A Review of the United States Forest Service

A Review of the United States Forest Service

The United States Forest Service (USFS) is a division within the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), which can trace its origin back to 1876 when Congress asked the USDA to evaluate the nation’s forests (United States Forest Service [USFS], n.d.a).  Subsequently, in 1891, Congress began setting aside areas of public land, known at that time as forest reserves.  The Department of the Interior was originally responsible for the reserves until Theodore Roosevelt formally created the USFS within the USDA in 1905.  Initially, the USFS’s primary function was to care for these national forests, but its scope has widened throughout the years.  Today, its mission statement is “to achieve quality land management under the sustainable multiple-use management concept to meet the diverse needs of people” (USFS, n.d.c).

            Gifford Pinchot was the first head of the USFS and recognized the importance of conservation of national lands.  He advocated a scientific approach to forestry—an approach that had largely been non-existent prior to the 1900s.  He strongly advocated for managing the nation’s resources at the federal level to ensure that private companies did not destroy the land for short-term profits.  However, he did recognize the need to use natural resources and opposed preservation for its own sake.  During his tenure in the USFS, he worked to allow private enterprises to use federal land using strict guidelines (The Forest History Society, 2014).

Pinchot’s prescience in the field of conservation seems to have been beneficial to the nation as a whole, as other countries have suffered from deforestation, especially within developing nations.  For example, in his book Full Planet, Empty Plates, Lester Brown outlines how deforestation causes soil erosion, which eventually causes loss of land for food crops (Brown, 2012).  This is currently happening in many Asian and African countries, as well as some European countries, and more aggressive plans must be put in place in order to keep soil from eroding further.  Deforestation also remains a major problem in South America, where the removal of tropical rainforests threatens many aspects of the environment, from water balance to wildlife (Brown, 2013).  Thanks to the efforts of the USFS, deforestation has not had a devastating impact in the United States.  Nearly all deforestation that has occurred in the United States took place prior to 1910 and the formation of the USFS.  Since that time, the amount of forest resources in the U.S. has remained fairly constant (Environmental Protection Agency [EPA], n.d.).

            According to its 2015 budget report, nearly half of the USFS’ budget is spent preventing and fighting wildfires (USFS, 2014e).  Prevention of wildfires—those fires that occur by accident—has been a large focus of the USFS in the past century.  The Smokey Bear ad campaign began in 1944, when accidental fires accounted for 9 out of 10 forest fires.  The Advertising Educational Foundation reports that the campaign has successfully reduced the annual number of acres lost to wildfires from 22 million to 4 million (2003).  However, this very success has caused some of the USFS’s current problems, according to some scientists who now urge the USFS to change some of its policies.

            These problems are outlined in an article “Be careful what you wish for: the legacy of

Smokey Bear” (Donovan & Brown, 2007).  The authors describe several problems related to wildfire prevention.  First, many forests that were previously fire adapted have shifted to become less tolerant to fire.  This, in turn, causes fires that do erupt to be much more damaging and difficult to extinguish.  Next, wildfire prevention has caused alterations to the habitat which can fundamentally change the ecology of the forest.  Furthermore, fire suppression allows forest fuel to build up, which is too costly to remove effectively.  The authors stress that a shift in the USFS’s policy must take place to recognize the benefits of allowing some wildfires to occur.  This would allow the USFS to spend less money on preventing and fighting forest fires.  Another concern noted in this article is that taxpayers are providing significant funding for prevention in areas where a small number of people reside, and it is illogical for the USFS to have to expend resources to prevent fires for people who choose to live in these federally controlled forested areas.

            Another positive accomplishment of the USFS is providing recreation for national park visitors.  The USFS is responsible for building and maintaining campsites, bridges, trails, visitor centers, as well as keeping park sites clean and providing services such as tours (USFS, n.d.b).  In addition to providing for rest and relaxation, recreational facilities also stimulate local economies.  A report by the USDA in 2011 found that visitors to U.S. forests contributed $14 billion to the economy and helped sustain 223,000 jobs that year (United States Department of Agriculture [USDA], 2011).  They found that almost all of the money went back into local communities within 50 miles of the national forests.  They also maintain that since recreation within the forests is largely physical that visitors are ultimately healthier.  Visitors to the forests have a 95% satisfaction rate.

