Welcome to the National Forest Foundation blog. Explore the various articles to learn more about our forests and places to play.
Reforesting our National Forests is not as simple as placing a seed in a hole, covering it with soil, and hoping it grows. The process is more complicated, integrating the best available science and technology.
Read more
The North Umpqua watershed is a special place. Driving through the Wild and Scenic River corridor, rafting the Class IV rapids, mountain biking the IMBA Epic North Umpqua Trail, climbing to the top of the 9,183’ Mt. Thielsen volcano, fly fishing for wild steelhead, or observing rare wildflowers in rocky meadows will make the extraordinary qualities of this place clear to anyone.
Read more
Tis the season for holiday shopping. Not sure what to get your forest-loving friend or family member? Consider these unique gift ideas they’re sure to love – and that will give back to our precious public lands and National Forests.
Read more
Learn more about Giving Tuesday and why it's important to the National Forest Foundation.
Read moreReforestation 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?
Read more
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.
Read more
Today we are grateful to share in this power of partnerships and celebrate the success (and subsequent growth) of NFF’s-supported youth program in southeastern Alaska’s Tongass National Forest. In 2016, the NFF recruited four Tlingit high school-aged youth from Angoon, a remote village of 459 people on Admiralty Island.
Read more
Planet Home Lending embraces people, planet, and prosperity, and has planted 55,000 trees on National Forests since 2019.
Read more
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.
Read more
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.
Read more
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.
Read more
More than 400 federally listed species inhabit our National Forests. Here are a handful of wildlife species that benefit from our reforestation efforts:
Read more
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.
Read more
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.
Read more
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.
Read more
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.
Read more
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.
Read more
Firefighter and writer Lance Garland shares tips to exploring National Forests and public lands during wildfire season.
Read more
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.
Read more
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.
Read more
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.
Read more
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.
Read more
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.
Read more
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.
Read more
For the last seven years, the National Forest Foundation has partnered with the Conservation Corps of Long Beach (CCLB) to employ local Black and Latino youth as Junior Field Rangers. The Junior Field Rangers program work across three Southern California National Forests, the Angeles, San Bernardino, and Cleveland, to provide Southern California youth of color from low-income backgrounds with employment to foster the next generation of forest stewards.
Read more
For the NFF and all of our Find Your Fourteener partners across Colorado, 2020 was a year of learning, adaptation, and evolution. The season didn’t look like we imagined, but thanks to ingenuity and drive, our organizations collectively experienced a tremendous amount of success.
Read more
As the West simultaneously burns and reels from the worst wildfire season in U.S. history, the need for tangible – and cost-efficient – solutions is as critical as protecting our forests, communities, and ecosystems.
Read more
We will match every tree donated 1:1 – making your contribution twice as impactful.