Feature Stories

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

* Listen to the audio documentary. Where can we go to be transformed? A change of scenery and a change of pace can help. And we can find both on backcountry trails within national forests. On a cloudy

Newfound confidence. Real life skills. A focus on the future. That’s what some of the 57 recent graduates of the Colombia Youth Conservation Corps (CYCC) report after completion of the eight-month

For a month in early summer 2023, firefighters, caterers, medics and other support personnel flocked to a section of California’s Highway 108 near Pinecrest, California, in the Sierra Nevada Mountains

It’s that time of year when wildfire activity is increasing across the country. Have you heard of the Bear Fire, Campbell Fire, or the Blakes Fire? Most likely not because the quick response by

What is green and gold, sports a collar, has four legs but runs on two? It’s not a riddle. Some have called it a “mountain boomer,” but it is actually an eastern collared lizard. Thanks to intentional

August is a uniquely special month for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service. This is because two very important birthdays are celebrated. The first, on Aug. 9, is Smokey Bear’s birthday

*Listen to the audio documentary below or read the transcript (PDF, 123 KB) When it comes to detecting tree disease, observation is essential. And Martin MacKenzie – a forest pathologist with the USDA

Out of thousands of trees, only one gets selected and named the People’s Tree each year. The Monongahela National Forest, however, has a special history with the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree, as it was