tells one of the most extraordinary stories of environmental protection in our nations history: how a diverse coalition of citizens, organizations, and business and political leaders worked to create a system of national forests in the Eastern United States. It offers an insightful and wide-ranging look at the actions leading to the passage of the Weeks Act in 1911landmark legislation that established a system of well-managed forests in the East, the South, and the Great Lakes regionalong with case studies that consider some of the key challenges facing eastern forests today.