WASHINGTON, D.C. — As part of the agency's ongoing efforts to confront the wildfire crisis, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the Biden-Harris administration is investing in 21 new projects to expand work on the USDA Forest Service’s Wildfire Crisis Strategy to reduce the threat of wildfire in high-risk areas across the country. 

This month, we kicked-off the celebration for Hispanic Heritage Month. As part of that celebration, Ruby Gonzalez, public affairs specialist on the Angeles National Forest, shared her experiences as a first-generation Latina working for the Forest Service. Gonzalez's shared how trusting her love of the outdoors coupled with her interest in storytelling set her on the right path towards building a career in forestry.  

During September, we also celebrated 60 years of the Wilderness Act. Signed into law on Sept. 3, 1964, by President Lyndon B. Johnson, the Wilderness Act set aside 9 million acres of wilderness and established the National Wilderness Preservation System. 

Finally, the Forest Service supported National Public Lands Day, the nation's largest single-day volunteer effort for public lands.

All this and more this month's Around the Forest Service.