Forest Conservation and Improvement Act

Forest Conservation and Improvement Act - Sets forth the findings of Congress and defines the terms used in the Act.

Provides for the preparation of comprehensive management plans by the Secretary of Agriculture for each national forest and other commercial forest land under his jurisdiction and by the Secretary of the Interior for each unit of the commercial forest lands under his jurisdiction, to be preceded by at least one public hearing in the major population center of the State affected and by the publication of the proposed plan in the Federal Register not less than 60 days before each public hearing.

Declares that after consideration of comments at the public hearings, the respective Secretary shall promulgate a comprehensive management plan by publishing the plan in the Federal Register, at which time he shall submit the plan and a map to the House and Senate Committees on Agriculture or Interior and Insular Affairs. Provides for the plan to take effect 120 days after submission unless disapproved by the committees, and requires at least one review of the plan, including public hearings, before December 31, 1986.

States that the plan shall be developed in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969.

Directs the respective Secretary, with regard to the commercial forest lands, to establish policies to assure that small business concerns obtain a fair proportion of commercial timber and other forest products.

Establishes in the Treasury of the United States a Forest Conservation and Improvement Fund to be available to the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management, and directs the respective Secretary to submit to the President and the Congress by March 1 an annual report describing the activities supported by the fund.

Provides for the establishment of uniform rules and standards with respect to the appraisal, sale and removal of timber and other forest products from commercial forest lands, and for at least one public hearing in each of the five forest regions of the United States and in Alaska.

Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a complete inventory of all non-Federal forest lands and private forest lands within the United States and to report the results to the Congress within 3 years from the date of enactment.

Prohibits the exporting of timber harvested from any commercial forest lands after January 1, 1974, unless the timber has been exempted from domestic processing under provisions of any Federal timber sale contract awarded prior to March 1, 1973.

Limits to 1,500,000,000 broad feet of timber the amount harvested from non-Federal or privately owned forest lands to be exported from the United States in any year after January 1, 1974; and provides after January 1, 1975 for the annual licensing, by the Secretary of Commerce, of exporters of timber from these lands, with quotas on the amount to be exported and a requirement to export an amount of furnished wood products, excluding cants, equal in dollar amount to the amount of timber exported.

Provides criminal penalties for violations of this Act.

Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to promulgate necessary rules and regulations for this Act.