The Transfer Act of 1905 (33 Stat. 628) transferred the forest reserves of the United States from the

Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the mana ...

, General Land Office to the Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Forestry.

General information

On February 1st 1905, under the Leadership of

Gifford Pinchot Gifford Pinchot (August 11, 1865October 4, 1946) was an American forester and politician. He served as the fourth chief of the U.S. Division of Forestry, as the first head of the United States Forest Service, and as the 28th governor of Pennsy ...

, the National Forest Reserves were transferred from the Department of Interior to the Department of Agriculture. Gifford Pinchot was the head of the

Division of Forestry The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...

which was part of the Department of Agriculture. This transfer included over 63 million acres (250,000 km²) of forest reserves and over 500 employees. This legislation was the first forestry law to be passed. This act was significant because it caused the National Forest Reserves to shift roles from a recreational role to a more economic role using science-based management. In March 1905, the Division of Forestry was renamed the

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...

References

The Forest Service in 1905, by David D. Roth, PHD and Gerald W. Williams, PHD(Rich Text Document)
*[https://www.fs.fed.us/eng/pubs/htmlpubs/htm00712854/page05.htm#:~:text=Fernow's%20efforts%20paid%20off%20when,establishing%20Yellowstone%20Park%20Timberland%20Reserve Bridges Within the National Forest System—A Historic Context] United States federal public land legislation {{US-fed-statute-stub