__________ is/are underrated.

[JayhawkCO]

National forests are underrated.

While not as well developed or advertised as national parks, they are usually less crowded and don't have an entry fee (usually just a flat rate for parking). A little research is required to find really good trails, but the payoff is pretty good and you can be in-and-out in a fraction of the time.

They're agricultural sites.

?

Are you saying that all of the trees in national forests were planted by humans for the purposes of food?

[kphoger]

National forests are underrated.

While not as well developed or advertised as national parks, they are usually less crowded and don't have an entry fee (usually just a flat rate for parking). A little research is required to find really good trails, but the payoff is pretty good and you can be in-and-out in a fraction of the time.

They're agricultural sites.

?

Are you saying that all of the trees in national forests were planted by humans for the purposes of food?

Are you saying that Merino sheep are planted by humans for the purpose of food?

Seriously, though, US national forests are administered by a division of the United States Department of Agriculture.  So......

[JayhawkCO]

National forests are underrated.

While not as well developed or advertised as national parks, they are usually less crowded and don't have an entry fee (usually just a flat rate for parking). A little research is required to find really good trails, but the payoff is pretty good and you can be in-and-out in a fraction of the time.

They're agricultural sites.

?

Are you saying that all of the trees in national forests were planted by humans for the purposes of food?

Are you saying that Merino sheep are planted by humans for the purpose of food?

Seriously, though, US national forests are administered by a division of the United States Department of Agriculture.  So......

Forgot about that technicality. Like secret service agents were treasurers.

[Rothman]

National forests are underrated.

While not as well developed or advertised as national parks, they are usually less crowded and don't have an entry fee (usually just a flat rate for parking). A little research is required to find really good trails, but the payoff is pretty good and you can be in-and-out in a fraction of the time.

They're agricultural sites.

?

Are you saying that all of the trees in national forests were planted by humans for the purposes of food?

Are you saying that Merino sheep are planted by humans for the purpose of food?

Seriously, though, US national forests are administered by a division of the United States Department of Agriculture.  So......

Forgot about that technicality. Like secret service agents were treasurers.

It isn't a technicality.  The primary purpose of a national forest is to provide a sustainable supply of lumber to be harvested.  Preservation only goes that far with the USDA.  Recreation is a secondary concern.

[wanderer2575]

National forests are underrated.

While not as well developed or advertised as national parks, they are usually less crowded and don't have an entry fee (usually just a flat rate for parking). A little research is required to find really good trails, but the payoff is pretty good and you can be in-and-out in a fraction of the time.

They're agricultural sites.

?

Are you saying that all of the trees in national forests were planted by humans for the purposes of food?

Are you saying that Merino sheep are planted by humans for the purpose of food?

Seriously, though, US national forests are administered by a division of the United States Department of Agriculture.  So......

Forgot about that technicality. Like secret service agents were treasurers.

It isn't a technicality.  The primary purpose of a national forest is to provide a sustainable supply of lumber to be harvested.  Preservation only goes that far with the USDA.  Recreation is a secondary concern.

Maybe, although that wasn't the original intent.  National forests are the "Land of Many Uses" -- recreation (including some forms not allowed in national parks, such as hunting), timber, watershed, and wildlife/fish habitat.  But more and more, loggers' interests have influenced legislators and those charged with managing the forests.

[kkt]

National forests are underrated.

While not as well developed or advertised as national parks, they are usually less crowded and don't have an entry fee (usually just a flat rate for parking). A little research is required to find really good trails, but the payoff is pretty good and you can be in-and-out in a fraction of the time.

They're agricultural sites.

?

Are you saying that all of the trees in national forests were planted by humans for the purposes of food?

Are you saying that all the cotton planted in the south doesn't count as agriculture?  or that people are eating it?  (Milo Minderbinder, is that you?)

[JayhawkCO]

National forests are underrated.

While not as well developed or advertised as national parks, they are usually less crowded and don't have an entry fee (usually just a flat rate for parking). A little research is required to find really good trails, but the payoff is pretty good and you can be in-and-out in a fraction of the time.

They're agricultural sites.

?

Are you saying that all of the trees in national forests were planted by humans for the purposes of food?

