Three cheers for volunteers
Join Woody Owl and friends on National Public Lands Day as we lend a hand and care for the (public!) lands! (Forest Service photo by Cecilio Ricardo)
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” – Arthur AsheFor more than 100 years, USDA Forest Service volunteers have embodied…
#NationalPublicLandsDay, #Environment, #Partnerships, #Trails, #Recreation
Repairing the great outdoors
Last year we talked about national forests being like our favorite sweaters — much loved but getting a bit frazzled around the edges and needing some repairs. The kind of unraveling that happens to older vault toilets, bridges, trails and more.So, as Aug. 4 rolls around for the fifth year of the Legacy Restoration Fund established by Great American Outdoors Act, let’s check in on five projects…
#GreatAmericanOutdoorsAct, #Trails, #TrailMaintenance, #Restoration, #Recreation
Trail Management Toolbox - Terms
Below is the agency’s online dictionary of common trail terminology, with definitions, photos and illustrations. These terms may appear in various trail publications and Forest Service policy. If there is a conflict in the definition, Forest Service policy is the authority. Many of the diagrams or illustrations are adapted from engineered plans featured on the Plans for Trail and Trail…
#Trails, #Recreation, #Infrastructure, #Construction, #Streams, #Soil, #Restoration
Trail Maintenance and Construction Notebook
This field guide is for agency staff, partners, volunteers, and all who help build or maintain trails. First published in 1996, this 2025 edition is the fourth revision of the notebook. It includes detailed descriptions of how to plan, build, maintain, improve, and decommission (or obliterate) all types of trails and trail structures. The new edition features updated construction techniques, diagrams, and sustainability concepts.
#Trails, #Recreation, #Infrastructure
From the forest floor to mountaintop: An inspiring ascent
From the trailhead, the Clear Creek trail offers jaw-dropping views of Mud Creek Falls. The summit of Mount Shasta looms in the background. (USDA Forest Service photo by Nick Meyers)
What’s a typical day like for a forest supervisor on a national forest? Well, they oversee how visitors use…
#Trails
Guiding Trail Law, Policy, and Initiatives
National Trail StrategyThe National Strategy for a Sustainable Trail System is a call to action to increase the stewardship of National Forest System trails. Initiated in 2018, the strategy builds on many examples from across the country of community-driven and locally sustainable trail systems. Forest Service employees, partners, volunteers, and friends (a.k.a. the Trail Community) are…