U.S. Forest Service
What is the mission of the U.S. Forest Service?
How many acres does the U.S. Forest Service manage?
U.S. Forest Service (USFS), federal agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) charged with oversight, conservation, and stewardship of the nation’s grasslands and national forests. The agency operates with the mission of sustaining the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands in the public trust. It manages some 193 million acres (78 million hectares) across 154 national forests and 20 grasslands in 43 states, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. In addition, the agency also helps private landowners, communities, forest industries, and tribal, state, and local governments to steward land. In total, the Forest Service helps manage about 900 million forested acres (364 million hectares) in the U.S. The USFS is the largest forestry research organization in the world.
History
Early conservationists saw a need for a federal management of American forests beginning at least as early as the late 19th century, as industries including railroads, mining, farming, and logging expanded farther westward, leading to the degradation of natural lands with unchecked deforestation, soil erosion, and mineral extraction. Responsible stewardship was necessary to effectively manage the nation’s forests to ensure that they would continue to supply essential resources like timber, clean water, and other ecosystem services for future generations.
In 1876 the government made its first federal appropriation for forestry, engaging Dr. Franklin B. Hough as the first federal forestry agent and tasking him with undertaking a study on the state of forests and forestry in the United States. He was to report on issues such as the amount of consumption of timber and other forest products, best practices for the preservation and renewal of forests, the climate impact of forests, and an investigation into how these tasks were carried out in other countries. A temporary Division of Forestry was established within the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1881, with Hough named as its chief and only member. Five years later the Division of Forestry was granted permanent status.
After years of public and professional advocacy for forest management, the United States Congress passed the Forest Reserve Act, known also as the Creative Act, on March 3, 1891, authorizing the president of the United States to set apart and preserve federal lands as public reservations. These lands would be managed by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Weeks later Pres. Benjamin Harrison designated the first federal forest land, the Yellowstone Park Timberland Reserve in Wyoming. The first ranger and supervisor positions were established in 1898, under the Department of Interior’s General Lands Office (GLO). The Division of Forestry, still within the Department of Agriculture, was largely dedicated to the study of and recommendations for the forest system, while the operations of forest lands fell under the GLO.
Gifford Pinchot became chief of the Division of Forestry in 1898 and changed the position’s title to “forester,” a designation used until the 1930s. In 1901 the U.S. Congress passed the Forest Reserve Act, granting the president authority to establish forest reserves on public lands. In February 1905 federal management of forest lands was consolidated under the Department of Agriculture, and in July of that year, the department was renamed the U.S. Forest Service. In these early years the department focused on mapping forests, developing trail systems for public access, and safeguarding forests from threats like poachers, wildfires, and other hazards.
The USFS established its first regional offices in 1907, decentralizing management of regional lands, and allowing local offices to make decisions about the unique flora, fauna, and ecosystems within their jurisdictions. The following year, the agency organized its first research station, the Coconino Experiment Station (now Fort Valley Experimental Forest) in Arizona.
In 1910 an outbreak of forest fires burned 3 million acres (more than 1.2 million hectares) of forests managed by the Forest Service, leading to the adoption of strict fire prevention policies focused on total fire suppression. However, these policies evolved in later decades as research revealed the beneficial role of forest fires in ecosystem health and the development of the field of fire ecology. In the 21st centuryprescribed burns are regularly carried out in lands managed by the Forest Service.
The Forest Service is also responsible for Smokey Bear, known also as Smokey the Bear, the longest-running public service advertising campaign in the United States, created in 1944 to educate the public about the dangers of forest fires.
Following World War II, increased demands for housing materials prompted the USFS to prioritize of forest productivity, particularly with timber harvesting, at the expense of other land uses. The Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield Act of 1960 required the agency to equally consider the uses of recreation and conservation alongside timber production and water uses, promoting balanced and sustainable management of forest resources. This approach gained momentum with the growing environmental movement in the United States and increased public interest in recreation. By the first quarter of the 21st century, timber sales levels had dropped to pre-1950 levels.
Ecological sustainability is central to the U.S. Forest Service’s current forest management policy. It informs the agency’s practices, including timber harvesting, with the goal of sustaining the health of the nation’s forests for the long term.
Agency structure
“Caring for the Land and Serving the People.” —official motto of the U.S. Forest Service
The USFS headquarters is located in Washington, D.C. The agency is headed by a federal employee who holds the title of chief, and who reports to the under secretary for natural resources and environment with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Five program units fall under headquarters management: The National Forest System, charged with managing public lands; Forest Service Research, which conducts research to support the management of the nation’s natural resources; State, Private, and Tribal Forestry, which supports the management of lands that are not part of the National Forest System; Administration, responsible for the administration of the agency; and International Programs, which conducts research and provides support outside of the United States.
The USFS is divided into nine regions covering the United States and Puerto Rico, providing localized services to support diverse forest systems and grasslands across the country. Some 600 ranger districts provide the day-to-day operations on the ground and are the public face of the agency for visitors to national forests. As of 2024 the agency employed more than 30,000 workers.