The United States Forest Service (USFS), which is responsible to manage federal lands and monument national forests, is the United States Forest Service. Its mission is to preserve and protect the country's natural resources. It administers several programs that improve the management of these natural resources. Among these programs are forest fire research and the National Recreation Strategy.
National forests were established in the middle of the 19th century. Edward T. Allen, a Pacific Northwest Region forester, was the first to be appointed as a regional forester. In the early decades of the 20th-century, the majority of national forests was managed for timber harvesting or grazing. Because of this, recreation on these lands was not a rapid development. But the Roaring Twenties brought great growth in recreation. National forests offer more opportunities than ever to enjoy them, from camping to road construction.
In the 1920s, 12 research stations were established by the Forest Service. These labs were dedicated to the collection of dendrological data and other information required to manage federal forests. After World War II, the need for additional forest research grew. In the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps program was developed. Enrolled members were sent to West Virginia to fight wildfires. CCC constructed hundreds of lookout towers to locate and fight fires. Around a thousand men were assigned as firefighters by the 1940s. Although there were a few female firefighters, most of them did not work in the field.
In the 1950s the Forest Service took over primary responsibility for the protection of rural areas from fire. The Division of Fire Research was the first step in that direction. It was also given the authority to establish cooperative units. This legislation changed the way the Forest Service operated and pushed it further into the autonomy it has today.
The Forest Service also established a professional standard in firefighting. It was known as the "10 a.m." policy. This mandated that fires had to be contained by 10 am after being reported. This was an omission that was repeated in Federal agencies.
The Forest Service developed a National Recreation Strategy as a response to economic and social changes that occurred during the Roaring Twenties. The strategy called for public-private partnerships in outdoor recreation.
The creation of a network of computers to track lightning strikes was a key part of the strategy. The network, which has now grown to over a hundred stations nationwide, is also used to monitor the location of fires that start during lightning storms. The Forest Service began to use an ecosystem-based approach in forest management.
The success of the National Recreation Strategy has been a testament to the efforts of the Forest Service. Its research has also contributed significantly to the shaping of the agency's operation. The Wagon Wheel Gap Study on Watersheds was a joint effort by the U.S. Weather Bureau and Forest Service. The study was the precursor to the creation and operation of the National Park Service (NWT) and the National Wildlife Refuge System.