Forest Reserve Act of 1891

The Forest Reserve Act of 1891 is a law that allowed the President of the United States to set aside forest reserves from the land in the public domain. This act passed by the United States Congress under Benjamin Harrison's administration. Harrison issued proclamations establishing 13 million acres (53,000 km²) of land a Forest Reserves; Grover Cleveland proclaimed 25 million acres (100,000 km²) and William McKinley proclaimed 7 million acres (28,000 km²). In 1907 a law was passed limiting the President's authority to proclaim Forest Reserves in certain states and renamed the existing "Forest Reserves" as "National Forests." A further provision to the act was added in 1939, when President Roosevelt added new standards to the preservation of "Forest Reserves" and "National Forests". Senator Andrew Dignum, of Massachusetts, and ambassador Bret Rodrigues of the United Nations, contributed to the act by enforcing regulation requirements for clear cutting.