Something you may not know... The San Gabriel Timberland Reserve was the first area set aside as a Forest Reserve in the state of California. It was one of the first 10 forest reserves in the nation set aside by President Benjamin Harrison in 1891 and 1892. It was set aside mainly for watershed protection and included the area from San Fernando to Cajon Pass.
In 1907 the Forest Reserves were renamed National Forests. In 1908 the San Gabriel National Forest was combined with the San Bernardino National Forest and a small portion of the Santa Barbara National Forest and together they were renamed the Angeles National Forest. 17 years later they were separated again.
Anyway, the fact that this relatively uncelebrated mountain range was protected as a national resource before the more famous Sierra and Cascades were is a neat thing, in my mind.
San Gabriel first Forest Reserve in California
Well, I guess so, but are you aware that National Forests are set aside not to remain unmolested, but to be exploited for their timber, mineral and water resources? That's the charter of the National Forest Service.tarol wrote:Anyway, the fact that this relatively uncelebrated mountain range was protected as a national resource before the more famous Sierra and Cascades were is a neat thing, in my mind.
Nunc est bibendum
Yupsimonov wrote:Well, I guess so, but are you aware that National Forests are set aside not to remain unmolested, but to be exploited for their timber, mineral and water resources? That's the charter of the National Forest Service.
Check out the sign as you enter the National Forest anywhere
"Land of many uses"
Extols the Multi-use Mandate
Matt
Multiple uses, yes, but the other half that you don't mention and perhaps don't know is sustained yield. The Multiple Use-Sustained Yield Act of 1960 said that multiple use means managing resources under the best combination of uses to benefit the American people while ensuring the productivity of the land and protecting the quality of the environment.