Welcome

The Forest Service was established in 1905 and is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Forest Service manages public lands in national forests and grasslands, which encompass 193 million acres.

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Tom Tidwell Named 17^th Chief of USDA Forest Service

"The Forest Service focus on restoration will be closely tied to  landscape-scale conservation. Especially in an era of climate change, we need to restore the resilience of America's forests to disturbances of all kinds. The treatments needed will improve watershed health, increase water quality, build community prosperity, and meet our shared vision of healthy sustainable forests."

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Secretary Vilsack's Speech on the New Direction and Vision for America's Forests and Chief Tidwell's message to the Forest Service

On August 14, 2009, USDA Secretary Vilsack outlined his vision for the future of our nation's forests. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell filmed an accompanying video stating his message to the Forest Service in light of the Secretary's speech. For more information please refer to links below. For more information:

Learn more about Secretary Vilsack's speech and Chief Tidwell's remarks

ARRA Projects

Many of the communities most affected by the economic downturn are located near national forests. Using funding from The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act we'll create jobs that support our mission of sustaining the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation's forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.

View the Forest Service ARRA Website »

Spotlights

2009 Capitol Christmas Tree

The Forest Service is happy to announce that the 2009 Capitol Christmas Tree is from the Apache Sitgreaves National Forests in Arizona. As it has for decades, the Forest Service is proud to provide this beautiful and symbolic tree for the nation. Selected by the Superintendent of Grounds at the Architect of the Capitol, the 85-foot blue spruce will grace the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol. Its expected arrival date is Monday, November 30 at 10 am. Using energy efficient LED lights, the tree will be lit by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Tuesday, December 8, at 5:00 p.m. The tree will remain lit every evening throughout the holiday season until early January 2010.

Station Fire Initial Attack Review

The Forest Service has released the review of the initial attack for the Station Fire on the Angeles National Forest.

Read the review of the initial attack for the Station Fire (PDF)

Read Appendicies A and B (PDF)

Read Appendicies C, D and E (PDF)

Forest Service and Climate Change

Forest Service Global Change Research Strategy, 2009-2019  »

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Get to Know Program and Contest

In the United States, the USDA Forest Service has joined forces with Canadian Robert Bateman’s Get to Know Society, the National Wildlife Federation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Children and Nature Network to bring this exciting educational program to children in California and eventually across the United States. On Saturday, September 26, partners from throughout California gathered to celebrate the U.S. launch of the Robert Bateman's Get to Know Program which has been inspiring connections between children and nature for over a decade. Two launch events, at the Los Angeles County Zoo and at the San Diego Museum of Natural History, signaled the beginning of an art, photography and writing contest for children ages 1-18. The contest closes on November 30, 2009.

Learn more about the Youth Contest and how young people can submit their creative work of art.

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Discover the Forest

In an effort to encourage tweens (ages 8–12) to spend more time in nature, the USDA Forest Service has joined the Ad Council to launch an interactive photo/art sweepstakes that will engage families in experiencing nature first hand. As an extension of their “Re–Connecting Kids with Nature” Public Service Advertising (PSA) campaign, which firstl launched in June, the photo sweepstakes encourages tweens to head into the forest to explore and find their "other you." Entry deadline is: December 7, 2009.

For more information on the contest, click here (PDF).

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2009 Fall Color Hotline Information

The Forest Service Fall Color hotline provides national forest visitors weekly updates on fall foliage color changes and fall activities throughout the nation.

The toll-free fall color hotline can be accessed at (800) 354-4595. Callers are greeted with an automated voice system and can hear weekly updates on peak and scenic color in different regions of the country. This is the 18th year we have provided the hotline service. The hotline will continue to operate until the middle of November or as long as there is significant fall color.

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Forest Service Recreation -- Inspiring Passion for the Land

National forests and grasslands provide some of the greatest opportunities for outdoor recreation in the world. Recreation activities are not only fun; they create memories, provide physical challenge, provoke interest, and inspire wonder and awe of the natural world. Recreation contributes greatly to the health of individuals, bonds family and friends, and provides economic benefit to communities. Indeed, outdoor recreation is an essential part of American culture.

Check out the video

Forest Service and Water

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Features

New Climate Change Awareness Toolkit

Helping to prepare youth to understand their role in addressing environmental issues is an important focus of Forest Service Conservation Education efforts. Environmental education begins with awareness, and builds to increased knowledge and skills. And the goal of environmental education is to lead to action.

With this in mind, the Forest Service’s Conservation Education program, in partnership with EPA and other Federal agencies, designed the "Climate Change, Wildlife and Wildlands Toolkit" for classroom teachers and informal educators—or anyone with an interest in the environment!

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US Forest Service: An Overview

This report states who we are, what we do, and what we might be in the future. Since the printing of this report Tom Tidwell has become the 17^th Chief of the USDA Forest Service.

Read more (PDF) »

Website Information

Web Survey

As you leave our site, a pop-up window may ask you to complete a survey that will help us improve the Forest Service website. The survey gathers no personal information about you. We hope you will take time to respond!

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