Forest Service Facts
National Forests Are Working Forests
National forests provide:
Timber to build, furnish, and heat our homes
Watershed protection that sustains agriculture and hydropower
Clean drinking water for millions of Americans
World-class destinations for recreation and tourism
At the Forest Service, we practice active forest management. This is forest maintenance that keeps forests open, healthy, and productive.
This work includes:
Mechanical treatments to thin overstocked forests
Timber sales to deliver wood to market
Reforestation to grow strong, healthy forests
Prescribed fires (good fire) to clean the forest floor and mimic natural cycles
Active Forest Management Provides a Stronger Future for America's Forests
More Thinning
Mechanical thinning is fundamental to reducing fire risks to communities. It removes excess wood, opens access for firefighting, and generates usable timber to support:
Jobs in rural economies and mills
Lumber, engineered wood, and other forest products
U.S. domestic supply chains and forest productivity
More Timber
Based on our standards, approximately 49 million acres or 25% of Forest Service lands are suitable for timber production.
More Planting
Each year, we strive to plant as many trees as harvested. Wildfires and other natural disturbances also contribute to the need. In 2024, we reforested 234,000 acres and harvested 237,000 acres.
Less Wildfire
Extreme wildfires can cause devastation that affects communities, infrastructure, and natural resources. Our active forest management efforts will restore forest health and reduce wildfire risk.
Economic Impact
Timber products support over 51,000 jobs and generate more than $5.83 billion of the nation’s gross domestic product.
Timber Board Feet
Over the past 10 years, we have sold approximately 3 billion board feet annually or enough to build 111,000 homes. By 2028, our goal is 4 billion board feet or enough for 148,000 homes.
Continuous Reforestation
On average, we reforest about 189,000 acres per year, or an area almost the size of New York City. Our goal is to reforest over 250 million trees on more than 1 million acres of national forest lands over the next 5 years.
Good Fire Complements the Work
Not all fire is bad. When applied after thinning, prescribed fire (good fire) plays a supporting role— clearing the forest floor of dead and down debris, improving soil health and biodiversity, and increasing the forest’s resilience to wildfire.
Good Fire
Planned, low-intensity
Follows mechanical thinning
Helps complete the treatment
Bad Fire
Uncontrolled, high-intensity
Fueled by excess, untreated fuels
Threatens lives, homes, forests
Good fire works best when forests are first thinned.
The Threat
Annually, more than 6,000 fires burn over 2 million acres. In 2024, 7,124 fires burned over 2.1 million acres on Forest Service lands.
Our Response
Forest Service firefighters have an initial attack success rate of 98%—in other words, we are stopping 98% of fires while they are still small.
Fire as a Tool
We ignite about 4,500 prescribed fires each year, treating about 1.3 million acres across national forest lands.
Why It Matters
The Forest Service was established to provide a constant supply of timber for the nation. Forest management practices have evolved over the years. Previous practices, based on the best knowledge of the time, have led to the build-up of dead wood and overgrowth.
That accumulated fuel has led to more megafires and higher risk to communities.
How do we solve that problem?
Active forest management, led by thinning and timber production
What Else is at Stake?
Healthy forests and grasslands offer amazing opportunities ranging from whitewater rafting and shooting sports to downhill skiing and rock climbing. You can hike, hunt, climb mountains, or find your zen while chasing waterfalls or fishing.
Expansive Opportunities
Forests offer varied experiences at developed sites like beaches or ski areas to those left more untouched, like the wilderness areas that cover 37 million acres.
Don't Tell Disney
An estimated 160 million people visit national forests each year—that’s more than twice as many visitors as Disneyland and Disney World combined.
Economic Impact
Visitors contribute to the communities near the national forests, supporting 167,300 jobs and contributing $16.24 billion to the gross domestic product.
To find out more about the economic contributions of the Forest Service, check out the following.
Forest Service Contributions Infographic (PDF, 2.3 MB) and Forest Service Economic Contributions Factsheet (PDF, 1.96 MB)
Information current as of August 1, 2025