ABSTRACT
The Forest Service grew from an essentially one man operation in the Division of Forestry to the largest and most complex bureau in the Department of Agriculture. Destruction of the forests continued well into the 19th century, in spite of efforts made to conserve and protect specific forest areas. The fear of monopoly in the forest sector of the economy gradually subsided, but forest policy was nevertheless greatly influenced by the continuing concern over water resource development and western expansion in general. The dominant leaders of the early forestry movement saw several fundamental elements as necessary to insure the marketability of their plans. Foremost among the guiding notions of American foresters at the beginning of the century was the belief that wood was a necessity for human life. Forest management and forest policy, seen as a framework for choice among competing social and individual goals, lay in the future.
