42 



of the national forests. From then on more specific 

 policies were developed as experience or foresight 

 showed the need. 



At first, with a &quot;green crew&quot; in the field, 

 policies were developed mostly at the top. Then it 

 gradually became the practice to have meetings and 

 conferences in the regional or local headquarters 

 where general, regional or local policies were 

 adopted by concensus or, if no concensus, by 

 decision of the chief officer concerned. So, by 

 and large, policies have come to reflect the experience 

 and judgment of men at all levels of authority. 



Research in the Forest Service has contributed 

 heavily to the development of policies related to the 

 management of the different resources of the national 

 forests, and in such fields as fire control. 



Most operating policies have been developed 

 within the Forest Service, but some of special im 

 portance have been established directly by the 

 Secretary of Agriculture, usually after consultation 

 with the Forest Service. Many policies are contained 

 in the regulations relating to the national forests 

 and these are approved by the Secretary of Agricul- 



