Feature Stories

May 28, 2020 - Apartment building in the ghost town of Prypiat, originally constructed in 1970 to serve the nuclear power plant. About 40,000 people lived in the city at the time of the Chernobyl reactor explosion. Forest Service Photo/ Alan AgerIn April 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine… Read more

May 18, 2020 - Video by Science Communications Fellow, Alexandra Freibott.   In the forty years since the 1980 eruption, scientists have studied ecological recovery at the volcano. Today, Mount St. Helens is the most studied volcano in the world and has changed how we understand ecological recovery. Forest… Read more

May 12, 2020 - When all elements of the reforestation chain —seed, nursery, and outplanting—are executed well, the result is a healthy, established seedling that has the best possibility for surviving and thriving. Forest Service Photo/Diane HaaseOne of the most important responsibilities of the… Read more

May 7, 2020 -   The beautiful bear poppy grows in rare and fragile areas of the US. Now drone technology is being used to help protect the indigenous wildflower. Photo/USDA Forest ServiceUSDA Forest Service research ecologist Susan… Read more

May 5, 2020 - For more than a century, the Forest Service has been growing seedlings in nurseries. Here Forest Service workers tend seedlings at the Wind River Nursery in Carson, Washington, circa 1915. US National Archives photo/95-G-152502.The USDA… Read more

April 29, 2020 - Wild American ginseng harvests keep falling, even as prices rise. A team of USDA Forest Service researchers has shown that the species has a backward-bending supply curve. Forest Service Photo/Gary KauffmanThe American ginseng is a plant of great value. Tens of thousands of pounds are… Read more

April 28, 2020 - Deer grazing in West Virginia forest opening. USDA Photo/Brice HanberryDeer often get blamed for declines in forest structure, particularly oak hardwood and pine forests of the Eastern United States, mainly because of their propensity to munch on tree seedlings. However, scientists Brice… Read more

April 24, 2020 - When the seeds are ripe, cones are harvested either by hand or machine. Viable seed is shipped to tree nurseries, where it is planted and grown for up to four years or stored for future use. Forest Service photo/Ben Rowland.Seeds are the heart and start of our vegetable gardens at home and the… Read more

April 21, 2020 - Woodsy Owl is still working with partners, encouraging people to continue lending their hands to care for the land. Forest Service photo/Tanya FloresToday, the USDA Forest Service’s partner Agents of Discovery… Read more

April 21, 2020 - Working from home takes on a new meaning for Pamela Eubanks as she prepares her first Earth Day garden in Woodland, CA. Photo/Amy EubanksThe 50th Anniversary of Earth Day is April 22, 2020 and instead of large gatherings and festivals this year, our day celebrating mother earth will be a lot… Read more

April 20, 2020 - Today marks 10 years since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. USDA, through its Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and U.S. Forest Service, worked alongside other federal… Read more

April 10, 2020 - A male spotted lanternfly sitting on a maple twig. Forest Service photo/ Melody KeenaAn estimated 450 non-native forest insects have found their way to the US. Not all of these insects have caused visible damage to forests, but a handful of them, the proverbial poster pests like emerald ash… Read more

March 31, 2020 - Chris French, Deputy Chief of the National Forest System enjoys a solo hike in ‘America’s Backyard.’ Photo/Chris FrenchThe idiom ‘be careful what you wish for’ is likely coming to roost for those of us who love to show off 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands. We are learning… Read more

March 17, 2020 - Asian elephants in Quang Nam Elephant Reserve are a striking example of Vietnam’s rich and diverse biodiversity. Photo/Quang Nam Elephant Reserve.The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed March 21 as the International Day… Read more

March 10, 2020 -   Farmers can get assistance in designing windbreaks to protect their crops and soil. Forest Service Photo /Bob NicholsWindbreaks and other agroforestry practices… Read more

March 6, 2020 - USDA Forest Service Resource assistant Donald Harris guides fourth graders along the maple sugaring process at Neighborhood House Nature Center. Photo /Neighborhood House Nature CenterMaple syrup is sweet, delicious and this is the time of year it’s made, or wrung if you will, from the sap of… Read more

February 28, 2020 - Members of the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion at Pendleton Army Airfield are briefed before take- off during the wildfire in the summer of 1945. National Archives Photo/Eastern Washington University.It has been said that Black history is simply the missing pages of world history. Nothing… Read more

February 25, 2020 - Collecting buds and branches from a lingering ash tree to study. Forest Service/ M. MasonHumans adore trees. But humans also migrate and trade, habits that led to the accidental introduction of insects and diseases that harm trees and alter the landscape. Examples are easy to find and may be… Read more

February 19, 2020 - Participants listen to a presentation on fire simulation models at a kick-off workshop hosted by Northern Arizona, the Forest Service, and other partners to identify critical climate-fire interactions in Albuquerque, NM. Northern Arizona University Photo/Corrine DolanThe… Read more

February 6, 2020 - Imagine that it’s 1936. The Great Depression is in its seventh year, more than 20% of Americans are unemployed, and in five years the country will enter the fray of World War II. Many Americans are left with little more than the comfort of friends, family and the great outdoors. And, if you are one… Read more