Feature Stories

On national forests every day is National Trails Day. There is a trail for everyone, year-round. Across the country, 165,000 miles of Forest Service managed trails wind up, down and through the

Dense, dangerously crowded stands of trees are giving way to healthy, spacious forests across Alabama. Individual trees are gaining the room they need to grow, birds and other wildlife are finding

It’s been nearly five years since 25,000 acres burned across the northern slopes of Mount Shasta. And what’s there to see beyond the burn scar of charred soil and dead trees? How about extraordinary

From assisting with criminal cases and mid-air collisions to identifying wood species to combat illegal logging, the wood anatomy and forensic research done at the Forest Service's Forest Products

Fire testing is expensive and complex, which is why industry leaders look to the Forest Service for expertise. The Fire Lab at the USDA Forest Service's Forest Products Laboratory conducts research

Research at the Forest Service's Forest Products Laboratory is finding new and innovative ways to transform these materials into nanocellulose products. From strengthening cement to extending shelf

From wood walls to fence posts, we enjoy the benefits of wood products. But there are insects and fungi who enjoy it for another purpose – as dinner. The Forest Service’s Forest Products Laboratory

Along the foothills of the Big Belt Mountains near York, Montana, it’s unusual to see bare ground above 5,000 feet in February. But this winter’s low snowpack in the Northern Rockies created a rare

The Heavy Equipment of Firefighting Wildland firefighting is a coordinated effort. Like players on a sports team or musicians in an orchestra, hand crews, smokejumpers, water tenders, fire engines

When smoke begins to rise across the Rocky Mountains, a unique firefighting force lifts off—fast. Operation Sky Hammer was designed to improve success during initial attack on wildfires. The effort

Pick your favorite theme song and imagine it hits the loudspeakers. You suit up, load up and head out to the plane. After a 20-minute flight you are briefed about the jump spot and the fire behavior

The warning signs flashed early this year. After a dismal winter snowpack across many western high elevations, forests are drying faster and by midsummer may be ripe for extreme fire conditions

High above Northern California, where tree line gives way to rock, snow, and exposure, the work of the U.S. Forest Service takes on a different form. There are no roads, no engines, and no easy access

Drones, also referred to as uncrewed aerial systems or UAS, have been increasingly complicating airspace around wildfires since the first consumer models came to market in 2013. These mechanical

From seed to forest, recovery doesn’t happen on its own. Across the country, the Forest Service works with state, local and other partners to reduce wildfire risk, restore landscapes and grow the next