Congress expands the Homestead Act of 1862 through the Timber Culture Act, which granted individuals 160 acres of public land at no cost if they made improvements to the land, such as planting and growing trees.

The goal of the Timber Culture Act was to increase the number of trees in the West but rampant fraud led to its repeal in 1881. Debate over this and similar acts led to the Forest Reserve Act in 1891.