The transfer, made by act of Congress, took place in 1905, when the old 

 Bureau of Forestry became the Forest Service, with the ardent conservation- 

 ist, Gifford Pinchot, as Chief Forester. The Secretary of Agriculture com- 

 missioned the Forest Service to manage the forest reserves, which then com- 

 prised 56 million acres, so that they would provide the greatest good to the 

 greatest number of people in the long run. This cardinal principle has been 

 steadfastly adhered to through the years. 



FORESTS CREATED FROM THE PUBLIC DOMAIN 



In 1907 the name "forest reserves" was changed to "national forests" by 

 act of Congress, to indicate that the resources of these areas are not locked 

 up as reserves for the distant future, but are being utilized in accordance 

 with sound forestry practices and the needs of the people of the United 

 States. In 1907, also, Congress passed a law prohibiting any further addi- 

 tions by Presidential proclamation to the national forests from the public 

 domain in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Colorado, and Wyoming. 

 A few years later, California, Arizona, and New Mexico were added to the 

 list of restricted States. 



Since 1905, the area in national forests has more than tripled and has 

 been extended from the West to the Lake States, the East, and the South. 

 President Theodore Roosevelt gave an enormous impetus to the national 

 forest movement by adding 148 million acres during his administration 

 (1901-09). Today there are 158 national forests, covering a net area of 

 178 million acres. Withal, there are still several million acres of timber- 

 producing land in the public domain that should be in national forests. 



The national forests, as the map on pp. 16-17 shows, sprawl in scattered 

 stretches from Puerto Rico to Alaska and lie within or across the borders 

 of 42 States. In timber stands, they range from the pines of the deep South 

 and the southern hardwoods of the Appalachians to the spruces and pines of 

 the White Mountains in New England and the northern hardwoods of the 

 Lake States; from the pihon and juniper stands in the southern Rockies of 

 New Mexico to the pine and fir forests along the Canadian line in Montana 

 and Idaho; from the chaparral-covered foothills of southern California to 

 the great conifer stands of the Olympic and Cascade Mountains in northern 

 Washington. 



In Alaska, where valuable Sitka spruce and hemlock clothe the lower 

 flanks of the coastal mountains, are the Tongass National Forest, extending 

 from the southern tip of the Territory northward, and the Chugach National 

 Forest, located within sight of Mt. McKinley, the loftiest peak on the North 

 American continent. Far to the south, in Puerto Rico, is the Caribbean 

 National Forest, where great trees hung with vines and lianas spread their 

 immense crowns over a steaming tropical jungle of brilliant flowers and moss. 



National forests are, for the most part, located in the mountain regions. 

 Those in continental United States contain nearly one-sixth of our forest 

 land suitable for growing trees for commercial use, but much of this area 

 is of low productivity or is at present inaccessible. Timber and other forest 

 products are the chief crops on about half of the national forest land, 

 whereas forage and water are the main products on the remaining area. 

 Considerable areas are above timber line. 



West of the Great Plains the headwaters of practically all major streams 

 are in national forests. East of the Plains, the national forests protect the 

 watersheds of several important navigable rivers. Approximately 12 per- 

 cent of the western cattle and sheep range is in the national forests. 



