Volunteers provide vital services to the public every day. They represent caring for the land and serving people in its purest form, giving of themselves to steward public lands for future generations. Last year, 85,982 volunteers—nearly three times the number of Forest Service employees—provided more than 3.87 million hours of service benefiting National Forest System lands. That is the equivalent of 441 years, valued at more than $115 million.  

Today, to commemorate these achievements and celebrate 51 years of volunteer safety under the Volunteers in the National Forests Act of 1972, I am pleased to announce the redesign of the Volunteer Program (formerly the Volunteer and Services Program) in the Office of Recreation, Heritage, and Volunteer Resources.  

With our new Volunteer Program name comes a more focused program identity that will allow the Washington Office to develop a volunteer-centered community of practice. In fiscal year 2024, we aim to increase volunteer community participation by 10% while serving regions, stations and local units through better volunteer education, training and safety measures.  

Our Washington Office Volunteer Program leaders are currently conducting site visits to field units around the country. They are listening to employees to understand diverse perspectives as they create a five-year roadmap for the program. This roadmap will help us prioritize activities, identify how to best serve volunteer community builders, and celebrate the passion and dedication of Forest Service volunteers. Through site visits, our team is gathering ideas, learning what works and getting to know those who tell the story of the nation's volunteer successes.    

Volunteers support all kinds of work in the Forest Service—everything from maintaining and hosting campgrounds and staffing visitor centers to monitoring wilderness use, maintaining trails, and more. In the next chapter of the Volunteer Program, we intend to explore and innovate, test new approaches and scale up those activities that work well.  

I would like to invite you to help us nourish a volunteer-centered Forest Service community by giving us your insights about what works well and what could be improved through the Volunteer Program. Please participate in this short survey. It will stay open through May 31. For more information or general questions about volunteering, please get in touch with Arthur Phalo, Volunteer Program manager, SM.FS.WOVolServ@usda.gov.

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