The U.S. Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), manages about 25 federal lands and is the sole major national land management agency not part of the U.S. Department of the Interior. The agency is responsible for protecting wildlife, habitat, and forest health. Forest management focuses on managing vegetation, restoring ecosystems, reducing hazards, and maintaining forest health.
The agency continues to maintain and protect forests, but many national forests are now “multiple use” areas, managed to protect fish and wildlife found there and open to the public for outdoor recreation. The agency manages public lands in the form of national forests and grasslands, providing technical and financial assistance to state, private, and tribal forestry agencies. These lands make up 8.5% of the total.
The mission of the USDA Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands. With more than 400 national parks, 560 national wildlife refuges, and nearly 250 million acres of other public lands managed by the Interior, there’s at least one National Park under the control of the US Department of the Interior.
Several federal agencies have a role in managing federal public forest land, with the Forest Service being one of the three principal responsibilities. Park rangers work for the National Park Service (NPS) under the Department of Interior, while national forests emphasize not only resource conservation but also environmental protection.
📹 Here’s Who Manages YOUR Public Lands
There is a LOT of land in the United States. More than 2 BILLION acres in fact. You might even own some. Most of that land is …
Who runs forest?
Dorset Council is a unitary authority in Dorset, England, serving as a district council and county council. Established in 2019, it is smaller than the ceremonial county of Dorset, which includes Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole. Since the 2024 election, the council has been under Liberal Democrat majority control and is based at County Hall in Dorchester. The council’s current leadership includes Stella Jones as Chair, Nick Ireland as Leader, and Matt Prosser as Chief Executive.
What is the forest department most responsible for?
The government’s forest department is responsible for implementing the forest conservation act, aiming to increase forest area by 33. 3% through tree planting and local engagement. The department surveys forests to understand forest products, classifies forests into four categories for better conservation understanding, and conducts forestry research to maintain ecological balance in the forest.
How big is region 7?
The Central Visayas Region, comprising Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor, is the second smallest region in the Philippines, covering 14, 923 square kilometers. It is located at the center of the Philippine archipelago, between Luzon and Mindanao, and is bounded by the Visayan Sea to the north, Camotes Sea to the east, Mindanao Sea to the south, and Negros Occidental province to the west. The region’s borders are based on political boundaries, making it the second smallest region in the country.
Who controls The Forest?
The United States owns about 7. 5 of the world’s forests, covering over 800 million acres. The country has three primary forest ownerships: federal, state, and private. Federal and state agencies manage public lands for various purposes, including conservation, production, and recreation. The federal government owns 238. 4 million acres, including USDA Forest Service lands, Bureau of Land Management lands, and other lands managed by the National Park Service and the Department of Defense. State, county, and municipal governments own and manage 82. 7 million acres.
How many forests are in region 5?
The Pacific Southwest Region of the US Forest Service manages 20 million acres of National Forest land in California and assists state and private forest landowners in California, Hawaii, and the U. S. Affiliated Pacific Islands. The region includes eighteen national forests, located in the North Coast, Cascade, and Sierra Nevada ranges, and from Big Sur to the Mexican border in the south Coast range. For more information, visit the regional forest websites.
Who manages the forest?
The Forest Service manages 193 million acres of National Forests and Grasslands in the public trust, focusing on maintaining and improving the health, diversity, and productivity of these landscapes. Their top priority is to restore ecosystems, reduce hazards, and maintain forest health. Forest products include commercial materials like lumber and paper, as well as special forest products like medicinal herbs and edible fruits and nuts. Successful vegetation management ensures the conservation, restoration, and resilience of National Forests to climate change while enhancing water resources.
Why is there no region 7 in the Forest Service?
In 1965, a joint team of the Secretary of Agriculture, Director of Budget, and Chairman of the Civil Service Commission reviewed management policies and practices in the Forest Service. The Deckerd Report, a document resulting from the review, recommended standardized size of districts, forests, and regions throughout the Service. The optimum size was one with a span of control over fifteen to nineteen forests.
