▁of ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁Forest ▁Service ▁ ▁Pin ch ot ' s ▁friend , ▁The odore ▁Ro ose vel t , ▁became ▁president ▁in ▁ 1 9 0 1 , ▁and ▁Pin ch ot ▁became ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁latter ' s ▁inform al ▁" T ennis ▁Cab inet ". ▁Pin ch ot ▁and ▁Ro ose vel t ▁shared ▁the ▁view ▁that ▁the ▁federal ▁government ▁must ▁act ▁to ▁reg ulate ▁public ▁lands ▁and ▁provide ▁for ▁the ▁scientific ▁management ▁of ▁public ▁resources . ▁In ▁ 1 9 0 5 , ▁Ro ose vel t ▁and ▁Pin ch ot ▁convinced ▁Congress ▁to ▁establish ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁Forest ▁Service , ▁an ▁ag ency ▁charged ▁with ▁over see ing ▁the ▁country ' s ▁forest ▁res erves . ▁As ▁the ▁first ▁head ▁of ▁the ▁Forest ▁Service , ▁Pin ch ot ▁implemented ▁a ▁decent ral ized ▁structure ▁that ▁emp ower ed ▁local ▁civil ▁servants ▁to ▁make ▁dec isions ▁about ▁conservation ▁and ▁forest ry . ▁ ▁Pin ch ot ' s ▁conservation ▁philosophy ▁was ▁influenced ▁by ▁eth n ologist ▁William ▁John ▁McG ee ▁and ▁util itar ian ▁phil os opher ▁Jer emy ▁Bent ham , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁the ▁eth os ▁of ▁the ▁Progress ive ▁Era . ▁Like ▁many ▁other ▁Progress ive ▁Era ▁reform ers , ▁Pin ch ot ▁emphas ized ▁that ▁his ▁field ▁was ▁important ▁primarily ▁for ▁its ▁social ▁utility ▁and ▁could ▁be ▁best ▁understood ▁through ▁scientific ▁methods . ▁He ▁was ▁generally ▁opposed ▁to ▁pres ervation ▁for ▁the ▁sake ▁of ▁w ilder ness ▁or ▁scen ery , ▁a ▁fact ▁perhaps