1961-1975 1. Sugar Pines. Sequoia National Forest, California. I 42 Keeping Up With The Times, 1961-1975. Highlights On July 1, 1876, the population of the United States, environmental values and of the need to protect them, as then constituted, was roughly 46. 1 million. * On July 1, achieving expression in the National Environmental Policy 1975, our population was estimated by the Census Bureau to Act of 1969, which profoundly influenced Forest Service be 213.5 million, including the Armed Forces overseas. planning and programs. In response to the heightened public With this increase of 167.4 million men, women, and awareness of federal activities, the Service launched a pro- children in 100 years, and with our natural resources less gram in the early 1970's to "inform and involve" the people abundant than a century earlier, there was need to stretch in the decisionmaking process as it affected their interests in these resources, especially the forests, to their greatest possi- the forests. The goal was meaningful public involvement in ble, practical use. To accommodate the demands of the ever- developing better land and resource management. growing population (there were 34.7 million more people in The most ambitious planning initiative of the Forest the country in 1975 than in 1961), the National Forest Service involved 3 years of extensive effort culminating, in System was called upon to yield more wood, more water, mid-1974, with "A Long Term Forestry Plan (Draft> more recreation, more range forage, and more wildlife habi- Environmental Program for the Future." This was a compre- tat than ever before. Other Federal outdoor areas and the hensive plan involving the National Forest System, Research, privately owned forests also felt the pinch. and State and Private Forestry. The Forest and Rangeland As a consequence, the period from 1961 to 1975 ws Renewable Resources Planning Act (PL 93-378) of August one of greater challenges for the Forest Service than it had 1974 coincided with the Environmental Program for the faced before. A change of direction was needed to meet the Future and was one of the most significant Congressional needs of the new era efficiently and effectively. This conservation actions in many years to have so great an impact changeover was characterized by a gradually quickening shift on the future of American forestry. This Act represented the from short-term management concepts to fully planned, first legislative recognition by Congress that management of longer range management. This conscious effort to keep up our natural resources can be fully efficient only when plan- with the time brought notable advances. ning and funding are done on a long-range basis, not year-to-- The Forest Service instituted the principles of the year. Multiple Use-Sustained Yield Act (1960) throughout the The Resources Planning Act covered all Forest Service National Forest System. The purpose of the Act was to insure areas of responsibilities and activitiesthe research and coop- that all possible use and benefit might be extracted from the erative programs and National Forest System management. public forests and grasslands without endangering their fti- It required periodic analyses of present and anticipated uses, ture usefulness and productivity. demands for, and supply of renewable resources. The interna- The activities of Forestry Research and State and Pri-tional resources situation also had to be incorporated. The vate Forestry intensified, and emphasis on the use of interdis- Act required that the first national assessment and program ciplinary teams increased. These teams represented a wide be submitted to Congress by the end of 1975. In complying, range of specialities, for example, wildlife biologists, land- the Forest Service was able to draw on its own Environmental scape architects, soil scientists, range experts, engineers, and Program for the Future for pertinent material on outdoor foresters. The teams began working to meet current demands recreation and wilderness, wildlife and fish habitat, range- on the Forest Service and to prepare plans designed to better land grazing, timber, land and water, and human and mesh human needs with a sustained supply of natural community development. The experience of the first century resources for the future. of federal forestry thus culminated in a blueprint for the next The Nation became more conscious of its environment, century. in a spirit akin to but more refined than that of the first *Histica1 Statistics of the United States (U.S. Department of Com- decade of the 20th century. There was a new appreciation of merce). 143 1961-1975 Signs- Colorado California New Hampshire Mississippi Montana Oregon Puerto Rico Washington LElS AND Cl-MiX ROUTE ' - b t'('" PAWNEE :i- NATILINAL GRASSLAND flafl.S strS . z - -AKE lANCE VISITGR CEIflEJI SATURDAY AUGUSTim 3 AM BIRD 1RP 2 P1 EALE FAI.L.S ALK SUNDAY AUGUST Bm 10 AM ABaDRA AUTO tRIP 2 P14 ROIP TREE RALI SEuBuIDso TRAILS N0RAINE PUREST TREE, A 1*11-OR CREEk Heath11 GUARD STATION 144 1961-1975 1. Water for a hundred purposes . (Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Washington). 