WASHINGTON, D.C.—You can now easily look up manuals and handbooks published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service on our new directives webpage.

The new directives webpage is designed for easy, intuitive access to Forest Service handbooks and manuals, which are used by Forest Service personnel to guide the organization and manage national forests and grasslands. Forest Service directives are also important tools for tribes, other federal agencies, state and local governments, and the public to understand how the Forest Service works.

“This is a long time in the works, and we’re proud that we’re making all of the national-level directives more accessible now with e-readers for those who are visually impaired. The website is overall more intuitive and easier to use for our partners, employees and the public,” said Policy Office Director Erin Swiader. “Those familiar with the old site will appreciate the upgrade.”

This is more than a simple webpage update. Forest Service national directives and handbooks include more than 6,000 documents, ranging in topics from human resources and travel to forest management and recreation. All these documents were updated to meet U.S. Access Board Section 508 Standards, which helps ensure the information is accessible to people with disabilities. Each of the documents was converted and verified, a process that took nearly a year.  

The next phase in the website upgrade is to convert all the region- and forest-level amendments to national directives and handbooks to the new format.

You are welcome to explore the new Forest Service directives and handbooks website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/about-agency/regulations-policies/national-directives.