Welcome to the National Forest Foundation blog. Explore the various articles to learn more about our forests and places to play.
Reforestation is a top priority for the National Forest Foundation, the USDA Forest Service, and many state, tribal, and private forest land managers. In fact, the U.S. Congress directed the Forest Service to improve and protect forests as early as 1897 with the passage of the Organic Administration Act. Though our understanding of forest health has advanced remarkably since then, reforestation remains a key goal. Why?
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From quiet sunrises to freshwater to unforgettable experiences, our National Forests provide countless gifts to be thankful for.
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Fourth grade may look a little different this year but our National Forests are always here for students to adventure and learn in. If you’re a parent looking for a weekend getaway, a teacher investigating outdoor activities for your students, or even a fourth grader trying to find something to do — because we all know kids are basically tech support nowadays — look no further than the Every Kid Outdoors Program.
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If you search “forest sounds” on YouTube, you’ll find hundreds of hours of forest ambiance to help you wake up, meditate, work, sleep, or any other activity where you want to pretend you’re among the trees. But these videos could be any forest. What do our National Forests sound like? And how do they make us feel?
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We’ve all been there, trying so hard to remember every single item on your packing list for your National Forest visit that you forget the tunes. Or maybe you want to dissociate and lay in the middle of your floor with headphones in, pretending there’s National Forest dirt beneath your feet. No matter which camp you’re in, we have the mix for you.
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Hi there, Brooke Murray here! Before the kids came along, I always knew I wanted to share my adventurous lifestyle with my family. Getting outside with my two children in Colorado is part of our daily routine — sunshine or snow. We love to ski, hike, bike, climb, and most especially camp together. Despite hours of research and preparation, I seem to learn the most by trial and error. I’m excited to share a little of what I have learned with you today!
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Camping at a National Forest does not need to be overwhelming or scary. Just follow some basic safety advice and you can avoid danger and enjoy your trip.
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Take a virtual escape to four great national forests highlighting everything from women’s history to the American bison from New York to LA!
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Hi there, Brooke Murray here! Before the kids came along, I always knew I wanted to share my adventurous lifestyle with my family. Getting outside with my two children in Colorado is part of our daily routine — sunshine or snow. We love to ski, hike, bike, climb, and most especially camp together. Despite hours of research and preparation, I seem to learn the most by trial and error. I’m excited to share a little of what I have learned with you today!
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With the immense, snow-capped Mount Hood resting in the distance, Timberline Lodge Ski Area is the only place in North America where visitors can ski and snowboard all 12 months of the year. Timberline Lodge offers picture-perfect views, more vertical feet of skiing than anywhere in the Pacific Northwest, and an opportunity to embrace the natural world around you.
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Once a Milwaukee Railroad train route from Chicago to West Coast markets, the Route of the Hiawatha trail stretches 15 miles through the Bitterroot Mountains between Idaho and Montana. The route features nine tunnels and more than seven high steel trestle bridges up to 230 feet high for magnificent views of the surrounding mountain range.
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Forests play a critical part to keep our environment healthy. But our forests need us more than ever – more than 1 million acres of National Forests are in need of reforestation. To bring awareness to this incredible need and the NFF’s 50 Million for our Forests campaign, we are excited to share 30 facts about reforestation.
Read moreWhen you turn on the tap for a drink of water, forests may have played a role. Forest lands supply more than 50 percent of our nation’s water supply and 65 percent of the supply in the West. In total, this encompasses about 180 million in more than 68,000 communities, including major cities like Los Angeles, Portland, Denver, and Atlanta. National forests alone provide 18 percent of the nation’s water and more than half of the water in the West.
Read moreJust like humans, trees breathe. But, while humans inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, trees do the opposite: their leaves pull in carbon dioxide, water, and energy from the sun to turn into sugars that feed the tree.
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For many families, cutting down a Christmas tree from their backyard National Forest is a wonderful holiday tradition. Before you head out to the woods though, here's a few things to keep in mind.
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At the National Forest Foundation, we believe everyone should have the opportunity to experience our National Forests, especially communities who have historically had limited access to them. The NFF sat down (virtually) with Oliver Reitz, the Administrative Coordinator at the Venture Out Project, to discuss the organization’s work leading outdoor adventures with LGBTQ+ individuals.
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In mid-July, a cross-disciplinary group from the San Juan National Forest hiked a stretch of what will soon be known as the Cutthroat Trail, a roughly 5.5-mile trail situated above the East Fork of Hermosa Creek. This new multiple-use trail will be the first on the San Juan National Forest designed for E-bikes, but will also be accessible to hikers, horseback riders, and mountain bikers wanting to explore the Hermosa area.
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Firefighter and writer Lance Garland shares tips to exploring National Forests and public lands during wildfire season.
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Traveling through Big Santa Anita Canyon is like stepping back in time to the “Great Hiking Era.” As you walk along the paths trees and bushes give way to historic camps and cabins built from the 1890s to 1930s to ensure that the residents of the growing city would have a place to find peace in nature.
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From surfing to biking to volunteering, there are lots of ways to enjoy the great outdoors in national forests in Wyoming and some of them may surprise you.
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Are you planning that once-in-a-lifetime trip to Alaska? We’ve got the insider scoop on the best places to experience the wilderness of Alaska. Our largest National Forest in the country, the Tongass, includes more than 100 cabins available to rent. At 17 million acres, you’ll truly feel secluded. Our local experts at the U.S. Forest Service in Alaska gave us their favorite and top recommendations for cabins on the Tongass.
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Many states across the Intermountain West have experienced an increase in wildfire severity and prevalence, coupled with the damaging impacts of insects and diseases, all of which are further compounded by the impacts of climate change. As a result, these factors have degraded our national forested lands and disrupted natural ecosystem processes, while also threatening local livelihoods and property. In response, local community members have created forest-based collaborative groups in partnership with land management agencies to address these issues while also trying to achieve multiple forest objectives.
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When the world adjusted to a new normal in late March, the NFF had to get creative to keep the momentum going for collaborative efforts supporting our National Forests. Just because in-person meetings had to pause, the work for our forests and communities didn’t.
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NFF believes in the value of matching the cutting-edge knowledge acquired at the graduate level of universities with practical, hands-on experience. Over the last few years, though programs like the Conservation Connect Fellowship, we have increased our focus on providing and amplifying this type of knowledge exchange.
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2020 marks the second year of the Conservation Connect Fellowship Program. This year we have 9 Fellows from the University of Montana; California State University-Los Angles; Vermont Law School; Yale, and the University of Michigan.
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Established by an act of Congress on February 10, 1996, the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie (Midewin) became the nation’s first National Tallgrass Prairie twenty five years ago. To mark this occasion, on February 10, 2021, the National Forest Foundation (NFF) hosted a virtual anniversary celebration.
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We are grateful for George’s lifetime of service to our forests, for his generosity to the NFF, and for the example he sets.
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Our tree planting partner, Atlas Services LLC, recently shared a bookmark printed in 1937 that they acquired.
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We will match every tree donated 1:1 – making your contribution twice as impactful.