Featured Maps! National Forests in California
Theme for the week: National Forests in California
Date: Aug 20-Sept 7, 2018
The U.S. Forest Service started in 1876 when the Congress created an office within the Department of Agriculture to be in charge of the forests in the United States. It wasn’t until 1901 that this office came to be called the U.S. Forest Service, after the Division of Forestry was founded under the Department of the Interior. The Division of Forestry was authorized to take land from the public domain as reserves, by the Forest Reserve Act of 1891.
In the year following the passage of the Forest Reserve Act, the first four National Forests were established. The first one was established less than a month after passing the Forest Reserve Act: Shoshone Forest in Wyoming, at 2.4 million acres. The next three were: White River Forest in Colorado, at 2.3 million acres, Santa Fe Forest in New Mexico, at 1.5 million acres and Pike Forest in Colorado, at 1 million acres.
Within the first ten years of the U.S. Forest Service being established, 28 National Forests were established. Combined, those 28 National Forests would cover the entire state of Washington.
Today, more than 200 years after the Forest Service started, there are 154 National Forests totaling (approximately):
193 million acres
300 thousand square miles
143 million football fields
8 percent of all land in the United States
A little less than twice the size of California
Check out some other great information about the United States National Forests thanks to the Forest Service:
- U.S. Forest Service By the numbers
- U.S. Forest Resource Facts and Historical Trends Brochure (English)
- U.S. Forest Resource Facts and Historical Trends Brochure (Spanish)
- Inventory of Roadless Area Categories of National Forest Service Lands by State (as of 1999)
- Land Areas of the National Forest System (as of 2011)
- Interactive Map of the Forest Service Lands
Make sure to take a look at our previous blog post about our collection of National Forest Maps featuring a variety of recreational use of our public forest regions.
Come to the Map Collection and look for this sign:
![](https://library.ucdavis.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/MapOfTheDaySlate-400dpiComp50-scaled.jpg)
Maps
Here is an opportunity to compare historic maps (when available) and more current versions of the same forest areas.
El Dorado National Forest
Title: Eldorado National Forest, California : 1949
by United States. Forest Service. California Region. Klamt, Henry. (1949)
Call Number: MAP G4362.E4 1949 .U6
Title: Eldorado National Forest, California
by United States. Forest Service. Pacific Southwest Region, Geometronics Service Center (U.S.) (1992)
Call Number: MAP G4362.E4 1992 .U6
Title: Eldorado National Forest, California
by United States. Forest Service. Pacific Southwest Region. (2015)
Call Number: MAP G4362.E4E63 2015 .U5
Title: Klamath National Forest, California
by United States. Forest Service. Pacific Southwest Region, Geometronics Service Center (U.S.) (1997)
Call Number: MAP G4362.K51 1997 .U6
Title: Klamath National Forest atlas : 7 1/2ʹ quadrangle topographic maps
by United States. Forest Service. Pacific Southwest Region (2010)
Call Number: G1527.K5 U5 2010
Title: Lassen National Forest, California, Mt. Diablo Meridian
by United States. Forest Service. Pacific Southwest Region, Geometronics Service Center (U.S.) (2008)
Call Number: MAP G4362.L15 2008 .U5
Title: Lassen National Forest atlas : 71/2ʹ quadrangle topographic maps
by United States. Forest Service. Pacific Southwest Region. Geospatial Services (2012)
Call Number: DOC A 13.36/2-6:R 5-RG-198
Mendocino National Forest
Title: Mendocino National Forest, California
by United States. Forest Service. California Region (1940)
Call Number: MAP G4362.M3 1940 .U6
Title: Mendocino National Forest, California
by United States. Forest Service. Pacific Southwest Region, Geometronics Service Center (U.S.) (1993)
Call Number: MAP G4362.M3 2006 .U5
Title: Mendocino National Forest atlas : 7 1/2′ quadrangle topographic maps
by United States. Forest Service. Pacific Southwest Region (2007)
Call Number: G1527.M4 U65 2007
Modoc National Forest
Title: Modoc National Forest, California
by United States. Forest Service. California Region (1954)
Call Number: MAP G4362.M5 1954 .U6
Title: Modoc National Forest, California
by United States. Forest Service. Pacific Southwest Region, Geometronics Service Center (U.S.) (1993)
Call Number: MAP G4362.M5 1992 .U6
Title: Modoc National Forest atlas : 7 1/2ʹ quadrangle topographic maps
by United States. Forest Service. Pacific Southwest Region, cartographer. United States. Forest Service. Pacific Southwest Region. Geospatial Services. issuing body.; Modoc National Forest (Agency : U.S.), issuing body. (2014)
Call Number: DOC A 13.36/2-6:R 5-RG-229
Title: San Bernardino Mountain Area : San Bernardino National Forest
by United States. Forest Service (1969)
Call Number: MAP G4362.S341 1969 .U6
Title: San Bernardino National Forest
by United States. Forest Service. Pacific Southwest Region (1981)
Call Number: MAP G4362.S341 1981 .U6
Title: San Bernardino National Forest, California
by United States. Forest Service. Pacific Southwest Region. Geometronics Service Center (U.S.) (2009)
Call Number: MAP G4362.S341 2009 .U5
Title: San Bernardino National Forest atlas : 7 1/2ʹ quadrangle topographic maps
by United States. Forest Service. Pacific Southwest Region (2005)
Call Number: G1527.S197 U5 2005
Sequoia National Forest
Title: Sequoia National Forest, California
by United States. Forest Service. California Region (1934)
Call Number: MAP G4362.S5 1934 .U6
Title: Sequoia National Forest, California
by United States. Forest Service. California Region (1934)
Call Number: MAP G4362.S5 2011 .U5
Title: Sequoia National Forest atlas, including Giant Sequoia National Monument : 7 1/2ʹ quadrangle topographic maps
by United States. Forest Service. Pacific Southwest Region.
(2010)
Call Number: G1527.S418 U5 2010
Title: Stanislaus National Forest, California
by United States. Forest Service. California Region (1934)
Call Number: MAP G4362.S7 1934 .U6
Title: Stanislaus National Forest, California
by United States. Forest Service. Pacific Southwest Region (1984)
Call Number: MAP G4362.S7 1984 .U5
Title: Stanislaus National Forest
by United States. Forest Service. Pacific Southwest Region (2012)
Call Number: MAP G4362.S7 2012 .U5
Title: Stanislaus National Forest atlas : 7 1/2ʹ quadrangle topographic maps
by United States. Forest Service. Pacific Southwest Region (2008)
Call Number: G1527.S8 U5 2008
Tahoe National Forest
Title: Tahoe National Forest, California and Nevada
by United States. Forest Service. California Region (1930)
Call Number: MAP G4362.T16 1930 .U6
Title: Tahoe National Forest, California
by United States. Forest Service. Pacific Southwest Region, cartographer (2013)
Call Number: MAP G4362.T16 2013 .U6
Map Collection: Location and Hours
The Map Collection room is normally open to the public in the basement (Lower Level) of Shields Library, Monday-Friday, 1:00-5:00 pm. However, our hours change around the academic calendar and the holiday season. To see the most accurate schedule, please visit this link: click here.
Contact the Special Collections Department for map related questions by email at speccoll@ucdavis.edu or by phone at 530-752-1621.
Post created by Dawn Collings and Louis Cashatt.