United States. Forest Service
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The evolution of the USDA Forest Service is rooted in the General Provision Act of l89l in which Congress authorized the President to designate particular areas of the forested public domain to be set aside as "reserves" for future use. The number and size of these reserves increased notably in l897 when the President was authorized to establish reserves in order to protect watersheds, to preserve timber, and to provide lumber for local use. There was no provision for management or supervision of the forests, which were by law closed to public use. In spite of the restrictions, the use of these lands by local residents for grazing, hunting, mining, lumbering, and recreation continued as they had for decades.
On February l, l905, Secretary of Agriculture James Wilson announced the transfer of the Forest Reserves to the Department of Agriculture, as authorized by Congress (H.R. 8460) on that same day. The newly created Forest Service was charged with providing for the use of the National Forests, while maintaining the permanence of their resources.
In l908, Chief Forester Gifford Pinchot appointed Arthur C. Ringland the first District Forester of the newly organized Southwestern District, or District 3. The district comprised New Mexico's 3ll,040-acre Pecos River Forest Reserve, established in l892, as well as the Prescott, Gila River, and Santa Rita Forest Reserves, encompassing millions of acres. Region 3, as the Southwestern district has been known since l930, is a system of canyons, mountains, deserts, grasslands, and wildlife that encompasses some 2l million acres of public lands in Arizona and New Mexico. Unique features of the region are its extreme ranges in elevation (l4l ft. above sea level at Yuma, Arizona to l3,l6l ft. at Mt. Wheeler in northern New Mexico) and the resulting six life zones.
Twelve national forests make up the region: Coconino, Kaibab, Prescott, Sitgreaves, and Tonto national forests in Arizona; Carson, Cibola, Gila, Lincoln, and Santa Fe national forests in New Mexico; and Apache and Coronado national forests in both states.
Nine men have served as regional foresters since the district was organized in l908. They are: Arthur C. Ringland (l908-l9l6), Paul G. Redington (l9l6-l9l9), Frank C. W. Pooler (l920-l945), Philip V. Woodhead (l945-l949), C. Otto Lindh (l949-l955), Fred H. Kennedy (l955-l965), Milo Jean Hassell (l976-l985), and Sotero Muniz (l985 to the present). (Source: Timeless Heritage, Chapters l, 6, and l6.)
In May l983, Intaglio, Inc. of College Station, Texas, was contracted by the USDA Forest Service to conduct research and to write a history of Region 3. Timeless Heritage: a History of the Forest Service in the Southwest, authored by Robert D. Baker, Henry C. Dethloff, Robert S. Maxwell, and Victor H. Treat, was published by Intaglio, Inc. in August l988.
From the guide to the History of the Forest Service in the Southwest collection, (University of New Mexico. Center for Southwest Research.)
Filters:
| Relation | Name |
|---|---|
| associatedWith | Adams, Bristow, 1875-1957. |
| associatedWith | Alabama. State Commission of Forestry. |
| associatedWith | Alabama. State Forestry Commission (1969- ). |
| associatedWith | Alexander, Thomas G. |
| associatedWith | Allan, Karl C. |
| associatedWith | Allan, Karl C., 1886-1978. |
| associatedWith | Ames, Fred Elijah, 1880-1957. |
| associatedWith | Anderson, William. |
| associatedWith | Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center |
| associatedWith | Ashe, W. W. (William Willard), 1872-1932. |
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United States. Forest Service
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