Today the United States Forest Service turns 119 years old. On February 1, 1905, the agency was created with Gifford Pinchot serving as the first Chief Forester, after whom a large National Forest in southwest Washington state would later be named, encompassing Mt. St. Helens.

With responsibility for widespread rural areas, automobiles and trucks were crucial to agency operations. Its early years of operation yielded some wonderful examples of interwar design on the license plates and markers used on its vehicles.

U.S. Forest Service License plates

Forest Service vehicles today bear standard U.S. Government license plates, with an “A” prefix to denote the Department of Agriculture.

But before U.S. Government license plates were standardized in the 1940s, each agency was left to determine its own licensing. Special license plates specific to the U.S. Forest Service are known prior to the 1940s, in a few different formats.

The earliest known Forest Service license plates were fairly nondescript, with “US” vertically down the left and “FS” on the right. Manufacturing appears similar to Oregon’s 1915-1921 license plates. These were used at least through the mid-1920s.

More common, though still quite rare, is the twin shield design shown from my collection. Bold and official-looking, they were effective at identifying Forest Service vehicles. 

At least 330 were issued, based on numerous photos of a supervisor’s car in Oregon. Period photos, all in Oregon or Washington, indicate these may have been used from the late 1920s until the very late 1930s.

The stamping format and number dies for these plates are consistent with most license plates made by the Irwin-Hodson Company in the 1920s, and in particular match the size of Idaho’s 1924 license plates.

Not much is known about these plates, but given the concentration of historical photo evidence in the Pacific Northwest, and the clear manufacturing at the Portland-based Irwin Hodson company, it’s possible that the Forest Service regions were responsible for their own licensing (Region 6 comprises Washington and Oregon) and these twin-shield license plates may have only been used in the Pacific Northwest.

Forest Service Porcelain Shields

Later in the 20th century, Forest Service vehicles stood out because of their light-green color. In the years before World War II, it was green and white porcelain shields that primarily identified vehicles on agency business.

Many period photos exist of these shields attached to car radiators. Often the vehicle has standard state-issued plates, suggesting these shields were attached when personal or non-USFS cars were used on official business.

There are, however, a number of historical photos showing these shields used in conjunction with Forest Service license plates. ”Form 1504″ appears at the bottom of some surviving shields, but the majority appear without them. Do you know what “Form 1504” means? Please contact me!

Like many vintage porcelain signs or license plates, modern reproductions abound.

Later Years

Sometime during the 1930s, the Department of Agriculture began issuing its own agency-wide license plates, with “US” vertically on the left and “DA” on the right, which presumably replaced any USFS-specific plates still on the road.

By 1942, all U.S. Government license plates were standardized, with letter codes indicating the branch or agency of use. Department of Agriculture vehicles received an “A” prefix, a practice still in use today.

Today’s Forest Service vehicles wear A-prefix U.S. Government license plates, the same as any other agency under the Department of Agriculture.

I am always eager to learn more about these plates and shields. If you have any photos or information about USFS license plates, or know of other modern survivors, please contact me!