U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for March 30

WASHINGTON, March 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090226/CENSUSLOGO)

TUESDAY, MARCH 30: FIRST NATIONAL FOREST

Profile America — Tuesday, March 30th.  Today marks the anniversary of the establishment of the first national forest — the Shoshone National Forest, in northwest Wyoming.  The bill, passed by congress, was signed into law in 1891 by President Benjamin Harrison.   It preserved some 2.2 million acres, with terrain ranging from sagebrush plains to dense spruce and fir forest, and craggy mountain peaks.  There are four wilderness areas within the forest, protecting more than half of the managed land area from development.  There are 514 million acres of timberland in the nation. Nearly 99 million of them in the national forest system.  You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, counting down to census day April 1st.

Sources:  Kane's Famous First Facts, 3727

Statistical Abstract of the United States 2010, t. 852

Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look under the "Newsroom" button).  

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau