U.S. National Forests are protected forests and woodland areas in the United States. National forests are controlled by the federal government and managed by the United States Forest Service, under the direction of the United States Department of Agriculture. The management of these lands focuses on timber harvesting, livestock grazing, water, wildlife, and recreation. Commercial use of national forests is permitted and in many cases encouraged, unlike national parks. National Forests fall in to IUCN protected area management category VI. A federal government is the common government of a federation. ... The USDA Forest Service, a United States government agency within the United States Department of Agriculture, is under the leadership of the United States Secretary of Agriculture. ... The U.S. Department of Agriculture, also called the Agriculture Department, or USDA, is a Cabinet department of the United States Federal Government. ... Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales A national park is a reserve of land, usually owned by a national government, protected from most human development and pollution. ... The World Conservation Union or International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ...

The national forest system was created by the Land Revision Act of 1891. It was the result of concerted action by Los Angeles -area businessmen and property owners who were concerned by the harm being done to the watershed of the San Gabriel Mountains by ranchers and miners. Abbott Kinney and forester Theodore Lukens were key spokesmen for the effort. The U.S. Land Revision Act of 1891 gave the president the authority to set aside and reserve. ... This article is about the largest city in California. ... San Gabriel Mountains The San Gabriel Mountains are located in northern Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino County, California, USA. The mountain range forms a barrier between the Greater Los Angeles Area and the Mojave Desert. ...

There are frequent conflicts between timber companies and environmentalists over the use of national forest land. These conflicts center on endangered species protection, logging of old-growth forests and road-building in national forests. The American bison there are as few as 750 in 1890 due to extreme overhunting. ... Old growth forest, sometimes called late seral forest or ancient forest is an area of forest that has attained great age and exhibits unique biological features. ...

In the USA there are 155 national forests containing almost 190,000,000 acres (769,000 km²) of land. These lands comprise 8.5% of the total land area of the United States, an area about the size of Texas. Only 13% of National Forest land lies east of the Mississippi River. Alaska alone accounts for 12% of all National Forest land. Official language(s) None. ... This article is about the river in the United States. ... Official language(s) English Capital Juneau Largest city Anchorage Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 1st 663,267 mi² / 1 717 854 km² 808 mi / 1300 km 1,479 mi / 2380 km 13. ...

There are two distinctly different types of national forests. Those east of the Great Plains are primarily re-acquired or replanted forests. That is, the land had long been in the private domain but was purchased by the United States government in order to create new national forests. In these cases, the areas of national forest noted on most maps do not actually represent the extent of the national forest, but only the extent of the authorized purchase zone. The actual amount of land acquired in most cases is much smaller. The Great Plains is the broad expanse of prairie which lies east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States of America and Canada, covering all or parts of the U.S. states of New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota and North Dakota and the...

Those national forests west of the Great Plains are originally-owned forests. These are mostly lands reserved from the public domain by the US government, and were never in private hands. In these cases, the areas of national forests noted on maps are generally the true areas of the forest.

Many ski resorts operate in national forests. A twin-tip shaped downhill ski. ...

The Forest Service also administers National Grasslands. U.S. National Grasslands are protected areas of the United States. ...

See also

• List of U.S. national forests
• List of U.S. state forests
• Federal lands
• National Forest Management Act of 1976

This is a list of all the National Forests and National Grasslands in the United States. ... This is a list of links to state forests in the United States. ... Map of land managed by the US Federal Government Federal lands are lands for which ownership is claimed by the Federal Government. ... The National Forest Management Act of 1976, the primary statue governing the administration of national forests, is an amendment to the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974, which called for the management of renewable resources on national forest lands. ...

External links

• USDA Forest Service
• Read Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports regarding US policy on National Forests