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.

50 Features for Special Collections: Outdoor Recreation – USDA Forest Service Maps

Come to the Map Collection and look for this sign:

Maps

Here is an opportunity to compare historic maps (when available) and more current versions of the same forest areas.

El Dorado National Forest

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

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

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