Discover History

Established in 1905, the Forest Service is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Forest Service manages public lands in national forests and grasslands.

Gifford Pinchot, the first Chief of the Forest Service, summed up the mission of the Forest Service - "to provide the greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of people in the long run."

National forests and grasslands encompass 191 million acres (77.3 million hectares) of land, which is an area equivalent to the size of Texas.

FOREST SERVICE HISTORY

Many early settlers of the west thought that there was an inexhaustible supply of natural resources, which led to overgrazing, over logging and destruction of public lands. There were only a few proponents of conservation and wise use of public lands in the country at the time. On May 25, 1907, the Inyo became the first national forest in California to administer public lands, "for the greatest good of the greatest number in the long run." [more]

BUDGET INFORMATION

The Forest Service gets its budget through the Department of Agriculture budget as approved by Congress. Get more budget details about the Forest Service. [more]

The Native People

The Sierra National Forest has been home to Native American people for at least 13,500 years. This date is based on obsidian hydration analysis of a Clovis point that was discovered in the upper reaches of the King’s River watershed a little above 8000 feet in elevation. “Clovis” refers to a projectile point type, as well as the culture that produced them, and they are generally believed to be the first identifiable culture in North America. Read more...