Publications

The Forest Service has used aircraft in fire management since 1919. This book details that history, from the early days of air patrols with the U.S. Army to the modern use of airtankers, helicopters, infrared aircraft, and more through 2021. 

This biannual publication provides information about nurseries and nursery production, including seed sourcing, seedling care, and transplanting seedlings for reforestation and related activities. The spring 2024 issue includes articles about zinc deficiencies, seed transfer (loblolly pine, red spruce, and black cherry), increasing the scale of nursery production, and the impacts of climate change on nurseries.

This strategy document details how the Forest Service works to mitigate the impacts of its operations on the climate crisis. With goals that include reducing agency emissions, shifting consumption habits and purchases, and ensuring that Forest Service employees are supported throughout the… Topic: Natural Resources and Conservation
Type: General
Number: FS-1247
Year: 2024

Fiscal year 2023 marked the second year of annual reporting for the Climate Action Tracker, which is the Forest Service’s primary reporting and tracking tool on climate change actions. This publication summarizes agency progress on climate change adaptation and carbon stewardship as well as… Topic: Natural Resources and Conservation
Type: General
Number: FS-1245b
Year: 2024

In response to Executive Order 14072, the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management analyzed the threats to mature and old-growth forests on Federal lands, including from wildfires and climate change. As recognized in Section 1 of E.O. 14072, old-growth forests have decreased significantly… Topic: Natural Resources and Conservation
Type: General
Number: FS-1215c
Year: 2024

As the climate warms, suitable habitat for many tree species is shifting northward. Assisted migration is a process that helps establish native trees in areas that are or will be suitable habitat in the future. This handbook compiles guidance for transferring seeds and seedlings to improve nurseries' efforts in restoration, reforestation, and afforestation.

The Forest Inventory and Analysis Program developed a national methodology for compatible predictions of tree volume, biomass, and carbon content for species populating U.S. forest lands. This report serves as the primary reference for the outcome of those efforts and describes all the relevant aspects of the data, statistical modeling methods, and results.

Fiscal year 2023 marked the second year of annual reporting for the Climate Action Tracker, which is the Forest Service’s primary reporting and tracking tool on climate change actions. This publication, a synopsis of the full Climate Action Tracker report, summarizes agency progress on climate… Topic: Natural Resources and Conservation
Type: General
Number: FS-1245a
Year: 2024

In response to Executive Order 14072, the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management have defined and… Topic: Natural Resources and Conservation
Type: General
Number: FS-1215a
Year: 2024

This guide provides planting and care information for recipients of Moon Tree seedlings grown from seeds flown aboard the Artemis I mission. Instructions in the guide pertain to planting preparation, basic planting techniques, watering, weeding, mulching, protection of young seedlings, pruning, and general maintenance and health checks.

This activity booklet is part of a series highlighting fossils of prehistoric life, and the ecosystems where they lived, that are found on national forests and grasslands. "Last of the Dinosaurs" looks at the Hell Creek Formation in present-day Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The iconic animals that thrived in this region—like T. Rex and Triceratops—were the last dinosaurs to walk the Earth before a meteor impact brought an end to the Cretaceous period and most of the planet's life.

As the agency's Wildfire Crisis Strategy enters its third year, this publication looks back at what was accomplished on the 21 landscapes during fiscal year 2023. It highlights the successful partnerships, new management practices, and on-the-ground efforts that have reduced wildfire risk for communities, infrastructure, and natural resources. The document also looks forward to how work will continue to be funded and implemented, through both new and existing sources and programs.

Every 3 years, under Section 3 of Executive Order 13287 ("Preserve America"), Federal agencies prepare a report on their progress identifying, protecting, and managing historic properties for the public.

Sustainability Indicator 6.36 synthesizes research findings about forest sustainability in the United States based on the Montréal Process Criteria and Indicators for the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Temperate and Boreal Forests. It is one of 54 indicator reports that serve as the foundation for “National Report on Sustainable Forests, 2020” (FS-1217).

Sustainability Indicator 6.29 synthesizes research findings about forest sustainability in the United States based on the Montréal Process Criteria and Indicators for the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Temperate and Boreal Forests. It is one of 54 indicator reports that serve as the foundation for “National Report on Sustainable Forests, 2020” (FS-1217).