Keiko Nishimoto

The US Forest Service and the Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield Act of 1960

The U.S. Forest Service was originally established in 1905 to oversee use of and to develop management plans for the nation’s forest reserves. Changing demands of the American public and the increasing need for natural resources have caused a shift in management ideology over the past century. Today, the Forest System includes 175 forests and grasslands in all 50 states. These lands are managed under the multiple-use principles outlined in the Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield Act of 1960 and the National Forest Management Act of 1976. The fact that MUSYA and NFMA are inherently vague and fail to prioritize land uses has provoked conflict in management decisions. One such conflict is currently being addressed in the Carson National Forest in New Mexico, where preservationists are fighting a proposal to open land to coalbed methane drilling by the El Paso Corporation. This paper provides a history of the Forest Service and the legislation which governs land management decision-making and looks specifically at the Carson National Forest to address the problems of MUSYA and NFMA and public participation in the management decision-making process.