Our pick for the Kentucky Derby: Majestic White Oak

The Kentucky Derby is grounded in decades of tradition that many are familiar with—the racetrack, the garland of roses and the famous mint julep. In a nature-friendly twist of events, decades of tree growing also feeds the Derby tradition.

While making a mint julep is easy, making its signature ingredient—bourbon—is quite the opposite. The distinct flavor of bourbon comes from the grain, the yeast and the oak barrel that is used when aging the bourbon to perfection. This time-consuming process begins in the forest with a white oak tree.

Southern Area a Top Priority for National Wildfire Response

The last time the Southern Area was the top priority nationally was 18 years ago during Hurricane Katrina.

The South is burning. Over 15,700 wildfires have burned 505,179 acres since New Year’s Day 2023. Persistent dry conditions and high temperatures have created the right circumstances for extreme fire behavior at an unexpected time of year.

Musket Balls and Merikins

Hurricane Michael swept through Florida’s Apalachicola National Forest in 2018. Reviewing the aftermath the following spring led to discovering a unique and powerful thread of American history dating back to the War of 1812.

Forest Service funds first tribal Wildland Fire Module

The Southern Region, in partnership with the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, recently signed a $1.2 million federal grant to fund its first-ever tribal Wildland Fire Module. The funding, made possible through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, seeks to reduce wildfire risk, create healthy, resilient forests and address equity in the wildland fire workforce.

Throughout the nation, there are three Native American Country Wildland Fire Modules. This is the first one funded by the Forest Service through a federal grant. 

E- Bikes: Learn Where to Ride

E-bikes are motorized vehicles. They are welcome on national forest roads and trails where motorized vehicles are allowed.

Some roads and trails may be better suited for e-bikes than others.

If you are unsure where to ride, contact the national forest you plan to visit.

Partnership with Choctaw Nation could help reduce forest fuels

A 30-year partnership between the USDA Forest Service and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma is poised to create what they believe is the first-ever tribal wildland fire module, which is a crew that manages prescribed fire and responds to wildfires.

“There are about 60 wildland fire modules throughout the nation within the federal system, but this would be the first managed directly by a tribal nation,” said Tom Lowry, senior director of natural resources for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians agreement strengthens forestlands

New agreement between Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and USDA Forest Service strengthens co-stewardship of forestlands

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) and National Forests in North Carolina have collaboratively developed a Tribal Forest Protection Act (TFPA) proposal, the first of its kind in the USDA Forest Service (FS) Southern Region.

Ghost forests haunt the Southern Atlantic Coast

Who’s looking out for ghost forests? The USDA Forest Service’s Southern Region Forest Health Monitoring Program is.

“A ghost forest is an area of standing dead trees where live trees are mostly absent,” said Chris Asaro, Forest Health Monitoring program manager. “A variety of environmental disturbances lead to the development of a ghost forest.  Along coastlines, they can be tied to climate change and sea level rise and represent areas that can never be reforested.”

Community coalition provides fire prevention education in Southern Appalachians

A collaborative group comprised of private landowners and resource conservation and development councils recently provided fire prevention education to residents across the Southern Appalachian region. Funding for these education projects is made possible by a grant from the USDA Forest Service, State & Private Forestry, through the Georgia Forestry Commission. The grants have benefited those in more than 75 counties across Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. 

National Fire Prevention Week is Oct. 9-15. This week is set aside to raise fire safety awareness and help ensure your home and family is protected.

Southern Towns Seek to Boost Outdoor Recreation and Revitalize Main Streets

Eight southern towns received a boost in efforts to grow their outdoor recreation economies and revitalize Main Streets, thanks to funding from the Recreation Economy for Rural Communities program, a joint effort between the Appalachian Regional Commission, the Northern Border Regional Commission, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Smoke modeling tools reduce impacts to communities

Prescribed fire is a critical land management tool that keeps our forests healthy, but sometimes results in smoke in some communities.

Pandapas Pond Project: GAOA in Action!

The Pandapas Pond Project on the George Washington Jefferson is one of the first Great American Outdoors Act projects to be completed in Region 8. Read more about this exciting project!

Longleaf Pine’s Importance to H2O

Did you know that forested watersheds provide nearly two-thirds of the freshwater in the United States? Healthy, well-managed forests provide the cleanest water of any land use and help keep drinking water safe, reliable, and affordable. Learn more about how Longleaf pines play a part in providing that water to everyone!

One nation helping another nation

A partnership with the USDA Forest Service and a $1.2 million grant formed the first-ever Forest Service-funded tribal wildland fire module, a 10-person team of firefighters dedicated to prescribed burning and fuel reduction projects. A wildland fire module is a highly skilled team of firefighters with expertise in managing prescribed fire and wildfire to benefit ecosystems.

Conecuh National Forest Gains Critical Land

Women Spark Interest in Fire

For the second year in a row, the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest in Georgia welcomed women from the Forest Service Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers as they participated in an all-female fire assignment. The varied skill levels among the crew allowed everyone to learn from one another as the 10-person module conducted a prescribed fire assignment.

Celebrating Efforts to Restore America’s Longleaf Pine

We are working with partners to restore longleaf pine forests. Most of America’s longleaf pine forests are found on family-owned forest lands, making public-private partnership key to its restoration. Working together, we are focused on maintaining what remains, improving forest health and, where possible, creating new longleaf forests.

From the bluegrass to the mountains

Elk have been a staple at Kentucky’s Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area for nearly three decades. Many of the area’s 1.8 million visitors per year come to see the herd at the Elk and Bison Prairie.

That herd is now a little smaller thanks to an agreement with the State of West Virginia, which received 43 elk from the recreation area to repopulate the species in the Mountain State.

USDA Invests $150M to Connect Underserved and Small Acreage Forest Landowners

USDA Invests $150M to Connect Underserved and Small Acreage Forest Landowners to Emerging Climate Markets as part of Investing in America Agenda

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the USDA Forest Service is making $150 million from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, the largest climate investment in history, available to help underserved and small acreage forest landowners connect to emerging voluntary climate markets. These markets can provide economic opportunities for landowners and incentivize improved forest health and management. Secretary Vilsack announced the funding opportunity at the Sustainable Forestry and African American Land Retention Conference on the heels of the one-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act. This builds on investments in the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for forest health treatments, including through the creation of competitive grants to non-Federal forest landowners.