            Research is another important aspect to the USFS.  The goal is to not only research items directly related to forest conservation but to participate in several projects connected to overall environmental issues.  One focus is on alternative fuel sources in order to lessen American dependence on fossil fuels.  The USFS is focusing on cellulosic feedstock or biomass found in wood, with the goal of finding cost-effective and efficient means to convert wood to biofuel (USFS, 2014a).  Another priority research topic is assessing the impact of climate change upon the national forests.  The research in this area looks to maintain healthy ecosystems and determine how the forest can be used to mitigate carbon emissions—an area known as carbon sequestration (USFS, 2014b).  In addition, since U.S. forests provide 50% of the nation’s water supplies, the USFS conducts research into understanding and managing watersheds as well as determining how climate change might affect water availability in the future (USFS, 2014d).  Another area of USFS research is urban renewal in order to maintain a better quality of life for cities’ citizens.  This effort involves protecting the “green” areas of a city, such as parks, trails, trees and community gardens, as well as improving air and water quality within the city.  This is advantageous for human residents as well as wildlife (USFS, 2014c).

            Without the formation of the USFS, America might look very different today.  The agency was successful in stopping deforestation that was occurring after European colonization.  Today, it continues to maintain and preserve our national forests.  By creating guidelines for private enterprises, the USFS ensures that Americans maintain the use of federal lands without destroying natural resources.  Recreational activities stimulate the economy and provide positive leisure experiences for visitors.  By expanding its responsibilities to include research, the agency ensures that future generations will continue to enjoy the benefits of our nation’s forests.

           

           

References

Advertising Educational Foundation. (2003). Ad Council - Smokey Bear/Forest Fire Prevention Case History. Retrieved October 20, 2014, from http://www.aef.com/exhibits/social_responsibility/ad_council/2238

Brown, L. R. (2012). Full planet, empty plates: The new geopolitics of food scarcity. New York: W. W. Norton.

Brown, P. (2013, December 30). Amazon Deforestation Threatens South America's Water Security » EcoWatch. Retrieved October 21, 2014, from http://ecowatch.com/2013/12/30/amazon-deforestation-threatens-south-americas-water/

Donovan, G. H., & Brown, T. C. (2007). Be careful what you wish for: The legacy of Smokey Bear. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 5(2), 73-79. Retrieved October 18, 2014, from http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs_other/rmrs_2007_donovan_j001.pdf

Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). Forestry. Retrieved October 21, 2014, from http://www.epa.gov/agriculture/forestry.html#Facts%20and%20Figures

The Forest History Society. (2014). Gifford Pinchot (1865-1946). Retrieved October 20, 2014, from http://www.foresthistory.org/ASPNET/people/Pinchot/Pinchot.aspx

United States Department of Agriculture. (2011, August 9). U.S. Forest Service Visitor's Report Shows Strong Continued Economic Impact and Customer Satisfaction of America's National Forests and Grasslands. Retrieved October 21, 2014, from http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentid=2011/08/0342.xml

United States Forest Service. (2014, April 29a). Biomass & Bioenergy. Retrieved October 21, 2014, from http://www.fs.fed.us/research/biomass-bioenergy/

United States Forest Service. (2014, April 29b). Mitigation. Retrieved from http://www.fs.fed.us/research/climate-change/mitigation.php

United States Forest Service. (2014, April 29c). Urban Natural Resources Stewardship. Retrieved October 21, 2014, from http://www.fs.fed.us/research/urban-stewardship/

United States Forest Service. (2014, April 29d). Watershed Management & Restoration. Retrieved October 21, 2014, from http://www.fs.fed.us/research/water-management/

United States Forest Service. (2014e). USDA Forest Service FY 2015 Budget Overview. Retrieved October 20, 2014, from http://www.fs.fed.us/sites/default/files/media/2014/25/2015-Budget-Overview-Complete.pdf

United States Forest Service. (n.d.a). Our History. Retrieved October 18, 2014, from http://www.fs.fed.us/learn/our-history

United States Forest Service. (n.d.b). USDA Forest Service - Recreation, Heritage and Wilderness. Retrieved October 21, 2014, from http://www.fs.fed.us/passespermits/accomplishments.shtml

United States Forest Service. (n.d.c). USDA Forest Service: Mission Statement. Retrieved October 18, 2014, from http://www.fs.fed.us/fsjobs/forestservice/mission.html