In response to this, Chief Cliff and his staff decided to eliminate Region 7, divide its forests among Regions 8 and 9, and assign White Mountain, Green Mountain, Allegheny, and Monongahela forests to Region 9, while George Washington, Jefferson, and Daniel Boone forests were assigned to Region 8. The region 7 RO in Upper Darby, PA was closed, and most personnel moved to Atlanta or Milwaukee. The North Central Region became the Eastern Region, and the Finger Lakes National Forest, NY, was added to the Eastern Region in 1985 due to the Hector Land Use Project.
Which agency is most involved with international forests?
The U. S. Forest Service International Programs is dedicated to the advancement of sustainable forest management and biodiversity conservation on a global scale. To this end, it facilitates the integration of field-based personnel with overseas partners, enabling the collaborative resolution of critical forestry issues and concerns.
Who runs The Forest?
The U. S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service is responsible for the management of public lands comprising national forests and grasslands. It is the largest forestry research organization in the world. It offers technical and financial assistance to state and private forestry agencies.
Who runs the forest?
The U. S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service is responsible for the management of public lands comprising national forests and grasslands. It is the largest forestry research organization in the world. It offers technical and financial assistance to state and private forestry agencies.
📹 The Difference Between National Forests & National Parks
Right now, a conflict is brewing inside Hoosier National Park over a controversial land management project that would, in part, log …
As someone who has a firm belief that our parks and public land system is the best thing this country has ever done and currently attempting to visit all np done. I applaud this website randomly was recommended it and have learned so much info. Truly shocked when I saw your sub count top notch content will definitely be sharing this with friends keep it up!
I wish we had a say in the use of state owned public land in Pennsylvania. Harrisburg Pennsylvania thinks they own everything in the parks including the air above it! Specifically the Airspace that’s controlled by the FAA . They put illegal restrictions over the land they have no control over. I don’t have the resources to fight them on it so I just stopped using the Parks. I actually moved out of what I once praised as the best state to live in. They allow fracking on the lands but won’t let licensed drones capture images of inaccessible places even disabled people that can’t hike deep into the woods. I’ve done a lot of research on their rules they definitely have crossed their legal reach. But what can one person do? I called and sent letters to the agencies that overlook the parks and even the state governor “whose office says it’s not their problem?” 🙄
Your statement of “these are our lands” feels a bit weird to say as the BlM and the Forest service in my local area seem to disregard the publics opinion on what to do with specific areas, for example, recently they have started changing trail names without consulting the public, not to mention closing off numerous Trails and essentially funneling hikers, bikers, and horses all onto the same trail, wouldn’t that create a significant amount more erosion? It seems like it’s not “our public lands” at this point which is unfortunate.
In a general way this is informative; however, I have a problem with the grazing of private property (cattle and sheep) on “our” lands. Times have changed from when the original directives were codified in these agencies: there’s millions more people in the United States now, cumulatively putting extinction-level pressure on a steadily increasing numbers of native wildlife just so cattle can continue to be grazed on our lands. I am not, repeat, NOT against ranching, that is until the motivations of private business, ranchers, conflicts with and becomes detrimental to preserving what (little) is left of America’s original wildlife. Such indigenous and endemic wildlife all across America has slowly but steadily been extirpated almost everywhere from their original ranges with the exceptions of on public properties. Meanwhile, the cattle industry has grown and grown to where many ranchers feel their use of our public lands, for their own private profit no less, exceeds the rights of all other citizens to use and enjoy such lands unspoiled by and untrammeled-over by cattle; and, even more importantly, many such ranchers see their use of our public lands gives them authority to demand any and all native species who’s needs t might conflict with their cattle must be eliminated. If a cattle rancher can not generate profit from running his cattle on his ranch land either he needs to rethink his business model, or get out of the cattle business. Wolves, bears, mountain lions, all the major and minor carnivores must have healthy, sustainable populations on our public lands; despite all the pronunciations about “management”, America’s native carnivores have for thousands upon thousands of years did an excellent job of “managing” all the other animals they cohabitated with; which in-turn did an excellent job of managing all the plants on these lands.
I just found your website yesterday and have already binge watched several of your articles! This was a very interesting topic and I’d love it if you could do individual articles on each these agencies that explore them a bit more in depth. Especially the BLM! Great article and I think it’s great that you are bringing these topics to more people!
