Southwestern Region

Southwestern Region Home

--Initial Forest Reserves & Nat'l Forests

--Smokey Bear

--Southwestern Regional Foresters

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Southwestern Region
333 Broadway SE [map]
Albuquerque, NM 87102
(505) 842-3292
TTY: (505) 842-3198

About Us: History

The Southwest and the Forest Service

Historical photo, Coconino National Forest Secretary of Agriculture James Wilson’s directive of February 1, 1905, held special significance for the people of Arizona and New Mexico. Wilson announced the transfer of the Forest Reserves to the Department of Agriculture as authorized by Congress (H. R. 8460) on that same day. Some 21 million acres of public lands, almost one-eighth of the surface area of Arizona and New Mexico, were now to be administered by a regional subdivision of the Forest Service. “All land,” Wilson said, “is to be devoted to its most productive use for the permanent good of the whole people. ... All the resources of the forest reserves are for use.” In 1908, Chief Forester Gifford Pinchot appointed Arthur C. Ringland the first District Forester of the newly organized Southwestern district, or district 3. These Forest Service “districts” became “regions” after 1930.

The Forest Service was charged to maintain the permanence of the resources of the National Forests, while providing for their use. The great concern of Congress, as reflected in the Organic Administration Act of 1897, was to continue the prosperity of the agricultural, lumbering, mining, and livestock interests directly dependent upon the water, wood, minerals, and forage of the public domain. Over the past three-quarters of a century the use of the renewable and nonrenewable resources of the Southwest had increased at a rapid rate. From: Timeless Heritage: A History of the Forest Service in the Southwest, 1998 (html or pdf).

INITIAL FOREST RESERVES & NATIONAL FORESTS IN THE SOUTHWEST
Twenty-five forest reserves and four national forests were proclaimed in the Southwest Territory from 1892 to 1907.

SOUTHWESTERN REGIONAL FORESTERS
A chronological list of the Regional Foresters of the Southwestern Region.

TIMELESS HERITAGE: A History of the Forest Service in the Southwest
The history of the Forest Service is an integral part of the modern history of the Southwest and of the Forest Service as a National agency.

SMOKEY BEAR
The summer following a large fire on the Lincoln National forest in New Mexico, an orphaned bear cub was discovered on the burn. The cub became Smokey Bear.

HISTORICAL PHOTOS
Historical photographs from the Southwestern Regional Office files in Albuquerque. There are 100 photos for each Forest. All are black and white photos.

CENTENNIAL MINI-HISTORIES of the Forest Service.
Stories from the Forest Service past.
Mini-Histories of the Forest Service (Publication FS-518) series by Dr. Terry West.

The Greatest Good

The Greatest Good tells the story of the U.S. Forest Service and the public lands the agency manages. Produced by the U.S. Forest Service and distributed by the Forest History Society, the film weaves historic footage and still photographs with interviews with historians, timber industry and environmental leaders, and Forest Service employees to illuminate the past one hundred years of accomplishments and controversies experienced while managing 191 million acres of America's land. Throughout the film, the question is asked: what is the greatest good? Narrated by Charles Osgood, the two-hour film is available as part of a 3-disc DVD set. more >>

Timeline of the History of the Forest Service

Char Miller Audio

Char Miller Audio CD Cover This audio recording reflects on the life and activism of Gifford Pinchot, founding chief of the Forest Service. You will discover as you listen to Char Miller’s narration that Pinchot was one of the most compelling and charismatic figures of his time. He was at the forefront of the conservation movement in America and not only created the profession of forestry but also the National Forests.

Char Miller is professor of history and director of urban studies at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. He is a leading authority on Forest Service history. Char’s narration is based on his book, Gifford Pinchot and the Making of Modern Environmentalism.

(MP3 Format. Please allow time for streaming audio to begin.)

Track 1 (4mb)

Track 2 (5.5mb)

Track 3 (4.3mb)

Track 4 (4.6mb)

Track 5 (5mb)

Track 6 (3.5mb)

Track 7 (3mb)

Track 8 (3.5mb)

Track 9 (4.5mb)

Track 10 (3mb)

Track 11 (5mb)

Track 12 (4mb)

Track 13 (3.7mb)

Char Miller Audio CD Back Cover

U.S. Forest Service - Southwestern Region
Last Modified: Monday, 24 November 2008 at 15:26:11 EST