Are you saying that all the cotton planted in the south doesn't count as agriculture?  or that people are eating it?  (Milo Minderbinder, is that you?)

I mean, how else do you make cotton candy?

[Rothman]

National forests are underrated.

While not as well developed or advertised as national parks, they are usually less crowded and don't have an entry fee (usually just a flat rate for parking). A little research is required to find really good trails, but the payoff is pretty good and you can be in-and-out in a fraction of the time.

They're agricultural sites.

?

Are you saying that all of the trees in national forests were planted by humans for the purposes of food?

Are you saying that Merino sheep are planted by humans for the purpose of food?

Seriously, though, US national forests are administered by a division of the United States Department of Agriculture.  So......

Forgot about that technicality. Like secret service agents were treasurers.

It isn't a technicality.  The primary purpose of a national forest is to provide a sustainable supply of lumber to be harvested.  Preservation only goes that far with the USDA.  Recreation is a secondary concern.

Maybe, although that wasn't the original intent.  National forests are the "Land of Many Uses" -- recreation (including some forms not allowed in national parks, such as hunting), timber, watershed, and wildlife/fish habitat.  But more and more, loggers' interests have influenced legislators and those charged with managing the forests.

Pfft.  National forests = Pinchot, Parks = Muir.  That's all there is to it.

[kkt]

Seems like a better question would be why some Federal lands for mixed uses are National Forests, while others are BLM lands.

[J N Winkler]

Seems like a better question would be why some Federal lands for mixed uses are National Forests, while others are BLM lands.

The BLM is the institutional successor to the General Land Office (managed homesteading) and the Grazing Service (managed grazing leases), both of which were under the Department of the Interior.  The USFS itself is the result of a Congressional decision to exempt certain timber lands from disposal.

[Scott5114]

I'm sure someone from the West would find this an incredibly naive question, but why has the BLM retained ownership of so much land, rather than privatizing it through land runs, sales, etc. as was done in the central and eastern parts of the country?

[J N Winkler]

I'm sure someone from the West would find this an incredibly naive question, but why has the BLM retained ownership of so much land, rather than privatizing it through land runs, sales, etc. as was done in the central and eastern parts of the country?

Many books have been written on this question; a New York Times article from 2016 has a capsule summary.  Essentially, much of the West is either so arid or so poorly roaded that it never became viable to homestead when the frontier was still open, so it was still in federal hands when conservation began to drive land use decisions.

[kirbykart]

Oatmeal raisin cookies are underrated.

[Rothman]

Oatmeal raisin cookies are underrated.

You madman (although I agree with you).

[formulanone]

Oatmeal raisin cookies are underrated.

You madman (although I agree with you).

I don't mind them either, because the cinnamon is the best part.

[CtrlAltDel]

Oatmeal raisin cookies are underrated.

You madman (although I agree with you).

I don't mind them either, because the cinnamon is the best part.

Oatmeal raisin cookies are worse than no cookies at all.

[kphoger]

They're better without the raisins.  Which I think |formulanone| would agree with.

[1995hoo]

I like the oatmeal chocolate chip cookies at Potbelly.

[formulanone]

They're better without the raisins.  Which I think |formulanone| would agree with.

If they're juicy raisins, it's all good. Otherwise, it's just a snickerdoodle hiding in oatmeal.

[dlsterner]

Oatmeal raisin cookies are underrated.

Any cookie with raisins is a cruel joke.  Raisins are just chocolate chip wannabes.

[kphoger]

80s pop music

[webny99]

Oatmeal raisin cookies are underrated.

You madman (although I agree with you).

I don't mind them either, because the cinnamon is the best part.

Oatmeal raisin cookies are worse than no cookies at all.

I guess this is true of any cookie, but the quality can vary wildly. Some are good; others, blech.

[JayhawkCO]

I guess this is true of any cookie, but the quality can vary wildly. Some are good; others, blech.

I can honestly say I've never had a cookie and said the word 'blech'. Cookies are like sex; even when it's bad, it's good.

[hbelkins]

I do not like oatmeal. Put a bowl of oatmeal in front of it and I would push it away.

Oatmeal raisin cookies, OTOH, are yummy.

[abefroman329]

OK, but if the bowl also had milk and brown sugar, would you still push it away?