The USDA Forest Service

The USDA Forest Service protects and oversees the 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands in the United States. Their job is to make sure that these locations are protected and overseen. The forest service has several different branches that help with these tasks. These branches are the Research and Development branch, the State and Private Forestry branch, and the National Forest System.

The Forest Service first began in 1876 with Franklin B. Hough. He conducted the first forest research by visiting the nation's forests. In 1881, the forest service was dubbed the "Division of Forestry." In 1891, it became legal to withdraw land by the government for reserves upon which nothing could be built. In 1901, the Division of Forestry was renamed the Bureau of Forestry, and in 1905, it became known as the USDA Forest Service. It has been discussed whether the forest service should be moved to the Department of Interior, along with the National Park Service and other land management agencies, but it has not been moved as of this time. In 1944, Smokey the Bear was first used to discourage people from causing forest fires, and his slogan, "Only you can prevent forest fires," is one of the most well-known phrases in the United States.

Each branch of the USDA Forest Service employs district rangers for each forest district in the U.S. Each district is responsible for forest management and forest conservation by controlling and overseeing the wildlife in those areas, building and maintaining roads through the parks, managing the vegetation, overseeing any campgrounds on the property, controlling animal grazing, and patrolling the grounds to ensure no illegal activities are going on, such as a uncontrolled forest fire. There is also a research subdivision of the forest service designed to study the ecosystem of the forest and other ecosystems that may occur in a national forest or grassland. The forest service is also responsible for preserving the areas of the country that Congress has designated as wilderness, and which cannot be habited. There is also a law enforcement division of the forest service, called the U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement & Investigations unit, and it creates and enforces laws dealing with the national parks and grasslands.

Now you know a little more about the USDA Forest Service and what it does. The forest service has spent many long years protecting and serving the United States forests, grasslands and the wildlife in those places. The forest service fulfils a great need for nature preservation, and it has a long and varied history. The United States would be much worse off and would lack a great deal of natural beauty if it wasn't for the forest service.