The Secretary shall commission every ten years an independent assessment of Indian forest land and Indian forest land management practices under the guidelines established in § 163.81 of this part.

(a) Assessments shall be conducted in the first year of each decade (e.g., 2000, 2010, etc.) and shall be completed within 24 months of their initiation date. Each assessment shall be initiated no later than November 28 of the designated year.

(b) Except as provided in § 163.83 of this part, each assessment shall be conducted by a non-Federal entity knowledgeable of forest management practices on Federal and private land. Assessments will evaluate and compare investment in and management of Indian forest land with similar Federal and private land.

(c) Completed assessment reports shall be submitted to the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs of the United States House of Representatives and the Select Committee on Indian Affairs of the United States Senate and shall be made available to Indian tribes.

Assessments shall be national in scope and shall include:

(a) An in-depth analysis of management practices on, and the level of funding by management activity for, specific Indian forest land compared with similar Federal and private forest land;

(b) A survey of the condition of Indian forest land, including health and productivity levels;

(c) An evaluation of the staffing patterns, by management activity, of forestry organizations of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and of Indian tribes;

(d) An evaluation of procedures employed in forest product sales administration, including preparation, field supervision, and accountability for proceeds;

(e) An analysis of the potential for streamlining administrative procedures, rules and policies of the Bureau of Indian Affairs without diminishing the Federal trust responsibility;

(f) A comprehensive review of the intensity and utility of forest inventories and the adequacy of Indian forest land management plans, including their compatibility with other resource inventories and applicable integrated resource management plans and their ability to meet tribal needs and priorities;

(g) An evaluation of the feasibility and desirability of establishing or revising minimum standards against which the adequacy of the forestry program of the Bureau of Indian Affairs in fulfilling its trust responsibility to Indian forest land can be measured;

(h) An evaluation of the effectiveness of implementing the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (Pub. L. 93-638, as amended) in regard to the Bureau of Indian Affairs forestry program;

(i) A recommendation of any reforms and increased funding and other resources necessary to bring Indian forest land management programs to a state-of-the-art condition; and

(j) Specific examples and comparisons from across the United States where Indian forest land is located.

The Secretary shall, within 6 months of the end of each fiscal year, submit to the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs of the United States House of Representatives, the Select Committee on Indian Affairs of the United States Senate, and to the affected Indian tribes, a report on the status of Indian forest land with respect to attaining the standards, goals and objectives set forth in approved forest management plans. The report shall identify the amount of Indian forest land in need of forestation or other silvicultural treatment, and the quantity of timber available for sale, offered for sale, and sold, for each Indian tribe.

The Secretary of the Interior may ask the Secretary of Agriculture, through the Forest Service, on a nonreimbursable basis, for technical assistance in the conduct of such research and evaluation activities as may be necessary for the completion of any reports or assessments required by § 163.80 of this part.