Welcome to the Southern Region

 

The Southern Region of the Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, is a dynamic collection of lands, cared for by people as a legacy for future generations.

We believe that benefits to people flow from healthy land, that healthy land is conserved through wise management, and that management is most effective when shared.

The Southern Region encompasses 13 States—from Virginia to Florida and Oklahoma – as well as Puerto Rico. Also known as Region 8, the Southern Region is one of nine geographical regions within the Forest Service.

There are 16 units within the Southern Region, including 14 National Forests and two special units.

We conserve the lands of the Southern Region in partnership with the people we serve.  Our work is focused on three key areas:

Restore: Ecological systems are returned to their natural resilience and sustained.

Protect: Human, natural and physical resources are secure from degradation and harm.

Respond: Social needs are met in an environmentally sensitive manner.
 
In all that we do, we value efficiency, sustainability, accountability, and common sense.

Southern Region Fun Facts

Because 35 percent of the nation’s population lives in the Southeast, the Southern Region is the fastest growing part of the country. Also, about 31 percent of the members of Congress, including the leaders of many key congressional committees, are from the Southeast.

The Forest Service employs about 250 people at the Atlanta headquarters, and about 3,000 throughout the South.

There are 13.3 million acres of National Forest System lands in the South, and because of fragmentation and population pressures, State and Private Forestry is integral to the Region’s overall program delivery.

 

 

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