VI. Grants and Agreements
Other Types of Agreements
The Forest Service uses a variety of other agreement instruments that do not fall under mutual benefit agreements, contracts, or Federal Financial Assistance.
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
A Memorandum of Understanding is a written plan between the Forest Service and other parties for carrying out separate activities in a coordinated and mutually beneficial manner. It also documents the framework for cooperation. An MOU is used in situations where nothing of value will be exchanged between the Forest Service and partners but there is a need to formally document the relationship.
An MOU is a nonbonding document, so any party can choose to not participate at any time. This type of agreement is particularly useful for interagency and government-to-government relationships. Under an MOU, each party directs its own activities and uses its own resources. There are no specific legislative authorities for MOUs.
MOUs can:
- Document relationships and/or coordinated efforts
- Involve partners such as federal, state, and local governments; educational institutions; private, for-profit, and nonprofit organizations; individuals; and foreign agencies and organizations.
MOUs cannot:
- Obligate or fund projects
- Exchange funds, property, services, or anything of value
- Involve work that is not authorized by legislation
MOU in Action: Poarch Creek Indian Plant Production Center
Restoration of the long-leaf pine ecosystem is an important goal for the Poarch Band Creek Indians (PBCI) in southern Alabama . The long-leaf pine (which currently occupies just 5% of its original range) provides high quality wood products as well as materials for traditional uses. It is also resistant to fire, insects, and disease. Although regeneration has proved difficult in the past, growing seedlings in containers has become a viable restoration technique within the last decade.
The PBCI had the resources to build a small production and training facility, but needed technical support for growing seedlings. The PBCI and the Forest Service agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding that provided for a joint commitment to the project. The Forest Service would provide the expertise needed to develop a container plant production center and teach tribal members about growing long-leaf pine seedlings and other native plants with commercial and cultural interest. All Forest Service contributions were in-kind technical services, rather than cash outlays. The Tribe provided the financial resources for facility development and management.
This MOU allowed the Forest Service to achieve several objectives: build capacity of landowners to restore cutover lands to a more productive condition, transfer research findings to others, and assist American Indian tribes to develop the means to improve land stewardship. The PBCI was able to advance restoration efforts on their lands, develop in-house capabilities of seedling and native plant product, and assure the success of investing in a plant production facility.