History of the United States Forest Service

Gifford Pinchot and Theodore Roosevelt were influential in the early history of the Forest Service

Starting in 1876, and undergoing a series of name changes, the U.S. Forest Service grew to protect and utilize millions of acres of forest on public land. Gifford Pinchot, an early advocate of scientific forestry, along with President Theodore Roosevelt and conservation organizations, led the effort to manage forest for the public good.[1][2]

History

In 1876, Congress created the office of Special Agent in the Department of Agriculture to assess the state of the forests in the United States. Franklin B. Hough was appointed the head of the office. In 1881, the office was expanded into the newly formed Division of Forestry. The Forest Reserve Act of 1891 authorized withdrawing land from the public domain as "forest reserves," managed by the Department of the Interior. In 1901, the Division of Forestry was renamed the Bureau of Forestry. The Transfer Act of 1905 transferred the management of forest reserves from the General Land Office of the Interior Department to the Bureau of Forestry, henceforth known as the US Forest Service. Gifford Pinchot was the first Chief Forester of the US Forest Service.[3][4] In 1911, Congress passed the Weeks Act, authorizing the government to purchase private lands for stream-flow protection, and to maintain the lands as national forests. This made it possible for the national forest system to expand into the eastern United States.

Significant federal legislation affecting the Forest Service includes the Weeks Act of 1911, the Multiple Use - Sustained Yield Act of 1960, P.L. 86-517; the Wilderness Act, P.L. 88-577; the National Forest Management Act, P.L. 94-588; the National Environmental Policy Act, P.L. 91-190; the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act, P.L. 95-313; and the Forest and Rangelands Renewable Resources Planning Act, P.L. 95-307.

Timeline

List of Forest Service Chiefs

Forest Service Chief Foresters Years of Service Name of Agency Education
a. Franklin B. Hough[nb 1] 1876–1883 Division of Forestry Union College, Western Reserve College
b. Nathaniel H. Egleston 1883–1886 Division of Forestry Yale University, Yale Divinity School
c. Bernhard Eduard Fernow 1886–1898 Division of Forestry University of Königsberg; Prussian Forest Academy at Münden
1Gifford Pinchot1898–1901Division of ForestryYale University
1901–1905Bureau of Forestry
1905–1910U.S. Forest Service
2 Henry "Harry" Solon Graves 1910–1920 U.S. Forest Service Yale University
3 William B. Greeley 1920 -1928 U.S. Forest Service University of California & Yale Forestry School
4 Robert Y. Stuart 1928–1933 U.S. Forest Service Dickinson College & Yale Forestry School
5 Ferdinand A. Silcox 1933–1939 U.S. Forest Service College of Charleston & Yale Forestry School
6 Earle H. Clapp 1939–1943 (acting) U.S. Forest Service University of Michigan
7 Lyle F. Watts 1943–1952 U.S. Forest Service Iowa State College & Forestry School
8 Richard E. McArdle 1952–1962 U.S. Forest Service University of Michigan
9 Edward P. Cliff 1962–1972 U.S. Forest Service Utah State College
10 John R. McGuire 1972–1979 U.S. Forest Service University of Minnesota & Yale Forestry School
11 R. Max Peterson 1979–1987 U.S. Forest Service University of Missouri
12 F. Dale Robertson 1987–1993 U.S. Forest Service University of Arkansas
13 Jack Ward Thomas 1993–1996 U.S. Forest Service Texas A&M University, West Virginia University, University of Massachusetts
14 Michael Dombeck 1996–2001 U.S. Forest Service University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point and the University of Minnesota
15 Dale N. Bosworth 2001–2007 U.S. Forest Service University of Idaho
16 Gail Kimbell 2007–2009 U.S. Forest Service University of Vermont, Oregon State University
17 Thomas Tidwell 2009–Present U.S. Forest Service Washington State University

Sources:[5][6]

See also

Notes

  1. Dr. Franklin B. Hough was originally given the title of "Forestry Agent" in 1876. In 1881 the title was changed to "Chief". When Pinchot became Chief of the Division, he requested that his title be changed from "Chief" to "Forester". The title "Chief Forester" was adopted in 1935.

References

  1. "U.S. Forest Service History Collection". Forest History Society. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
  2. "History". U.S. Forest Service. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
  3. Williams, Gerald W. (2000). The USDA Forest Service --- The First Century. U.S. Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
  4. "United States Forest Service FAQ". Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  5. "Chiefs of the U.S. Forest Service". Forest History Society. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
  6. "History --- Leadership Time Line". U.S. Forest Service. Retrieved 2011-10-19.

Further reading