Gifford Pinchot wanted to be a forester. He was smart, hardworking, and wealthy. He could have studied law, medicine, or banking, but he chose forestry. It was an odd choice, since there were no U.S. foresters at that time. In the 1870's and 1880's, it was thought that American forests were big enough to last forever. There seemed to be no need to save trees or replant for the future. Wooded hillsides were cut bare. Pinchot realized that America's forests would not last forever, and he worked hard to change what was happening. He was so successful that he was appointed head of the U.S. Forest Service and was often called the Father of Forestry.