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Stories from the Great Northwest Forests
Forests are dynamic ecosystems where wildlife, plants, and people can thrive. They're also important places where people gather forest products such as mushrooms and berries. And they are of vital importance to many tribal nations and as a part of the cultural heritage of many communities.
This page provides a a place where you can fully immerse yourself in the science, culture, history, and importance of forests by stories told through many different mediums from text to video and more.
Forest Stories
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Meet Alexa Valladolid
Meet Alexa Valladolid, one of our fabulous Pacific Northwest Forest Service employees.
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Meet Kathy Sale
Meet Kathy Sale, one of our fabulous Pacific Northwest Forest Service employees.
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Meet Yewah Lau
Meet Yewah Lau, one of our fabulous Pacific Northwest Forest Service employees.
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Meet Shannon Dunfee
Meet Shannon Dunfee, one of our fabulous Pacific Northwest Forest Service employees.
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Be in the know for snow: Winter recreation safety advice
The winter recreation season is in full swing, which means adventures are better when you venture out well prepared. Recreating on public lands in winter presents many safety challenges.
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Wildfire Protection Requires a Year-Round Approach
We’re so grateful for the heroic efforts that our firefighting crews take to protect our communities and beloved wild lands. Did you know though that our efforts to protect communities and public lands don’t end once all the wildfires are out?
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Fuel Reduction Projects Reducing Risks of Wildfire in the Jacksonville, Oregon Area
Thanks to projects like the Jacksonville Community Wildfire Protection Project, our forest lands and nearby communities are now more protected from potential wildfires.
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A 20-Year Tradition of Dedication Continues with the Mountaineers’ Volunteer Trail Work on Church Creek
Thanks to the incredible efforts of our partners and volunteers from the Mountaineers, a Pacific Northwest outdoor volunteer community organization, hikers can now enjoy several miles of improved trail along Church Creek Trail.
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Great American Outdoors Act provides for Forest wide cattleguard replacement
The Ochoco National Forest invested $300,000 to replace approximately 65 cattleguards w/funding from the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) this year. That's important because cattle might otherwise damage sensitive plant species or damage riparian habitat important for fish species.
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The Importance of Trees for Carbon Storage as We Commemorate National Climate Week
Trees in forests make one of the world's best carbon storage systems. In fact, in the Pacific Northwest alone, National Forests contribute 2,400 Teragrams of carbon storage. That's approximately the same amount of carbon that would be emitted from 1.8 billion passenger vehicles drive for a whole year.
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Back-to-school season means new class of 4th graders eligible for Every Kid Outdoors
Back-to-school season means a new class of fourth graders will soon be eligible to enroll in Every Kid Outdoors, a federal program which provides up to a year of free access to National Forests, National Parks, and other public lands for fourth-grade students and their families.
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Spark Arrestors - What you Need to Know to Be Legal & Stay Safe
All internal combustion engines emit potentially dangerous sparks under normal operating conditions. A spark arrester acts like an air filter, removing all solid particles from the exhaust stream, and Forest Service approved spark arresters are required year round on Forest Service and BLM lands.
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Cispus River-Yellowjacket Creek Restoration Project
Partnership and collaboration are key to improving watershed function on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The Forest is currently partnering with The Cowlitz Indian Tribe to improve salmon and steelhead habitat for Threatened coho, Chinook and steelhead in the Cispus River and Yellowjacket Creek, tributaries to the Cowlitz River.
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A 15-Year Tradition Continues - Fish Surveying for Endangered Species
The Tiller Ranger District, on the U.S. Forest Service - Umpqua National Forest, hosted the annual interagency South Umpqua Spring Chinook monitoring survey.
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The Green Menace
The Emerald Ash Borer beetle is now present in the northwest, and it’s a threat to Oregon Ash. Learn how to identify it and trees it’s infested, and how to help us stop the spread.
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Bilingual Interpretive Trail Re-Design
Kalispel Language Survival School and Colville National Forest heritage program worked together to connect the land with language by re-designing an interpretive trail at Pioneer Campground.
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Celebrating Native American Heritage Month
November is Native American Heritage month. To celebrate, we’re highlighting work tribal members are doing throughout the region and beyond. Learn about specific recent projects that the US Forest Service and tribes are doing in partnership.
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Multiculturalism Outdoors: PDX Climbers of Color
The Pacific Northwest Region of the Forest Service hosted a weekend climbing, stewardship and camping event with PDX Climbers of Color, a local BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) affinity group.
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The Power of Hazardous Fuel Treatments
Proactive hazardous fuel treatments on the Pomeroy Ranger District of the Umatilla National Forest were instrumental in changing fire behavior and slowing the advance of the Lick Creek Fire.
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USFS & Big City Mountaineers Sign Innovative Agreement
The Pacific Northwest Region of the Forest Service signed a region-wide agreement with Big City Mountaineers, a nonprofit organization that connects youth from dis-invested communities to the outdoors by outfitting and bringing participants - free of charge - into the wild.
Recreation Fee Accomplishments: Your Fee Dollars at Work
Every year the Forest Service collects recreation fees for a variety of facilities and services. These revenues are retained locally by each national forest to operate and maintain campgrounds, trails, visitor centers and more. Besides routine operation and maintenance, forests chip away at major projects to reduce back log maintenance.
The Forest Service in the Pacific Northwest Region is proud of their accomplishments and would like to share them with you.