National Forest System and Service
History and Operation
The founding of the National Forest System and the Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has its roots in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. The national forests (at first called forest reserves) began with the Forest Reserve Act of 1891, which allowed the President to establish forest reserves from timber- covered public domain land. Several early leaders and visionaries, along with willing Presidents (especially Teddy Roosevelt), scientific and conservation organizations, and newly trained forestry professionals, led the effort to retain millions of acres of Federal forest land for future generations.Congress established the Forest Service…
