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About Us

The Pacific Southwest Region of the US Forest Service manages 20 million acres of National Forest land in California and assists the State and Private forest landowners in California, Hawaii and the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands. Eighteen national forests are located in this region.

Randy Moore has served as Pacific Southwest Regional Forester since October 2007. The Pacific Southwest Region is commonly referred to as Region 5 (R5). Read more

In The Spotlight

A photograph of Margaret Wood in a Forest Service uniform showing a plaque commemorating the work of the late Edmund Shulman and the science of tree-ring dating and associated studies.

50th Anniversary of Bristlecone Pine Forest Celebrated, Despite Fire

September 29, 2008

On September 20, the Inyo National Forest, in partnership with the Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association, staged a multi–author book signing at the 50th anniversary celebration of the establishment of the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. The event took place despite the September 4 fire that destroyed the beloved visitor center at Schulman Grove. This once–in–a–lifetime gathering of book authors on the bristlecone pines included Ron Lanner, author of The Bristlecone Book, Michael Cohen, author of A Garden of Bristlecones, and Mark Schlenz and Dennis Flaherty author and photographer of the latest bristlecone book A Day in the Bristlecone Pine Forest. More than 100 people attended the celebration which also included guest speakers, presentations, music and announcements about future plans to replace the visitor center. Read more

Photograph of a poster sent to the Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region, made up of several thank you notes to firefighters.

A "Thank You" to the Forest Service

September 19, 2008

Raquel Jennings, a teen-aged resident of Paradise Ridge, near Paradise, California wanted to do something special to say "thank you" for all the hard work that went into fighting the fires near Paradise and throughout Northern California. Late last week we received a copied news article with a short thank you note from Ms. Jennings and a poster that she had created. In her message to firefighters she said, "I hope you enjoy the poster as much as I enjoyed creating it for you. If it wasn't for all of your efforts, our lives would not be the same today. My Sincere appreciation, Raquel Jennings."

A photo of group standing in front of a giant sequoia banner.

Southern Sierra Science Symposium

September 16, 2008

More than 250 scientists, federal land managers, elected officials, tribal governments, non-government organizations, forest industry and a wide spectrum of the public gathered for the 2008, Southern Sierra Science Symposium on September 4, 2008 in Visalia, California. The theme for the symposium was "Agents of Change Affecting the Southern Sierra Ecosystems." People from around the country participated in this educational and networking event, a testament to the interest the Sierra Nevada generates. Read more

Photograph of Jim.

Employee Honored as Hispanic Heritage Hero

September 12, 2008

On September 10, Jim Oftedal, Director of the Forest Service's Central California Consortium (CCC), was honored at the Hispanic Achievement Award Night by the Fresno PBS station KVPT for his 13 years as Director of the Consortium. The CCC is an environmental education program serving rural communities and teaching natural resources to K-12 students. Currently the program has established Hispanic and Asian components with African-American and Native-American programs being established in the near future. Many of the students attended the event in support of Jim and spoke enthusiastically about the program. One of the students from the program has gone on to become the first Ph.D candidate at UC Merced. Read more

Current Conditions: An orange triangle with a black exclamation point that is symbolic of Public Safety information. Current Conditions: Safety Alerts, Fires, Advisories, Closures, and Restrictions.

The National Fire News: Provides statistical fire data and a detailed list of wildland fires by state.

Regional News & Links

National News & Links

  • Climate Change, Water and Kids: Today, three great challenges cut across the conservation work we do: Climate Change, Water and Kids. These are not new topics for us, but they offer a context to build on. The Forest Service is acting on a national scale to meet these challenges.
  • Healthy Forests and Rangelands: provides fire, fuels, and land management information to government officials, land and fire management professionals, businesses, communities, and other interested organizations and individuals.
  • Ecosystem Services: The Forest Service is exploring national opportunities to advance markets and payments for ecosystem services. With help from our partners and others, we will encourage broader thinking and collaboration that stimulates market-based conservation and stewardship.
  • The 2008 Land Management Planning Rule: All current land management plans were developed under the 1982 Planning Rule. The 2008 Planning Rule is much more strategic in nature and allows the Forest Service to work directly with the public in a very open and transparent manner to more quickly address changing conditions and ensure resource protections.
  • Fiscal Year 2009 Budget: The fiscal year (FY) 2009 Forest Service budget request totals $4.109 billion in discretionary appropriations, an 8 percent decrease from FY 2008 enacted level and a 5 percent decrease from FY 2007 levels.
  • Washington Office Environmental Appeals and Litigation: This site contains information about the Forest Service's environmental appeals and litigation.