Owned by the Federal government? In name only. So much western states land is designated as federally owned due to SCHUYLER COLFAX who connived to make Federal land ownership a condition of statehood, Of course, he traced back to the 1600s Dutch colonial Schuyler dynasty, today among the really low key but powerful dynasties in The Pilgrims Society, a league of families loyal to the Crown of England. Land is owned by The Crown! Crime of 1873, railroads, Mexican American War, Aztec Club of 1847, Order of Indian Wars, Hereditary Community Society—-Pilgrims Society, lien against all property in USA via national debt.
Thanks for the article! Your title is correct: “Here’s Who Manages YOUR Public Lands.” In your narration, you should be using the same term, “manage,” instead of saying that the federal government “owns” the land. WE the PEOPLE own the land, and the government manages it in trust for us. It’s an important distinction, but one which makes more clear the necessity for citizens to be actively engaged in overseeing the government in carrying out its duties.
my Lakota Siouxan kin have a thought on this topic. Give the land back. Native global cut up states and govern at least usa as needs vs wants. some mining etc is needed. but conservativeis and conservation i needed effort to save us and the world. i Aim to please. worked at old faithfull, and toured the hills . now bicycle to many of the other sites…
I live in the Pacific Northwest and love using all of the public lands we have here. People who live in the rest of the country, mainly east of the Rockies have no idea of how great it is here. I own my home and of course have a small yard plus the parks in the small town where I live are available to me but the millions of acres of public land are why I stay where I am. I use the public land for multiple reasons such as camping, fishing, hiking, and more. I use different methods when camping overnight, such as with my travel trailer, tent, hammock etc. My travel trailer gets used mostly when I have my grandsons with me and in the winter since its a true 4 season trailer made by Arctic Fox. When I’m by myself I tend to use my Hennessy Hammock most of the time and occasionally use my tent. Having all those public lands at my disposal means a lot to me and my family. The public lands here are so vast that I’ve actually gone out into the forest and didn’t see another person for 6 weeks! We need to care for and protect our public lands so that they are there for future generations of Americans to enjoy them. Cheers
Gotta say, the BLM does a bangup job at some stuff, but I fear that they will soon be very unhelpful; it is suddenly very political under new leadership. Here in Wyoming, the feds are frankly squandering much of the land; much of it is undergrazed, needlessly barren, and does not manage water well. If more hydraulic engineering went in to managing grasslands, they would be waaay more productive and also healthier.
I would really like to see more articles in the future on each of these 4 agencies. I would like you to do an in depth look at each of them. These articles would probably run a bit long as in 30 minutes or more and might need to be a short series on each. I would like to know about what there mandates are, who makes the ultimate decisions on land use, when do they overlap, what happens when land from 2 or more agencies is located next to each other or when land from one is within the others like here in the PNW where national forests have BLM land within them. I’ve seen wonderful things like Yellowstone and Yosemite which are preserved and I’ve seen horrible things like poor management of forests by the BLM and Forest service. I hope you make these in depth articles so more of us can understand whats going on with our public lands. One last thing, I would prefer to see more logging being done in Alaska and Canada. I say this because those are areas with billions and billions of trees located in places most of us will never go. So save the forests in the lower 48 where most of us will use them and cut the places we won’t.
how much Private land has the Government seized, making it Federal Land only to grant Government contracts to Mine this once “private” land…? Billions are being made off of Federal Lands from Mining to Timber and Sold to Country’s World Wide. for instance… US Uranium mined from Federal Land was sold to Russia… does it make any sense why our Government would do this…?
I was aware of all of these four agencies and had a rough idea of what there major task was, however, your article explain very well their interaction. I like the way you are objective in presenting all of your articles and not leaning to one extreme or the other. The management of our public lands is as you point out a delicate and complicated process.
There are a lot of ignorant comments here. The Homestead Act gave away 80 acres of public land to anyone willing to live on it and improve it for five years. That’s FREE LAND that only required that you do something with it. The federal government gave away 160 million acres, or 10% of the land area of the U.S. to private citizens that way. And that was fine, as long as the land being distributed was east of the Rocky Mountains, fertile, and with access to water. That wasn’t true in the West, where arid conditions meant a full section (640 acres) might only be able to support four head of cattle. The Act was amended a number of times, raising the acreage to 320 and even 640, but there were few takers. The bulk of the land was given away before 1925 and that time the technology was such that a family could not make a living on that acreage. The act was ended in 1976.
