Forest Service (U.S.)

The u.s. forest service is the federal agency responsible for the management of 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands in the United States. A chief forester provides broad policy direction and oversees budgetary matters for the entire Forest Service. The chief reports to the undersecretary of natural resources and environment in the Department of Agriculture, and works closely with the presidential administration and Congress over budgetary and policy matters. The national forest system is divided into nine regions, usually encompassing several states. Within each region, a regional forester oversees management plans, budgetary issues, and coordinates various activities with the forest supervisors for each of their national forests. Each national forest is further divided into districts that vary in size from 50,000 to more than ...