II.

History

Attempts to regulate and manage forestlands occurred well before the 19th century in Rome, the Middle East, China, and Western Europe. Wars and political instability invariably interfered with these efforts; so destructive use of forests was common in the more densely populated countries. Early settlers in the U.S., for example, regarded forests as impediments to cultivation and sought to remove them as quickly as possible. This attitude fostered a “cut and get out” philosophy among timber operators, and exploitative logging persisted well into the 20th century. Scientific forestry was initiated in the U.S. at the end of the 19th century largely through the influence of the federal government, with measures including the establishment of the Division of Forestry in 1885 and authorization of forest reserves in 1897. The latter became known as the National Forests in 1905, when the jurisdiction of reserves was transferred from the Department of the Interior to the Department of Agriculture, and the Division of Forestry became the Forest Service. Since that time, forest management has been practiced on state and private lands as well as on federal holdings.

Education in technical forestry began in Western Europe about 1825 with private schools in France and Germany; these were later replaced by state institutions. Until World War II, Western Europe was the world leader in scientific forestry, and many famous schools and institutes were established there. In the U.S. the first forestry curriculum was established in 1898. Forestry education is now offered in many universities throughout the country and elsewhere in the world.