Many people, including cops, don’t know the difference between private property and public property. And the nuances of both, such as easements and access. Just because a police station or city hall is owned by a city, doesn’t mean you can’t go inside. Just because a business owns property, doesn’t mean you can’t walk alongside the road if there isn’t a sidewalk.
This is only the second article from your website that I have watched and 1/2 way through I subscribed and hit the notification bell! I plan on not only perusal your current articles as you release them but also go through and watch articles you have already posted. I will hit like and leave a comment or two on each article I watch. Cheers
I hate to burst your bubble but if you are saying the forest service is the dept that is our federal government. The forest service is not a part of our government. It is a private entity operating under our government. I am a retired Fire Chief and I had and still have access to the forest service website. I found out a lot about them.
I want to say that living here in the Pacific Northwest I understand the need for logging but I believe there needs to be better oversight governing what gets cut and what does not. I bring this up because a few years ago I went to take a friend of mine to one of the most beautiful areas that I camped in only to find that it had been logged since the last time I was there. It was a relatively small area on a ridge and could have been left the way it was as there weren’t that many trees there. What I saw made me sick to my stomach. Not only had they logged it but they had left giant piles of “slash” everywhere. They consisted of brush and all the trees not big enough to take for lumber. Why cut down the trees that cant be used? Why scrape the ground bare of all vegetation? It was horrible and unnecessary and destroyed a beautiful area that also gave a home to many animals and birds. I’m not what my son calls a “tree hugger” by any means but I also don’t believe in simply clear cutting a forest and destroying it entirely. There is no reason to clear cut a forest ever. The more I see what these companies are allowed to do the more I’m starting to become a tree hugger. There I’ve said it. Now back to the article. Cheers
While I enjoy your content, it’s more accurate to say “Here’s Who Manages STOLEN Public Lands”. Turtle Island was managed well for tens of thousands of years before ACTUAL illegal immigration occurred when Europeans came and took what wasn’t theirs to take. I think it would be nice to see a article addressing ancestral land use in current park areas.
The federal government should not own a single acre of land beyond what their buildings sit on. The regulations that govern that land make it unavailable for use in the way individuals want to. In that event the land isn’t yours, it is theirs. The federal government should divest the land to the several states and get out of the land regulation business. That puts it in the hands of the people rather than in the hands of federal bureaucrats.
The condition and unique and rich natural and cultural resources of the Hoosier National Forest is a perfect candidate for a natural preserve, the new Mini Smokey Mountains National park. The HNF is a treasure that is remarkably unspoiled in many aspects. The Karst features are World class. The historic Buffalo Trace is intact and visible there. The Lost River is a World Wonder. The recovering hardwood forests are on well on their way to old growth status and provide a huge Carbon sink to counter todays climate changing horrors.
The U.S. Forest Service does not make a “profit” from timber sales. The program to administer and conduct timber sales exceeds that of the sales themselves. It is a deficit program. Besides that, money collected from timber sales and grazing fees go into the treasury or general fund of the federal government so the agency, even if these two programs made a “profit,” would not benefit the agency in any way. If the agency made a profit, rather than a deficit, it might tend to convince the Congress to fund more sales. Timber sales are not always just for wood volume and to make money, some timber sales are done to reduce timber stand density, which is unnaturally dense due to putting out all fires for nearly 100 years. Pulpwood sales (smaller trees in the understory) are done for the same reason. The sale areas are then treated with prescribed burns to imitate natural fire and to get the forests back into a more natural fire cycle. We should not always think timber sales are bad, some are for a management goal so it is complicated.
Forest Service folks are more laid back, Park service folks are institutionalized and often outright weird in a rude way. Forest Service people are way more chill than those snooty, uptight weirdos in the park service. Forest Service is also far more Republican, the park service is full of far left wing white picket fence, BIG opinion while types who were sheltered their entire lives. Can’t stand them.