25 U.S.C. § 196 — Sale or other disposition of dead timber

The President of the United States may, from year to year, at his discretion and under rules he may set, authorize Indians living on reservations or allotments to fell, cut, remove, sell, or otherwise dispose of dead timber, standing or fallen, on that reservation or allotment. This only applies where the "fee" — the underlying legal ownership of the land — still belongs to the United States. Any benefit from this goes solely to the Indian or Indians involved. But whenever there is reasonable cause to believe that the timber was killed, burned, girdled, or otherwise injured on purpose, in order to make it eligible for sale under this section, that authority cannot be granted in that case.