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Communities Rally to Clean Up National Forests Following Heavy Use

The COVID-19 pandemic has drawn record numbers of visitors to our National Forests across the county, highlighting the importance of responsible recreation.

A Message from National Forest Foundation President and CEO Mary Mitsos

Events over the past two weeks are a stark reminder, yet again, that our nation has a long way to go to create a just and equitable society.

Happy Colorado Public Lands Day!

To recognize the irreplaceable values provided by Colorado’s public lands, Colorado established a day celebrating the importance of public lands in 2016. It’s celebrated on the third Saturday of each May. For the past few years, the NFF has proudly celebrated Colorado Public Lands Day alongside our partners at the USDA Forest Service and around our state.

New NFF Staff: Meet Joe

Meet Joe Lavorini, the NFF's new Gunnison County Stewardship Coordinator

NFF Grant Partners and Projects

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Here’s the STOR-y: The NFF and Gunnison County Team Up to Create Stewardship Jobs

As with many mountain communities in Colorado, visitation to the Gunnison Valley is at an all-time high. Land managers observe that they have never seen our public lands as busy as they have been in recent years. NFF and Gunnison County officials acted urgently this past spring to prepare for the anticipated onrush of summer visitation. The partners quickly hatched the idea for the STOR Corps – a jobs-creation program modeled in-part after the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1920’s and in-part after the youth corps model that is so successful today.

Front Range Trail Stewardship Strike Team Begins Burning Bear Trail Construction

Earlier this season, the Front Range Trail Stewardship Strike Team started their first project on a Front Range Trail in Colorado. Invaluable support from VF Foundation made the Strike Team, a new pilot partnership between the NFF, USDA Forest Service, and Mile High Youth Corps (MHYC), possible in 2020.

Collaborating to Improve Deep Bay Cabin on the Tongass National Forest

The Tongass National Forest boasts 142 reservable cabins on its approximately 17 million acres. The Rasmuson Foundation generously provided support for the renovation of 10 Tongass cabins between 2019 and 2021. It’s an investment in spaces that uplift the wellbeing, culture, and economy of Southeast Alaska.

NFF Corporate Partners

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Planet Home Lending: Planet with a Purpose

Planet Home Lending embraces people, planet, and prosperity, and has planted 55,000 trees on National Forests since 2019.

Restoring Longleaf Pine Forests and Keystone Species Habitat

Planting trees through our 50 Million for Our Forests campaign has many documented benefits, such as improving forest health, air quality, and watershed stability. Tree planting projects also restore wildlife habitat, including restoring habitat for endangered or threatened species.

NFF’s Northern Rockies Program: Benefitting Idaho and Montana Communities

Our expanded Northern Rockies Program, supported by The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust (Murdock Trust), has made it possible for the NFF to increase support for Idaho and Montana communities that rely on the natural and recreational resources that their nearby National Forests provide.

Protecting and Enhancing Public Lands with the Outdoor Fund

Thanks to generous customers of Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s through the Outdoor Fund, we’re planting trees across our national forests. In 2020 alone, nearly 150,000 trees were planted on the Boise and Kisatchie National Forests.

Wildlife

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Five Federally Listed Animals Impacted by Reforestation Efforts

More than 400 federally listed species inhabit our National Forests. Here are a handful of wildlife species that benefit from our reforestation efforts:

What Happens to Wildlife During a Wildfire?

So, what exactly is the impact of forest fires on wildlife? It turns out that like most things in life, it’s a mixed bag. On one hand, wildfire is a natural part of the ecosystem in the western United States, and wildlife has a long relationship with it. Some species even benefit from the blazes. On the other hand, of course fire can be dangerous to animals and plants that can’t outrun it.

Got Dunes? 10 Surprising Plants and Animals found in the Siuslaw National Forest

The Siuslaw National Forest in Oregon covers more than a half-million acres in the Oregon Coast Range mountains and is also home to many unique coastal ecosystems. Within the Forest is the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, one of the largest remaining expanses of coastal sand dunes in the world.

