We are a multi-faceted agency that manages and protects 154 national forests and 20 grasslands in 43 states and Puerto Rico. The agency’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.
We have an elite wildland firefighting team and the world’s largest forestry research organization. Our experts provide technical and financial help to state and local government agencies, businesses, private landowners and work government-to-government with tribes to help protect and manage non-federal forest and associated range and watershed lands.
We augment our work through partnerships with public and private agencies that help us plant trees, improve trails, educate the public, and improve conditions in wildland/urban interfaces and rural areas, just to name a few. Our team also promotes sustainable forest management and biodiversity conservation internationally.
Gifford Pinchot, first Chief of the Forest Service, summed up the mission of the Forest Service: "to provide the greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of people in the long run."
Contact us
The Forest Service has employees in nearly every state and Puerto Rico, so that means we have a variety of ways for you to contact us:
- Send us your question or comment online or write to us. However, if you have location-specific questions or comments use our region and research station listings to find the right office.
- If you know who you want to reach, use our employee search.
- For national-level programs and offices, browse our headquarters listings.
- Of course, you can always send a note to Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl by writing to Smokey Bear, Washington, D.C. 20252.
Budget and performance
- Where does the agency spend its money?
- How are we performing?
- How do we track our performance and spending?
- What is Congress asking?
Learn more about budget and performance
Newsroom
Our room for news media representatives also includes a variety of links that also may be of interest to the general public.
- Get the latest news and read our blogs to learn about some of the work we do.
- Stay up-to-date with the national headquarters through Twitter (link is external)and Facebook (link is external).
- Our online videos (link is external) range from how to get a Christmas tree to information that could save your life in a wildfire.
- Read the latest speeches by leadership and congressional testimony.
Regulations and policies
Since 1905, the agency has on the legacy of conservation started by Gifford Pinchot. Today, our work is guided by:
- Directives are the primary basis for internal management.
- Federal laws and regulations help form our directives and policies
- Even Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl are protected by law (link is external)
Faces of the Forest
Our employees are some of the most interesting and dedicated people. Through Faces of the Forest you learn about our people, places and professions.
- We have employees who were recruited by the National Football League, earned a Purple Heart, or learned to love the land growing up as a Navajo.
- Know someone in the Forest Service you want others to meet? Tell us about them (link sends e-mail).