Feature Stories

If you walk into a forest on a cold winter day, you won’t see bees. However, once the flowers start to bloom and pollen fills the air, that same forest will be buzzing with pollinators. Depending on

After returning home as a disabled veteran from Operation Desert Storm, it was a challenge for Louis Haynes to find his professional footing in the civilian world. He found “home” in the USDA Forest

America’s western forests are at risk. We are losing natural treasures to increasingly severe and frequent wildfires. These fires rage through overgrown, dense forests, fueled by drought, wind and ter...

Prescribed fire, the intentional and scientific use of fire on the landscape, reduces wildfire risk to communities that dot the wildland. But the Forest Service also considers other inhabitants when

For wildland firefighters, knowing their equipment and gear are tested and proven to handle the stresses and rigors of wildland fire operations should never be in question. When they’re headed for the

When you hear the term “nurse,” you probably visualize a modern-day superhero toiling in a hospital or nursing home—not necessarily a USDA Forest Service Job Corps center. In the aftermath of a public

With summer on the horizon, National Forests and Grasslands in Texas are preparing for the return of the Tribal Youth Conservation Corps program, which provides young people, ages 16-18, hands-on work

Alligator snapping turtles (Macrochelys temminckii) are large, freshwater turtles that live in large rivers from Texas to Florida. They are listed as threatened in several states, and more information

Picture an IMAX-style aerial film of a high-elevation wetland complex boasting every shade of green, from lime to emerald to olive, amid its vast landscape. Behind this image is Forest Service

Wildfire is driven by three main factors — weather, terrain and fuels. When fighting wildfires, firefighters work to reduce the fuel feeding the fire, either by removing it with heavy equipment

Fire-resilient forests have a ripple effect — from trees to landscapes to communities — as their benefits spread beyond their borders to all of us. The 275,000-acre North Yuba Landscape within

We invite you to experience an interactive story map featuring over 100 stories, images and videos of service to the land by Forest Service volunteers and partners. The breadth and depth of volunteer

As a professional paper-pusher, I didn’t expect to get to climb trees for work. I’m a writer for the USDA Forest Service. My job is to sit behind a keyboard, write stories, respond to emails, and

Editor’s note: Prescribed fire is one of the many ways the Forest Service is confronting the wildfire crisis. This practice reduces wildfire risk and is essential to the agency’s 10-year strategy “

In 1987, Glen Johnson heard the call of the dusky gopher frog, which sounds like a snore. He was the first to report hearing its call since the 1950s. He found a breeding population of the dusky