Feature Stories

The essence of the Southwest may be summarized in one word – Querencia. A sense of place where one feels safe, at home; where they can draw strength from communities tied to a landscape that provides

The Louisiana pinesnake ( Pituophis ruthveni) is one of the rarest snakes in the country. In 2006, Josh Pierce, a Forest Service wildlife biologist, began building a database of snake sightings. The

Hundreds of tiny, invasive emerald ash borer larvae gnaw under the bark. Their zig-zagging paths across the tree’s delicate tissues mark its slow death. This ash tree, like tens of millions of others

When it comes to wildfires in the United States, in any given year more than half happen in the Southeast. In 2022, the South had approximately 39,000 wildfires. The South is also one of the fastest

The generator that runs the sodium lights in Minnetonka Cave just outside of St. Charles, Idaho, on the Caribou-Targhee National Forest has been winterized and the lights are off for the season. But

Timber products have been sustaining the American way of life for centuries and are deeply rooted in our culture. Much has been learned about sustainable forest management, timber harvesting and

Forest Service scientist Dr. Ron Zalesny clutches a poplar tree within a stand of 260 and rattles off the Latin names of all the tree genotypes he and his team chose for the project. The genotypes are

When you work with wood products, every week is forest products week! But this week, October 15-21, 2023, is when we take a moment to celebrate National Forest Products Week and all the people who

It’s been a long drive and an even longer work week, but your spirit lightens at the thought of enjoying a weekend in the great outdoors. As thoughts of work fade away and the wild landscape fills

As Kristen Francis looks out across the quiet expanse of the Kaibab Plateau in Northern Arizona, she wonders at what all the land has seen and what we can learn if we look closely. “We learn from the

Deep in a canyon in Colorado, six Forest Service trucks from Nebraska sit in the shade of a row of pines as firefighters pile brush nearby. A wildland fire crew from Nebraska’s Pine Ridge Job Corps is

When you think of beavers, what comes to mind? Busy engineers, pesky rodents, or how about firefighters? You may already know that beavers are a keystone species, meaning many other species of animals

Editor’s note: The Forest Service, now in its second year of implementing its Wildfire Crisis Strategy, is treating 11 additional landscapes across the country to help reduce wildfire risk to

As the days grow shorter and a subtle chill fills the air, one of nature's most fascinating transformation begins across the varied landscapes of the United States. From the magnificent soaring

The South is burning. Over 15,700 wildfires have burned 505,179 acres since New Year’s Day 2023. Persistent dry conditions and high temperatures have created the right circumstances for extreme fire