recognition

World Nature Conservation Day acknowledges that a healthy environment is crucial for a stable and healthy society. It's a chance to raise awareness about the importance of protecting our planet's natural resources: air, sunlight, soil, minerals, fuels, and water.

Celebrate the joys of life provided by trees. Reading in the shade or taking a bite out of a fresh fruit pie are but two examples. Of course, planting trees for future generations to love is beneficial too.

Smokey Bear was born on Aug. 9, 1944, when the U.S. Forest Service and the Ad Council agreed that a fictional bear would be the symbol for their joint effort to promote forest fire prevention. Artist Albert Staehle was asked to paint the first poster of Smokey Bear.

Gifford Pinchot was an American forester and politician. Pinchot served as the fourth chief of the U.S. Division of Forestry, the first head of the United States Forest Service, and the 28th Governor of Pennsylvania. Born: August 11, 1865 in Simsbury, CT Died: October 4, 1946 in New York, NY

Federal forest management dates back to 1876 when Congress created the office of Special Agent in the U.S. Department of Agriculture to assess the quality and conditions of forests in the United States. In 1881 the Department expanded the office into the Division of Forestry. A decade later, Congress passed the Forest Reserve Act of…