Established in 1905, the Forest Service is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Forest Service manages public lands in national forests and grasslands.

Gifford Pinchot, the first Chief of the Forest Service, summed up the mission of the Forest Service— "to provide the greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of people in the long run."

National forests and grasslands encompass 193 million acres of land, which is an area equivalent to the size of Texas.

Read our overview, "Meet the Forest Service."

Read the USDA Forest Service Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2004-08 (547kb, PDF)

Budget Information

The Forest Service, although part of the Department of Agriculture, receives its budget through Interior and Related Agencies appropriations acts approved by Congress and signed into law by the President. Get more budget details about the Forest Service.

Doing Business With Us

All Forest Service contracting opportunities are available through FedBizOpps, the federal government contracting portal site.

Look under the Department of Agriculture locations to find Forest Service-specific opportunities

History

The Forest Service has a long and distinguished History of service to the public and stewardship of our national forests and grasslands. Read our overview, "Meet the Forest Service," or go to our archive of historical documents.

Organizational Overview

With a national headquarters in Washington, D.C., the Forest Service operates through nine geographical regions around the country. 

For security reasons, we no longer provide detailed lists of employee names and phone numbers by organization. However, you may search for an individual employee by name.

A Roster of National Forest Supervisors & Deputies is also available to help you identify line officers for national forests, grasslands or the tall grass prairie.