What exactly are the differences between a National Park and a National Forest?

12/28/2012 5:51:09 PM

There’s a good description of the difference between the two on the National Parks website

The full version is at the link above, but in short :

National parks emphasize strict preservation of pristine areas. They
focus on protecting natural and historic resources “unimpaired for
future generations.” Park rangers work for the National Park Service
(NPS) under the Department of Interior.

National forests, on the other hand, emphasize not only resource
preservation, but other kinds of use as well. Under this concept of
“multiple use,” national forests are managed to provide Americans with
a wide variety of services and commodities, including lumber, cattle
grazing, mineral products and recreation with and without vehicles.
The national forests are managed by forest rangers with the US Forest
Service (USFS) under the Department of Agriculture.

12/28/2012 5:10:39 PM

National Forests are federally owned and protected land, but, unlike parks, they are not neccesarily designated and managed for public use in the same manner as a National Park. In many cases, National Forest land is in fact even leased for commercial purposes, including, for example, many vacation spots and ski resorts.

Credit:stackoverflow.com‘

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Hello,My name is Aparna Patel,I’m a Travel Blogger and Photographer who travel the world full-time with my hubby.I like to share my travel experience.

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