Meet the Forest 

Service

“Caring for the Land and 

Serving People”

Forest 

Service FS-592 Revised July 2018

Photo: Sunset on the trail to Hidden Lake on the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in Washington. Credit by USDA Forest Service.

The Forest Service’s 

mission is to sustain the 

health, diversity, and 

productivity of the Nation’s 

forests and grasslands to 

meet the needs of present 

and future generations. 

United States Department of Agriculture

What is the Forest Service? The Forest Service, an agency 

of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), is the Nation’s 

foremost Federal forestry organization, providing leadership 

in the management, protection, use, research, and stewardship of natural and cultural resources on our country’s 

forests and grasslands. In addition to providing technical and 

financial assistance to State and private agencies, the Forest 

Service is a world leader in forest research.

The national forests and grasslands the agency manages 

are America’s great outdoors. They encompass 193 million 

acres (78 million hectares) of land—an area larger than 

Texas. National forests provide opportunities for recreation in 

open spaces and natural environments. People enjoy a wide 

variety of activities on national forests, including backpacking 

in remote wilderness areas, mastering an all-terrain vehicle 

over a challenging trail, enjoying the views along a scenic 

byway, or fishing in a great trout stream, to mention just a 

few. In addition, national forests and grasslands support the 

economic activity of the Nation through marketable products 

associated with timber production, livestock grazing, mineral 

production, and other activities.

When and why was the Forest Service established?

President Theodore Roosevelt established the Forest Service 

in 1905 to manage the lands in its care for multiple uses, 

including wood for timber and fuel, drinking water, forage, 

wildlife habitat, and recreation. Multiple use means managing 

resources for the best combination of uses to benefit the 

American people while conserving the productivity of the land 

and the quality of the environment. Gifford Pinchot, the first 

Chief of the Forest Service, summed up the agency’s purpose 

as managing the Nation’s natural resources “for the greatest 

good, for the greatest number, for the longest time.”

What does the Forest Service do? Service is implicit in the 

Forest Service’s name and motto, “Caring for the Land and 

Serving People.” Service is demonstrated in the following 

activities:

• Managing and conserving natural resources on National 

Forest System lands. These lands include specially 

designated wilderness areas, wild and scenic rivers, 

national monuments, research and experimental areas, 

and other unique natural and cultural treasures.

• Operating a network of research units, laboratories, and 

experimental forests and rangelands to conduct leadingedge research on all aspects of forestry, rangeland 

management, and forest resource utilization.

• Assisting communities; State, local, and tribal 

governments; forest industries; and private forest 

landowners in protecting and managing non-Federal 

forest and associated range and watershed lands to 

improve conditions in rural and urban areas.

• Operating Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers to 

educate and train America’s youth.

• Helping other nations and international groups manage 

and conserve the world’s forest resources.

• Building on the deep connection employees feel to the 

Forest Service mission and conservation ethic and the 

concept of respecting the diverse backgrounds and 

abilities of employees, as well as the public, to increase 

organizational efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Business Operations and Chief Financial Office (CFO). 

Business Operations provides leadership, direction, quality 

assurance, and customer service in carrying out agency 

business through budget and finance, human resource, Chief 

Information Office, Job Corps, acquisition management, 

civil rights, and enterprise programs. The CFO supports the 

agency’s mission by providing timely, accurate, and reliable 

financial and program performance information. 

Who are the people of the Forest Service? The Forest 

Service has a workforce of approximately 27,000 employees 

that reflects the diversity of the American people. This 

includes diversity in culture, discipline, skills, and abilities. 

In the summer, the number of employees increases to meet 

the additional need for recreational services and firefighting. 

If you are a high school or college student, senior citizen, or 

interested volunteer, there are opportunities for you in the 

Forest Service.

How can you find out more about the Forest Service?

Write, call, or stop by your nearest national forest office to 

learn more about the Forest Service. The “Guide to Your 

National Forests and Grasslands” has a listing of all national 

forest offices with telephone and TTY numbers. In addition, 

visit the Forest Service Web site at: http://www.fs.fed.us.

Please enjoy your visit and let us know how we can serve 

you better.

USDA Forest Service

1400 Independence Ave., SW 

Mailstop Code: 1111 

Washington, DC 20250-1111

Did you know:

• National forests supply drinking water to more 

than 60 million Americans. 

• Recreating visitors spent about $10 billion per 

year in areas around National Forest System 

lands.

• Visitors to national forests and grasslands 

sustain over 140,000 full- and part-time jobs.

• In 2016, national forests supplied more than 

3 billion board feet of timber valued at nearly 

$200 million. 

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

How does the Forest Service carry out its activities? 

National Forest System. The Forest Service manages public 

lands, known collectively as the National Forest System, 

located across 43 States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. 

The lands comprise 8.4 percent of the total land area in 

the United States. The natural resources on these lands 

are some of the Nation’s greatest assets and have major 

economic, environmental, and social significance.

The National Forest System organization includes:

• Ranger Districts. The district ranger and staff may be 

your first points of contact with the Forest Service. 

There are more than 500 ranger districts nationwide, 

each with a staff of 10 to 100 people. Districts vary in 

size from approximately 11,000 acres (4,455 hectares) 

to more than 1 million acres (405,000 hectares). Most 

on-the-ground activities occur on the ranger districts, 

including trail construction and maintenance, operation 

of campgrounds, and management of vegetation and 

wildlife habitat.

• National Forests and Grasslands. There are 154 national 

forests, 20 national grasslands, and 1 tallgrass prairie. 

Each forest is composed of several ranger districts. The 

person in charge of a national forest is called the forest 

supervisor. The district rangers within a forest report to 

the forest supervisor. The headquarters of a national 

forest, called the supervisor’s office, prepares forestwide plans, coordinates activities between districts, 

allocates the budget, and provides technical support to 

the districts. 

• Regional Offices. There are nine regions numbered 1 

through 10 (Region 7 was absorbed into other regions 

some years ago). The regions encompass broad 

geographic areas, usually several States. Regional staff 

coordinates and monitors activities on national forests to 

ensure quality operations, provides guidance on forest 

plans, and allocates budgets to the forests.

Forest Service Research and Development. The Forest 

Service provides the scientific and technical knowledge 

necessary to protect and sustain the Nation’s natural 

resources on all lands. Research is conducted through a 

network of research stations, the Forest Products Laboratory, 

and the International Institute of Tropical Forestry.

State and Private Forestry. The Forest Service cooperates 

with State and local governments, forest industries, private 

landowners, and others in the management, protection, and 

development of forest land in non-Federal ownership. State 

and Private Forestry work takes place through the regional 

offices and a Northeastern Area office and includes activities 

in wildland-urban interface fire management and urban 

forestry.