Forest Service Centennial Celebration

Posted by on November 5, 2004

In January 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt and his Secretary of Agriculture assembled a diverse group of public and private national leaders in Washington, D.C., and presided over a vigorous and passionate debate regarding the future of America?s forests. The Forest Service was created as a result of that first American Forestry Congress.

In January 2005, a National Centennial Congress will be held as vigorous debates about America?s forests continue. You play an important part in these debates, and this is why we invite you to be one of the active participants in the Forest Service Centennial Forum in Philadelphia on November 15, 2004 at the Academy of Natural Sciences.

With your help, we will discuss the lessons and successes of the past one hundred years and then focus our vision and energy on ways to heighten the contributions of America?s forests over the next one hundred years. The theme of the Forum is ?Open Spaces to Crowded Places: Landscape Change Along the I-95 Corridor.? A copy of the agenda is enclosed.

Participation will be diverse, and will include the past, present and expected future leaders of the Forest Service, our friends and partners, elected leaders and representatives of key regional interests. Interactive exhibits that demonstrate contributions made by the Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry and the Northeastern Research Station to the understanding of important landscape change issues will be on display in the museum on November 14 and 15.

The Forum this fall will help frame the issues we will discuss at the National Centennial Congress in Washington, D.C. in January. Information on both the Centennial Forum and the Congress is available at http://www.fs.fed.us/centennial.

We invite you to invest your time and energy in this process, to help define the priorities for the Forest Service and develop responses to the immense challenges and opportunities ahead. We ask for your acceptance of this invitation by October 22, 2004. Your RSVP, and any questions about the forum, should go to Del DeMarchis (idemarchis@fs.fed.us), (610) 557-4114. Please note that your pre-registration waives the $6.00 Academy of Natural Sciences entrance fee for November 15.

We look forward to your active role in the Centennial Forum!