United States Forest Service facts for kids
The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency that works for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Its main job is to manage and protect the country's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. These lands cover a huge area, about 193 million acres (780,000 square kilometers).
The Forest Service is divided into several main parts: the Chief's Office, the National Forest System, State and Private Forestry, Business Operations, and Research and Development. It manages about a quarter of all federal lands in the U.S. It's special because it's the only major land management agency not part of the U.S. Department of the Interior, which handles places like national parks and wildlife refuges.
Logo of the U.S. Forest Service
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Flag of the U.S. Forest Service
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| Agency overview | |
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| Formed | February 1, 1905 |
| Preceding agency |
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| Jurisdiction | Federal government of the United States |
| Headquarters | Sidney R. Yates Building 1400 Independence Ave SW Washington, D.C. |
| Employees |
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| Annual budget | $5.384 billion (additionally, $2.04 billion for wildfire adjustment) (FY 2021) |
| Minister responsible |
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| Agency executives |
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| Parent agency | U.S. Department of Agriculture |
Contents
How the Forest Service Started
The idea for national forests came from a group led by Theodore Roosevelt. They were worried about the forests, especially around Yellowstone National Park, as early as 1875.
In 1876, the U.S. Congress created a special office in the Department of Agriculture. Its job was to check on the health and quality of forests across the country. Franklin B. Hough was chosen to lead this office. In 1881, this office grew and was named the Division of Forestry.
Later, in 1891, a law called the Forest Reserve Act of 1891 was passed. This law allowed the government to set aside public lands as "forest reserves." These reserves were managed by the Department of the Interior. In 1901, the Division of Forestry became the Bureau of Forestry.
A big change happened in 1905 with the Transfer Act of 1905. This law moved the management of these forest reserves from the Department of the Interior to the Bureau of Forestry. At this point, the Bureau of Forestry was renamed the United States Forest Service. Gifford Pinchot became the first Chief Forester of the U.S. Forest Service.
Over the years, there has been some competition between the Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior over who should manage certain lands. Even though their jobs sometimes overlap, they remain separate agencies.
How the Forest Service Works
The Forest Service has a budget of over $5 billion each year. A big part of this money goes towards managing and fighting wildfires.
The main office of the Forest Service is in Washington, D.C. It has thousands of employees who work across the country in regional and local offices.
What is the Forest Service's Mission?
The main goal of the U.S. Forest Service is to keep the nation's forests and grasslands healthy, diverse, and productive. This way, they can meet the needs of people now and in the future. Their motto is "Caring for the land and serving people."
As a leading agency in protecting natural resources, the Forest Service helps protect and manage forests, grasslands, and water systems. They use an "ecosystem approach," which means they consider how everything in nature is connected. This helps them keep the environment healthy while also providing things like:
- Places for outdoor fun
- Clean water
- Timber (wood)
- Minerals
- Homes for fish and wildlife
- Wilderness areas
- Beautiful scenery
Every day, the Forest Service balances using resources, protecting nature, and offering recreation. They manage 193 million acres (780,000 square kilometers) of national forests and grasslands. This includes over 14,000 recreation sites, 143,346 miles (230,700 kilometers) of trails, and 374,883 miles (603,300 kilometers) of roads. They also help with timber harvesting and, importantly, fight many wildfires each year.
The Forest Service is organized into different levels: ranger districts, national forests, regions, and research stations. Each level has different responsibilities.
Leaders and Research
The Chief of the Forest Service is a career employee who leads the agency. This person reports to a higher official in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Chief's team sets the main policies for the agency, helps create the budget, and keeps Congress informed.
The Forest Service also has a big research and development team. They have five research stations, including the Forest Products Laboratory in Wisconsin. These stations have many scientists and staff who study forests, grasslands, and how to manage them. They look at things like how to restore forests, understand ecosystems, and track environmental changes.
Forest Service Regions
The Forest Service divides the country into nine regions. Each region covers a large area and is led by a regional forester. The regional forester makes sure activities are coordinated among the different forests in their area and helps with land use planning.
Some of the regions include:
- Northern Region: Covers states like Montana and parts of Idaho and Wyoming.
- Rocky Mountain: Includes Colorado, Nebraska, and most of Wyoming and South Dakota.
- Southwestern: Covers New Mexico and Arizona.
- Pacific Northwest: Includes Washington and Oregon.
- Southern: Covers many states in the Southeast, like Florida, Georgia, and Texas.
- Alaska: Covers the state of Alaska.
National Forests and Ranger Districts
The Forest Service manages 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands. Each of these is led by a forest supervisor. The supervisor's office helps coordinate activities and provides support to the smaller units called ranger districts.
There are over 600 ranger districts, which are the smallest local units. Each district has a team of people led by a district ranger. This is where most of the daily work happens, like building and maintaining trails, running campgrounds, and managing plants and wildlife.
Main Parts of the Forest Service
Law Enforcement & Investigations
The U.S. Forest Service has its own law enforcement team called Law Enforcement & Investigations (LEI). They are a federal law enforcement agency. Their job is to make sure federal laws and rules are followed on national forest lands.
