Which agency was created to manage national forests and oversee conservation?

• A. The National Park Service
• B. The U.S. Forest Service
• C. The Bureau of American Forestry
• D. The Environmental Protection Agency

Answer: (B)

During the Progressive Era, the drive to conserve natural resources led to creating a federal agency dedicated to managing forest lands and promoting sustainable use. The U.S. Forest Service was established within the Department of Agriculture in 1905, with Gifford Pinchot as its first Chief Forester, to oversee national forests and apply scientific forestry to conserve and utilize forest resources for the public good. This focus on managing forests and guiding conservation policy is what makes it the correct choice.

The National Park Service, while also part of the conservation effort, is aimed at preserving and managing national parks, not the broader forest lands. The Bureau of American Forestry existed earlier in the forestry movement but the modern body responsible for national forests and ongoing conservation leadership is the U.S. Forest Service. The Environmental Protection Agency comes later and concentrates on environmental regulation rather than day-to-day forest management.