USDA Forest Service

Forests are an intricate part of our life, from the air they clean to the water they provide. It’s important that we love our forests just like we love ourselves.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 12, 2012 – A new manual released by the U.S. Forest Service provides guidance on how best to use the millions of dead and dying urban trees infected by invasive insects in the eastern United States. 
The free publication, developed by the Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory and the University of Minnesota Duluth offers insight into the wide variety of products and markets that are available and practical advice for considering the many available options for using insect-killed wood. Uses include lumber, furniture, cabinetry, flooring, and pellets for wood-burning energy facilities.

Get your Great Backyard Bird Count tracker, a pair of binoculars and start counting. From Feb. 15-18, people across the country will count birds in their backyards, parks, farms – even forests and grasslands. The annual four-day event to create a real-time snapshot to help scientists and bird enthusiasts document and understand the complex distribution and movements of so many species in such a short time. Last year more than 104,000 checklists were submitted with more than 17 million birds counted. What a great opportunity to be a citizen scientist!

Faces of the Forest: Nita Wornom

Nita Wornom says she has 30 years of the best kind of federal service – working with the U.S. Forest Service. A forester by trade, she has worked in many different career fields, three Forest Service regions and seven national forests during her career.