Publications

This field guide is for agency staff, partners, volunteers, and all who help build or maintain trails. First published in 1996, this 2025 edition is the fourth revision of the notebook. It includes detailed descriptions of how to plan, build, maintain, improve, and decommission (or obliterate) all types of trails and trail structures. The new edition features updated construction techniques, diagrams, and sustainability concepts.

The recreation opportunity spectrum is the Forest Service’s system to define, allocate, manage, and monitor existing and desired recreation settings and opportunities. It provides distinct recreation opportunities for personal experiences and benefits, unique to each individual visitor.

The recreation opportunity spectrum is the Forest Service’s system to define, allocate, manage, and monitor existing and desired recreation settings and opportunities. This guide provides suggested steps and tools for using the spectrum during land management planning, organized by plan revision phases, and followed by examples of project-level implementation.

This brochure lists all units in the National Forest System, including addresses and phone numbers for their respective headquarters. It also includes general information on the agency and its major program areas, as well as images from across the Forest Service.