Official websites use .gov
A .gov
website belongs to an official government organization in the
United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock
(
) or https:// means you've safely
connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only
on official, secure websites.
Land & Resource Management
Caring for the land and serving people
The Forest Service is charged with managing natural resources in a way that best serves the multiple needs of a growing nation.
A critical part of the Forest Service mission is protecting and managing the national forests and grasslands so they best demonstrate the sustainable multiple-use management concept. Managing the natural resources of the Nation's forests and grasslands requires the complex integration of resource assessments, management actions, and cooperative partnerships.
Read more about Resource Management.
-
Geospatial Data
Selected GIS datasets for the Pacific Southwest Region are available for download from this area. The scale at which the Pacific Southwest's GIS data was developed depends upon the subject and type of data.
-
Climate Change and Sustainable Operations
The Forest Service strategy for dealing with climate change is based on 25 years of targeted research and a century of science and management experience.
-
Plants and Animals
The diverse habitats found in the Region harbor an abundance of wildlife, fish and rare plant resources.
Related Information
Highlights
- NEPA
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires federal agencies to consider the environmental impacts of proposed federal actions related to forest management. Depending on whether or not a proposed action could significantly affect the natural environment, either an Environmental Assessment (EA) or an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is prepared.
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Scoping Meetings
Features
Nature's Benefits Leadership Intent
Connecting people and partners to forest benefits they see, feel, hear, and rely on in their daily lives will increase our capability to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation's forests and grasslands. “Our goal for the Pacific Southwest Region is to retain and restore the provision of a broad range of Nature’s Benefits to people that come from National Forest Systems lands. To do this, we will build off the R5 Leadership Intent document on Ecological Restoration which states our commitment to restoration-based management and to a renewed focus in the sustainable delivery of ecosystem services, with a Nature’s Benefits Leadership Intent document.”
Ecological Restoration: Engaging Partners in an All Lands Approach
Our goal is to retain and restore ecological resilience of the National Forest lands to achieve sustainable ecosystems that provide a broad range of services to humans and other organisms. This goal is based on a commitment to land and resource management that is infused by the principles of Ecological Restoration and driven by policies and practices that are dedicated to make land and water ecosystems more sustainable, more resilient, and healthier.
Spotlights
Effects of Drought on Forests and Rangelands in the United States
This report informs and guides natural resource managers to minimize drought impacts, help recover from drought, and create forests and rangelands better adapted to future drought conditions.
California Headwaters Partnership
The CHP is co-led by a state and federal agency, speaking to the collaborative nature of the work in the California Headwaters region.
Sierra Nevada Watershed Improvement Program (WIP)
WIP is a coordinated, integrated, collaborative program to restore the health of California's primary watershed through increased investment and needed policy changes.