The Montana Office of State Forester was established by the legislature in 1909. Prior to that year the functions of the office had been performed by the State Board of Land Commissioners (see RS 29) and its administrative arms, the Register of State Lands and the State Land Agent. With statehood, Montana received from the Federal Government land sections 16 and 36 to support public schools. The State Board of Land Commissioners was given the right to select lands "in lieu of" lands already taken for homesteads, mining claims, Indian Reservations, and railroad grants. Some of these lands were in large blocks which became the basis for several state forests including the Swan River State Forest and the Stillwater State Forest.

The 1909 legislature established the Office of State Forester, and its governing body the State Board of Forestry, under the Board of Land Commissioners. The new Office was given the authority to administer the state's forest lands, to fight forest fires, and teach classes at the State University. The 1909 law also established procedures for evaluating state timber lands, administering timber sales, arranging for brush removal, protection of watersheds, and other administrative tasks. During the 1940s the State Forester also served as State Park Commissioner.

From 1971 to 1981 the Forestry Division was part of the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and then was returned to the Department of State Lands. Again in 1995, the Forestry Division was returned to the Department of Natural Resources. State Foresters included Charles Jungberg (1910-1914), John C. VanHook (1914-1921), Robert P. McLaughlin (1921-1926), Rutledge Parker (1926-1954), Gareth Moon (1955-1980), and Gary G. Brown (1981-1992). Assistant State Foresters included L.L. White, Emil A. Anderson, and Robert W. Arnold.

The Forest Management Bureau, now part of the Trust Land Management Division (State Lands) of the Department of Natural Resources, manages Montana's forested trust lands to maximize long-term revenue while promoting healthy and diverse forest. The FMB previously operated through the Forestry Division when the Forestry Division was part of the Department of State Lands, but remained with Trust Land Management (State Lands) when State Lands was absorbed into the DNRC, and the Forestry Division became part of DNRC in 1995. The FMB historically, and currently, conducts environmental reviews of proposed management activities, prepares contracts for those activities, completes the field work for forest management, as well as develops the State Forest Land Management Plan (SFLMP). One of the primary activities of the FMB is to conduct forest product sales and manage timber harvesting, including issuing forest timber permits, as well as conservation, inventory, and forest and state land management.