forest service

Some people are just way ahead of their time. In the mid-20^th century, when most people thought of wood as an archaic and low-tech material, Egon Glesinger foresaw the revolutionary role it would play in our future, described in his book The Coming Age of Wood.

Forest restoration crews in Mississippi are directing a full-frontal assault at eliminating the southern pine beetle, an insect the size of a grain of rice, that are threatening to destroy tens of thousands of acres of pine stands on four U.S. Forest Service ranger districts and nearby private forests.

As part of the Every Kid in a Park initiative, the USDA Forest Service has partnered with the American Recreation Coalition to bring the Agents of Discovery mobile game. The new Internet-based game is a leading educational technology platform focused on national forests and grasslands.

“Three…two…one!”

And with this countdown the journey of three thousand miles for the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree from Montana’s Kootenai National Forest comes to end or just begins for those who have yet to see the massive 79-foot Engelmann spruce now on Capitol Hill.

For many in the D.C. area, the arrival of the towering Capitol Christmas Tree means the holiday season has begun. Every year local residents and tourists from all over the country, as well as delegations from the state that provides the tree, come to view the official lighting of what is fondly referred to as “the people’s tree” on the West Lawn of Capitol Hill.

While city living has its share of conveniences, stressors like traffic congestion, pollution, and weakened social ties threaten the health and well-being of many urban dwellers. Such factors can lead to a range of mental and physical health concerns. For example, stress is linked to negative impacts on immune functioning.

Did you know that the wild turkey nearly triumphed over the bald eagle as the symbol of America? Yes, it’s true. Proponents as luminous as Benjamin Franklin once advocated for the turkey to be the symbol on the Great Seal of The United States. That’s all history now, but the turkey remains of strong interest to conservationists. Progress continues on over 40 active U.S. Forest Service habitat projects in partnership with the National Wild Turkey Federation.

Life on our national grasslands, some of the most distinct and treasured ecosystems in the world, depends on regrowth from buds, rather than seeds. Those endless expanses of grass exist because of plant buds, and at this time of year grasses have finished forming buds beneath the earth’s surface, where they will overwinter until spring.

Every month, USDA shares the story of a woman in agriculture who is leading the industry and helping other women succeed along the way. This month, we hear from Shawna A. Legarza. Shawna is currently the Director of Fire and Aviation Management for the U.S. Forest Service. Shawna was raised on a cattle ranch in Northern Nevada and entered the firefighting profession as an engine crewmember for the Bureau of Land Management. She has 29 years of experience in fire and aviation management and has held numerous leadership positions in a wide variety of regions for both the Bureau of Land Management and the USDA Forest Service.

Thousands of federal, state, and private agencies have been deployed to areas that were impacted by hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, and Nate. These first responders are there to help the people in the storm’s path. However, there is another group of responders that go into storm-ravaged towns to aid the trees: the Urban Forest Strike Teams (UFST).