The U.S. Forest Service Headquarters History Collection contains thousands of documents. A few selections are accessible electronically (see below).

For understanding the history of the United States Forest Service, consider reading the books on this introductory bibliography.

The Forest Service has produced a new film on its history entitled: The Greatest Good: A Forest Service Centennial Film. DVD copies and acompanion book are available from the Forest History Society.

The American Memories Project at the Library of Congress is anexcellent resource for timelines and publications on the evolution of the conservation movement(1850-1920). Their electronic resources include The Fight forConservation by GiffordPinchot, and the full text of the Proceedings of a Conference of Governors held in1908 at the White House.

The Forest History Society has published a number of books andarticles on U.S. Forest Service History, including:

Harmon, Frank J. "What Should Foresters Wear? The Forest Service's Seventy-Five Year Search for a Uniform," Journal of Forest History, Vol. 24, No. 4 (October 1980): 188-199. [PDF]

Lalande, Jeff. "The Forest Ranger in Popular Fiction, 1910-2000." Forest History Today, (Spring/Fall 2003): 2-28. [PDF]

Electronic Library

• 1905 Use Book
• A Primer of Forestry, 1905
• The Use of the National Forests, 1907 *
• Purchase of Land Under the Weeks Law, 1911 [PDF]
• Pack Hitches, ca. 1913, issued by U.S.G.S. [PDF]
• The Place of Forestry among Natural Sciences, 1915 *
• A Policy of Forestry for the Nation, 1919 [PDF]
• Handling Sheep on the National Forests, 1920 [PDF]
• Recreational Development on the Superior NF, ca. 1921 [PDF]
• The Trailer Menace, 1935 [PDF]
• 1938 Lookout Cookbook
• The Forest Service and The Civilian Conservation Corps: 1933-42
• National-Forest Vacations, ca. 1940 *
• Highlights in the History of Forest Conservation, 1976 *
• 100 Years of Federal Forestry, 1976 *
• Centennial Mini-Histories of the Forest Service, 1992 *

• Men Who Matched the Mountains: The Forest Service in the Southwest *
• Timeless Heritage: A History of the Forest Service in the Southwest *
• Guns and Gold: History of the Galiuro Wilderness *
• In the Land of the Ancient Cliff Dweller: Bandelier National Monument

• Administering the National Forests of Colorado: An Assessment of the Architectural and Cultural Significance of Historical Administrative Properties
• The Rise of Multiple-Use Management in the Intermountain West: A History of Region 4 of the Forest Service *

• Eastern and Southern National Forests. 1932. [PDF] *

• Forests, Rivers, and Mountains of the Southern Appalachian Region, 1902 [PDF] *
• Mountaineers and Rangers: A History of Federal Forest Management in the Southern Appalachians, 1900-1981 *
  

• The Land We Cared For...A History of the Forest Service's Eastern Region *

• A History of the United States Forest Service in Alaska *