In the United States, who owns the forest land that is home to timber harvesting? Why was the national forest system established, what was its mission, and who specifically directed its development? How did the political climate in the United States

Question

aid the formation of a system that incorporated the theme of conservation?

Answer 1

Most timber harvesting in the United States takes place on private land, including that owned by timber companies, but some takes place on public lands, notably the national forests. The national forest system, managed by the U.S. Forest Service, covers over 8% of the nation's land area. The depletion of the eastern forests and the fear of a "timber famine" spurred the formation of the Forest Service in 1905, under Gifford Pinchot. Pinchot and others developed the concept of resource management and conservation during the Progressive Era in American politics, a time of social reform when people had confidence that the application of science and education to public policy could greatly improve society. In line with Pinchot's conservation ethic, the Service aimed to manage the forests for "the greatest good of the greatest number in the long run." Pinchot believed the nation should extract and use resources from its public lands, so timber harvesting was from the start the goal of the national forests. But conservation meant planting trees as well as harvesting them, and the Forest Service would seek restrained use and wise management of timber resources, which are not renewable if not given time to grow back.