Carolyn Van Dyke, age 11, of Nogales, Ariz., for her question:

WHERE WAS THE FIRST NATIONAL FOREST?

Early settlers in the United States adopted conservation laws and set aside land that would be preserved in its natural state. In spite of this encouraging start, destruction of forests became widespread during the settlement of the nation.

In 1881, the Congress established the first forest conservation policy. And in the same year, the president was authorized by the Congress to set aside areas known as forest reserves.

The first forest reserve was established in Wyoming in 1891. In 1907, the name was changed to national forest.

Today the Forest Service; a part of the Department of Agriculture, manages 155 national forests in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. These forests cover about 183 million acres, an area that is larger than California and Nevada combined.

Most national forests are named for Indian tribes or famous people in American history.