This team has two main parts:
- Law enforcement officers (LEOs): These are uniformed officers who patrol the lands. They carry firearms, make arrests, and protect natural resources, Forest Service employees, and visitors. They use different vehicles like SUVs, horses, K-9 units, and even snowmobiles to cover the large areas.
- Special agents: These are plainclothes investigators who look into serious crimes. They conduct complex investigations, gather evidence, and work with U.S. Attorneys to bring cases to court.
National Forest System
The 193 million acres (780,000 square kilometers) of public land managed as national forests and grasslands are called the National Forest System. These lands are in 44 states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. They make up about 9% of all land in the United States. The goal of the National Forest System is to protect and manage these lands in a way that uses resources wisely and meets the needs of people.
State, Private and Tribal Forestry
This program helps private landowners, state agencies, and Native American tribes. It gives them financial and technical help to manage their forests and communities. This includes protecting them from wildfires, insects, diseases, and invasive plants or animals.
Research and Development
The research and development (R&D) part of the Forest Service works to make U.S. forests and grasslands healthier and more useful. They have been doing research since the agency started in 1905. Today, scientists study many things, from biology to social sciences, to help manage these lands sustainably.
Their research helps guide decisions about land management. For example, they study how to deal with invasive insects, improve unhealthy river systems, or find sustainable ways to harvest wood. They share their findings and technology with the public.
International Programs
The Forest Service also works with other countries to help protect and manage forests around the world. They work with groups like USAID and the State Department. This program helps share knowledge and technologies between the U.S. and other nations, promoting sustainable land management globally.
Dealing with Environmental Challenges
Even though a lot of timber is logged each year, not all National Forests are completely covered in trees. For example, the Tongass National Forest in Alaska has glaciers, and some national forests have ski areas. The Forest Service also manages National Grasslands in the Midwest. Some areas are even set aside as wilderness by Congress, where logging, mining, and building are not allowed.
Since 1978, several U.S. Presidents have asked the Forest Service to manage National Monuments that are located within existing National Forests. These include:
- Admiralty Island National Monument – Alaska
- Giant Sequoia National Monument – California
- Misty Fjords National Monument – Alaska
- Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument – Washington
- Newberry National Volcanic Monument – Oregon
- Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument – California (managed with the Bureau of Land Management)
The Forest Service also manages Grey Towers National Historic Site in Pennsylvania. This was the home of Gifford Pinchot, the first Chief of the Forest Service.
Fighting Wildfires
Since 1935, the Forest Service has had a policy to put out all wildfires quickly.
In 1944, to help prevent forest fires, the Forest Service started a campaign with a black bear on posters. This bear later became famous as Smokey Bear. His well-known saying, "Only YOU can prevent forest fires" (later changed to "wildfires"), is one of the most recognized slogans in the U.S. Smokey Bear is a symbol protected by law and is owned by the Forest Service, the Ad Council, and the National Association of State Foresters.
In 2000, after a year of many fires, the Departments of Agriculture and the Interior created a plan called the "National Fire Plan." This plan helps respond to wildfires, reduce their impact on communities, and make sure there are enough firefighters in the future. The National Fire Plan is still a very important part of the Forest Service's work today.
Sometimes, the Forest Service faces challenges with funding for fighting fires. For example, in 2014, they had to delay some wildfire prevention projects because money for fighting active fires was running low. This showed that the way fire fighting is funded might need to be changed.
The U.S. Forest Service also helps other countries. For instance, during the big bushfires in Australia in 2019–2020, the U.S. Forest Service sent firefighters to help.
Adapting to Climate Change
In 2023, the U.S. Forest Service proposed new rules to help its lands deal with climate change. They noted that climate change causes more wildfires, droughts, insect outbreaks, and extreme weather. These changes affect national forests and grasslands more and more.
The main question they asked was: "How should the Forest Service change its policies and actions to make national forests and grasslands stronger against climate change?" They want to make sure the land stays healthy and can support people and economies over time. They also looked at how to plan and carry out actions to adapt to these changes.
Storing Carbon
Also in 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture suggested a change to allow for "responsible use" of carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration on National Forest lands. This means finding ways to capture and store carbon to help reduce climate change.
Images for kids
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Logo of the U.S. Forest Service
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Flag of the U.S. Forest Service
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Map of all federally owned land in the United States. The green represents the Forest Service.
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The Forest Products Laboratory, in Madison, Wisconsin.
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Map of the nine regions
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Patch of the Law Enforcement & Investigations unit
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A horse patrol of the Law Enforcement & Investigations unit
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Forest Service team uses a 106 mm recoilless rifle for avalanche control at Mammoth Mountain in the Inyo National Forest in California. Note the Minarets in background.
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The U.S. Forest Service R&D lab in Olympia, Washington
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More than 80% of the 193 million acres (780,000 km2) of land managed by the United States Forest Service is in the western states. This map shows USFS lands as a percentage of total land area in each state.
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Smokey Bear poster
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US Forest Service firefighters and Australian firefighters discuss plans to clear brush along a trail in Victoria, Australia.
See also
- American Experience (season 27) "The Big Burn" (2014)
- Architects of the United States Forest Service
- Environmental history of the United States
- Forests of the United States
- List of legislation governing the United States Forest Service
- National Forest Foundation
- Range Improvement Funds
- Recreation Residences