2. Wood fbr a thousand uses (Ozark National Forest, Ar- kansas). 145 1961-1975 1. Edward P. Cliff, Chief of the Domestic stock and wildlife. Forest Service, 1962-1972. Fish. George Washington National Forest, Virginia. Deer. Nantahala National Forest, North Carolina. Sheep. Carson National For- est. New Mexico. Sidelights (1961-1975) During this period an interesting trend began to develop, a trend with favorable por- tents for American forest conservation and for the Forest Service of the future. There was a special accent on youth through the Job Corps and the Youth Conservation Corps, a new emphasis on State and Private Assistance through forestry incentive programs, an intro- duction of modern techniques in forest man- agement and forestry research, and an offering 'As the population of the country rises and of new services and opportunities for a/I demands on the timber, forage, water, wild- Americansa general upgrading of both en- life, and recreation resources increase, the Na- vironmental and human resources. tional Forests more and more provide for the The Job Corps program, starting in 1965, material needs of the individual, and the gave young men from deprived backgrounds economy of the towns and States, and contrib- basic schooling, training in skills, and valua- ute to the Nation's strength and well-being. ble job experience. Thus the National Forests serve the people. The Youth Conservation Corps was launcld in 1971 as a 3-year pilot program Edward P. Cliff (1962-1972) featuring summer conservation work-learnac- tivities for young men and women from all parts of the Nation and from all walks of life. The Corps was continued beyond 1974as a permanent entity because of its success in providing gainful employment, in accom- plishing needed conservation work, and in arousing its youthful participants to a new understanding and appreciation of their Na- tion's environment and heritage. By 1975, State-operated projects on non-federal public lands were in full swing along with projects being carried on in National Forests, National Parks, Wildlife Refuges, and on other public lands and waters. In 1971, new survey techniques came into being as satellite photos and imagerywere used to make a sample survey of 12 million acres of forests in the Southeast. Also, in 1971, Smokey Bear was joined by a new comrade, Woodsy Owl, a symbol for wise use of the environment that quickly captured the attention and cooperation of mil- lions of outdoor-loving Americans. The Woodsy Owl symbol and slogan, "Give a Hoot, Don't Pollute," are authorized and pro- tected by law, just as Smokey Bear is. 1961-1975 Recreation to fit every taste . Whitewater Championship Canoe Races, Feather River, Plumas National Forest, Califor- nia (1970). Skiing, Mount Hood Na- tional Forest, Washington. In 1974, the Golden Anniversary of a priceless concept was observed when the Gila Wilderness Area in the Gila National Forest, New Mexico, marked its 50th birthday. (Ten years earlier, in passing the WildernessAct, Congress had legally endorsed a long-standing Forest Service policy of establishing and main- taining wilderness areas.) The 50th anniversary of the Clarke-Me- Nary Act was also observed in 1974, reflect- ing a dramatic evolution of State and Private Forestry through the years, with ever-closer ties between the States and the Forest Service for the good of the public and the forest resources. r'4 1961-1975 The Visitor Information Service Visitor Information Center cific Ocean captures the interest fires that had run wild through of the Forest Servicespecially makes viewing of the Menden- of young plant examiners (Sius- the forest (George Washington trained men and women and hail Glacier a safer and more law National Forest, Oregon). National Forest, Virginia). special facilities to 6.irther one's informative adventure. 3. The annual growth rings tell knowledge, to add zest to the 2. The Cape Perpetua Visitor the age and much more about outdoor adventure, to enhance Information Center on the Pa- the life of a treethe fast-grow- the visitors' enjoyment. ing years and the slow ones, the dry years and the wet ones, and, 1. Far North, in the Tongass quite often, there are marks of National Forest in Alaska, the 1961-1975 Face of Mendenhall Glacier across Mendenhall Lake. A geological treatBlan- chard Springs Cavern in the Ozark National Forest, Arkan- sas. 149 1961-1975 The Forest- 2. A microwave station built in 3. From farm forests in North the early 1960's made this part Carolina come the raw materials 1. There's gold in the river. In of the Helena National Forest, br hand-crafted wooden crea- 1962, scuba divers vacuumed" Montana, a high-value special- tions that have kept many the precious metal from the bot- use area.