The history of Montana's ranger stations spans most of the 20th century. From small isolated cabins to larger facilities with residences, bunkhouses, cookhouses and offices these were the Forest Service's bases of operation. As the work of the Forest Service expanded in location and complexity, ranger stations were developed to meet the needs of the workforce. Sometimes off the beaten path and sometimes an integral part of rural communities these facilities are a part of Montana's heritage. Some are long gone, some forgotten, and others are still in use. Their architecture is functional and mostly rustic. Many Forest Service retirees worked at these remote locations with out running water, electricity or regular mail service. This book will hopefully provide a bit of history about Montana's ranger stations and the people who lived and worked there.

Results of the 2005 annual inventory of South Dakota show 1.7 million acres of forest land in the State. Timberland accounted for more than 90 percent of the forest land area. More than 70 percent of the timberland is publicly owned. Eighty percent (1.2 billion cubic feet) of the growing-stock volume on timberland came from ponderosa pine. All live aboveground tree biomass on timberland totaled 30.3 million dry tons. Major insect problems in South Dakota's forests were mountain pine beetle and the pine engraver beetle.