This article describes a national inventory program of the United States of America called Forest Inventory Analysis (FIA). It is the largest and the most significant program of the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service (USDA FS), providing the information needed to assess the status and development trends of all forests in the United States of America. The program collects and reports information on extent of forests, their size and species composition of forests and on forest growth and mortality rates, forest land ownership patterns, rates and efficiency of wood utilization, and forest health and sustainability. The information provided by this service is vital for the general public, private and public organizations, business enterprises, researchers, consultants, and private citizens, and its scope is scheduled to grow in the coming years. The current annual budget of the US annual forest inventory program is about of $50 mil. This article presents the history of this program, its current organization, which is undergoing significant changes from the past years, and directions of future development and implementation.