Forest Service

It's been two years since the Great American Outdoor Act was signed into law.  The legislation was crafted to address many of the Forest Service roads, buildings, bridges, campsites and more had fallen into disrepair. "From years of underfunding and increasing public use," noted Jeffery Vail leads the Forest Service's Great American Outdoor Act implementation team.  He...

With summer here, the Forest Services is warning that the west is approaching the most intense part of the wildfire season.  Forest Service Chief Randy Moore mentioned in recent testimony before the senate Energy Committee.  Notable in the context of an already fast start to the 2022 western wildfire season, featuring extreme fire activity in the Southwest. "They...

With temperatures warming up and kids soon out of school for another summer, area rivers and streams will become more popular in the coming weeks. Catherine Caruso, with the Forest Service, said many rivers across the Pacific Northwest have higher flows than normal for this time of year, thanks to recent rain ...

In the 2023 fiscal year budget request, the U.S. Forest Service is asking Congress for roughly $1 billion more than this current year's budget. "This investment supports the agency's ten year strategy to confront the nation's wildfire crisis," noted Forest Service Chief Randy Moore, who said the plan to remove hazardous fuels from forests and reduce the wildfire risk as a long term strat

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and USDA Forest Service chief Randy Moore met with fire fighters and fire management officials recently to get a briefing on the upcoming, or ongoing, fire season. But also, "to highlight our collective efforts to protect our communities from the threat of wildfires ...

Colorado senator Michael Bennet wrote a letter to the USDA and the Forest Service asking the agencies to fully fund and implement fire recovery efforts before spring arrives. Snowmelt runoff and seasonal rains could cause further flooding and damage Colorado watersheds ...

The Oregon Department of Forestry will be collecting Oregon Ash seed from across the state for gene pool preservation. ODF’s Jim Gersbach said the Emerald Ash Borer, an Asian based invasive pest, has been wiping out ash trees across the country since the early 2000s. "We know from st ...

According to a conservation group, the U.S. Forest Service violated numerous environmental laws in approving a 105-square-mile logging and restoration project outside of the town of Cascade. The Idaho Conservation League filed a lawsuit last week that claims the Forest Service violated the Endangered Species Act and other laws in approving the 20-year Sage Hen Project in the Boise National Forest

During a recent trip to Capitol Hill, the U.S. Forest Service's 2nd in command delivered a frank, for many many alarming statement. "We do not have enough resources or capacity to address the needs in front of us right now,"  Forest Service Deputy Chief Christopher French told a Senate sub-committee that on the fire suppression side. "W ...

Last week, the House Ag Committee approved legislation that looks to restore damaged public lands. Earlier this year, Washington Representative Dr. Kim Schrier introduced the National Forest Restoration and Remediation Act. The bipartisan legislation looks to allow the Forest Service to collect and keep the interest earned on settlement funds in order to pay for restoration efforts ...