Feature Stories

January 13, 2020 - In September 2017, back-to-back hurricanes Irma and Maria destroyed the nurseries at the Virgin Islands Department of Agriculture and the University of the Virgin Islands Agriculture Experiment Station. Tree Planters Notes Photo/Michael MorganHurricanes, typhoons and cyclones have caused… Read more

January 6, 2020 - View from El Yunque National Forest towards Municipality of Luquillo on the Northeast coast of Puerto Rico. Forest Service Photo/Kathleen McGinley.In September 2017, Hurricane Maria, a deadly category 5 hurricane devastated Dominica, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Amidst the… Read more

December 31, 2020 - Adolph Samora, one of the original members of the Taos Pueblo Snowball crew responsible for the rescue of Smokey Bear. Photo/Smokey Bear LIVEThis year, we celebrated Smokey Bear’s 75th birthday as a national fire prevention icon. Many know Smokey’s message: “Only YOU can prevent wildfires,”… Read more

December 30, 2020 - Left: X-ray computed tomography view of the adhesive between two pieces of wood. Right: An X-ray fluorescence microscopy maps adhesive around a glue line. (Forest Service Photo/Forest Products Lab)Although engineered wood — such as plywood or particle board — is great for a range of building… Read more

December 13, 2019 - Description: Asher Dean earned top honors in a contest as part of the 2019 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree festivities. As the winner, he had the honor of attending the tree lighting ceremony on the West Front Lawn of the U.S. Capitol after reading his essay at a USDA ceremony and meeting Chevel… Read more

December 11, 2019 - Salmon-Challis National Forest Supervisor Chuck Mark and U.S. Mint Director David J. Ryder at the ceremony celebrating the new quarter. USDA Photo.Take a closer look next time you get your change, you might get one of the freshly-minted Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness quarters! This… Read more

December 5, 2019 - The U.S. Army Brass Quintet performs in front of the adorned U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree. Photo by Tanya Flores, Office of CommunicationsA special gift from the Carson National Forest has successfully completed its cross-country journey to… Read more

November 27, 2019 - A female (hen) wild turkey in front of a male (tom). Photo courtesy of the National Wild Turkey Federation.The wild turkey is an American icon. It is so iconic that, had Benjamin Franklin had his way, it could have become the national bird. Alas, it is the bald eagle that adorns the Great Seal… Read more

November 21, 2019 - To some people, hunting is a foreign concept. In the era of readily-packaged meats easily purchased at a nearby grocery store, the need—outside the sport of it—might seem outdated. Still, there are many people that to this day, choose to or must hunt to put food on the table. Others feel that… Read more

November 19, 2019 - 2019 Intertribal Nursery Council Meeting tour stop at the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma’s greenhouses. USDA Forest Service photo by Jeremiah Pinto.Numerous tribes throughout the US are growing native plants for reforestation and restoration. For many of them, however, there are deeper… Read more

November 13, 2019 - The Kirtland’s warbler, once at the brink of extinction, is now thriving. (Photo courtesy Sawyer Frederick, Warbler Census Team volunteer.)You probably have not heard of the Kirtland’s warbler. It is a songbird that migrates between breeding habitat in northern Michigan and its winter range in… Read more

November 7, 2019 - Local residents and officials attend the cutting ceremony at the Carson National Forest. USDA Forest Service photo by Shayne Martin, Deputy Director, Communication and Engagement, Southwestern Region.*Update* The Capital Christmas tree successfully completed the journey from the Carson… Read more

November 5, 2019 - Get that brown furniture from behind the ropes and use it. Although in this instance, these very rare and high-valued furniture pieces should be where they are at the Winterthur museum in Wilmington, Delaware. (Courtesy photo by Robert Westover)Here at the USDA Forest Service, we really like… Read more

October 31, 2019 - A student at one of the stations evaluating the bat’s health. She is extending a wing to see if it has holes that might suggest it has experienced WNS. (Photo credit: Jane Hodgins.)Images of bats proverbially circling around us in the days leading up to … Read more

October 28, 2019 - Dan Eiden (Left) fishing alongside Matteo Moretti (right) on the Wallowa River, Oregon. Photo courtesy of Morgan Bradley, 2019 5 Rivers Odyssey participant.In 2017,… Read more

October 24, 2019 - Forest products are ubiquitous in our everyday. After reading the blog see if you can find all the products that use wood in this picture. If you guess nearly everything, than you’re right! (Forest Service graphic.)This week, the USDA… Read more

October 21, 2019 - Delivery trucks unload wood chips to be converted into bioenergy that will provide power to Susanville and adjacent communities. USDA Forest Service photo by Amanda Oliver.Perched at the edge of the Great Basin, the city of Susanville, California, has experienced high winds, heavy snowfalls,… Read more

October 15, 2019 - In 1967 the Paiute cutthroat trout was one of the first animals in the nation listed as endangered. (California Department of Fish and Wildlife photo)California’s Paiute cutthroat trout – the rarest trout in North America – is finally back in its native high Sierra habitat thanks to a… Read more

October 7, 2019 - This graphic illustrates the open cycle of fossil fuel emissions to the atmosphere and the biogenic, closed loop of forest carbon in the atmosphere. (USDA Forest Service graphic)  When we think of a renewable resource, the first thing that usually pops in our head are the solar panels on our… Read more

October 7, 2019 - Find your adventure using the USDA Forest Service Visitor Map, available online or on your phone.  I was recently fortunate to receive some public feedback on the USDA Forest Service Visitor Map, a digital, interactive map I helped build that assists… Read more