning, Christmas tree cutting, prescribed burns, habitat restoration, new land designations, and proposed land exchanges. Knowledge of research activities by Forest Service staff and regular communication can help minimize undesirable impacts to research projects.

The Forest Service has a wealth of information about its land and resources. Resource specialists can direct researchers to areas most appropriate for their needs, as well as offer information on management history or historical events, such as wildfires. Research permits facilitate this communication.

The Forest Service benefits from data that researchers provide. New information from researchers can be incorporated into Forest Service databases and used to improve forest management. Consequently, a summary of findings (e.g., copies of theses, dissertations, papers) from permitted research on the Coconino National Forests SHALL be provided to the Forest Service upon completion of the study.

It is important to promote and facilitate integration and coordination of complementary research projects. Spatial data on the location of all permitted research projects will be maintained on a forest-wide GIS map. Efforts will be made to link complementary projects and promote interdisciplinary research.

Anyone interested in performing any type of research on the Coconino National Forest regardless of context, scope, or intensity should make contact with the Land and Minerals Staff as soon as possible after the development of the project’s parameters. This allows the forest staff to determine whether or not you need a research permit prior to beginning the research and to have a discussion regarding requirements and timelines. Based on the contents of your research proposal you may not be required to obtain a research permit but you must make contact with Lands and Minerals Staff to allow them to make that determination.

Proponents should make contact as early as possible to first establish if they will be required to obtain a research permit. Because of the specificity of most research requests, it is almost impossible to provide a reliable timeline from the date a proponent has submitted a proposal until the issuance of a permit. The uncertain timeline for permit issuance means that you should submit your package immediately after assembling it! This provides researchers the best chance to acquire the permit in advance of the field portion of the research or to adjust your timelines as necessary.

1. SF-299 initiating the request, shapefiles of requested study area, and the project proposal. These three elements constitute the proposal package.
2. The proposal package is evaluated by the permit administrator based on a pre-screen and secondary-screen criteria we use internally to determine if the Forest Service can accept your proposal as an application.
3. Following acceptance of a proposal package as an application, your request is then evaluated by the staff Interdisciplinary Team for tentative approval.
4. If tentative approval is granted, a draft permit and bill for collection is generated. A typical research permit includes a cost recovery charge and a fee for the permit itself. These charges can change from year to year so check with the permit administrator to determine what the total fee will be.
5. Once the draft has been signed by the applicant and the bill for collection has been verified as paid, the draft is sent to the Authorized Forest Officer for final review and approval.
6. Permit is issued!

Be aware that a key element within the terms and conditions of any research permit will be a clause for the researcher to share any copies of data sets, graphs, charts, analysis, papers, and publications generated by the research within the Coconino National Forest. Make sure that this is included in and accounted for in your project proposal and at the conclusion of your research that copies of these materials  are either physically sent or electronically transmitted to the Lands and Minerals Staff promptly.