Paddling

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A Paddler’s Guide to Leaving No Trace

There are few things out there as memorable or rewarding as an overnight river trip. It doesn't matter the river type—whether it's full of technical rapids or deep, languid flat water—there's just something about paddling to a campsite that can't be beaten. But of course with all good things, it pays to be diligent and responsible in order to keep them good. So, here are some simple ways to minimize your impacts while paddling, so that you (and others) can enjoy these natural places for many more trips to come.

Ten of the Best Places to Paddle on National Forests

In 2013, we posted a blog called “14 Best Places to Canoe and Kayak on National Forests.” Two years later, it’s still one of our most popular blogs. We thought we should add a few gems we missed and highlight some of the other best places to paddle on our National Forests.

Fourteen Best Places to Canoe and Kayak on National Forests

With hundreds of miles of designated Wild and Scenic Rivers on our National Forests, not to mention stunning lakes, you don't need to look too far for a great paddle experience near you.

Wildfire

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How to Recreate Safely During Wildfire Season

Firefighter and writer Lance Garland shares tips to exploring National Forests and public lands during wildfire season.

Columbia River Gorge 2.5 Years After the Eagle Creek Fire

Have you hiked or driven through the Columbia River Gorge since the Eagle Creek Fire? Many places look different but life is returning to areas that the fire impacted. We recently worked with professional photographer Richie Graham who used his lens to show how life in the Gorge is returning and to the work the NFF is doing to reopen trails.

Five Burning Questions About Tree Planting and Wildfire

Wildfire and its impacts to our forests can be hard to understand. Here are five common questions that explain how tree planting can help our forests recover from wildfire.

Wilderness

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Exploring a Classic Backpacking Route in the Sipsey Wilderness

The first time I hiked in the Sipsey Wilderness I felt like I’d wandered into some strange oasis. With deep canyons, high waterfalls, and forests of hemlocks and mountain laurel, the Sipsey seems out of place in north Alabama. It’s as if, by some miracle, a 25,000-acre chunk of North Georgia was transported 190 miles to the West.

Eight of My Favorite Wilderness Areas in California

Travel in California and you will experience diverse Wilderness areas spanning coast to alpine and desert to montane. There are 149 wilderness areas in California ranging in size from six acres to 3.1 million. They cover nearly 15 million acres—roughly 15 percent of the state.

Wilderness 101

Today the National Wilderness Preservation System contains nearly 110 million acres of lands enjoyed by all Americans. These wilderness lands all exist within our National Parks, National Forests, National Wildlife Refuges and Bureau of Land Management Lands.

10 Pacific Northwest Wilderness Areas for Those Seeking Solitude

If you have spent time in the Pacific Northwest and are a nature lover, then chances are, you have been in or heard of the popular wilderness areas within the National Forest system.

Treasured Landscapes

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Mt. Columbia: The Final Year of a Historic Project

Mt. Columbia has experienced increasingly heavy foot traffic in the past decade. Prior to the new trail construction, hikers used a social trail that ascended straight up a loose scree field. The lack of a sustainable trail caused heavy erosion and damage to the fragile alpine ecosystem and the unstable trail conditions made for dangerous hiking.

Latinx Community ‘Digs’ Forest Stewardship on the Mt. Hood National Forest

Since 2018, the Sandy River Watershed Council has had the pleasure and honor of celebrating Earth Day through a partnership with Vive NW, introducing members of the Latinx community to the Mt. Hood National Forest via organized ecological stewardship activities funded by the NFF’s Treasured Landscapes program.

Fourteener Stewardship Moves Forward in 2020

After months of planning and preparation, Find Your Fourteener campaign partners are preparing for the biggest season yet in terms of dollars invested and work completed. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has caused plans to shift, evolve and adapt, many fourteener-related projects are moving forward as planned.