USDA Forest Service
National news from the U.S. Forest Service

• Forest Service Updates Assessment of the Trends Affecting US Forests and Rangelands
  A recent Forest Service determination finds climate change could affect the distribution and diversity of plants and animals in the United States.
• Connaughton to Lead Eastern Region of the U.S. Forest Service
  U.S. Forest Service Chief Abigail R. Kimbell today appointed Kent P. Connaughton as Eastern regional forester.
• U.S. Forest Service Scientists Awarded Nobel Peace Prize for Research on Climate Change
  The Nobel Committee recently announced the award of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2007 in equal parts to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Al Gore, Jr. Thirteen U.S. Forest Service researchers are IPCC authors and reviewers and share in this esteemed honor. These scientists specialize in diverse fields including forest ecology, hydrology, soils and climate. Their work is part of studies covering 40 years of climate and air quality research on forested lands.
• USDA Forest Service Releases Five Year Strategic Plan
  U.S. Forest Service Chief Abigail Kimbell announced today the release of the agency's strategic plan.
• Independent Audit Shows National Forests Perform Well in Meeting Sustainability Standards
  The results of a two-year, third party audit released today by the U.S. Forest Service found that five national forests studied as part of the independent audit perform very well in meeting many of the widely accepted standards for sustainable forestry.
• Forest Service Announces Personnel Appointments
  U.S. Forest Service Chief Abigail Kimbell announced today key personnel changes for Research and Development within the Agency.
• US Forest Service Hosts "Lend A Hand - Care For The Land" In Celebration of National Public Lands Day
  The U.S. Forest Service will join the public and roll up their sleeves for the largest hands-on volunteer effort to preserve America's public lands.
• Forest Service Announces Regional Forester Leadership Changes
  U.S. Forest Service Chief Abigail Kimbell announced today a key personnel change for the Regional Forester position in the Southwestern Region, which includes Arizona and New Mexico.
• Forest Service and Environmental Protection Agency Increase Coordination to Improve Water Quality
  The U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have agreed on new steps designed to improve water quality on National Forests and Grasslands.
• Forest Service Announces Regional Forester Leadership Changes
  U.S. Forest Service Chief Abigail Kimbell announced today two key personnel changes for Regional Forester positions in the Intermountain Region and the Pacific Southwest Region.
• Forest Service Publishes Two Proposed Rules
  The Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), is providing public notice and opportunity for comments on proposed rules for National Forest System land management planning and the Forest Service's NEPA procedures. Both proposals have 60-day comment periods.
• Winner of National Smokey Bear/Woodsy Owl Poster Contest to be Announced by Chief at World Children's Festival
  Forest Service Chief Abigail Kimbell will honor the winner of the National Smokey Bear/Woodsy Owl poster contest at the World Children's Festival day of Health and Environment on Saturday, June 23.
• BLM Launches Effort to Facilitate Renewable Energy Development on Federal Lands
  In response to the increased national demand for clean renewable energy, the Bureau of Land Management today announced it will prepare a programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) analyzing areas with high potential for geothermal energy development.
• Forest Service Works to Improve Children's Health
  The U.S. Forest Service awarded a half million dollars in matching challenge cost-share funds today to improve children's health and close the widening gap between America's youth and the outdoors.
• Independent Study Finds Forest Service Exercised Appropriate and Adequate Fiscal Controls in 2006 Fire Season
  WASHINGTON, May 21, 2007-The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced that an independent Brookings Institution panel found the USDA Forest Service exercised appropriate and adequate fiscal diligence in suppressing wildfires during the record breaking 2006 fire season.
• USDA Forest Service Purchases Elkhorn Ranch in North Dakota
  WASHINGTON, May 7, 2007-Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns today announced that the USDA Forest Service has purchased a 5,200 acre parcel—which houses the historically significant and natural resource rich Elkhorn Ranch in western North Dakota.
• USDA Proposes Market-Based Conservation
  Mark Rey, Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, conducted a briefing on April 12th on market-based conservation, a component of the Conservation Title in the Administration's proposal for the 2007 Farm Bill. The goal of market-based conservation is to take conservation beyond the boundaries of the farm, ranch, and forest and develop a system that will make environmental credit trading mainstream.
• Federal Leaders Launch New One-Stop, Interagency Website for Recreation Reservations
  WASHINGTON, Mar. 28, 2007-Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne and Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns today demonstrated a one-stop internet site for making reservations and exploring federal recreation lands. They led an event in the nation's capital formally launching a new web site, www.recreation.gov.
• Civil Rights Director Announced For U.S. Forest Service
  WASHINGTON, March 27, 2007-U.S. Forest Service Chief Gail Kimbell announced Debra Muse as the agency's Civil Rights Director.
• Agriculture Secretary Johanns Announce $6.2 Million For Woody Biomass Utilization Projects
  WASHINGTON, Mar. 20, 2007-Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns today announced the award of $6.2 million in grants to more than two dozen small businesses and community groups to develop innovative uses for woody biomass, including renewable energy and new products, from national forests.
• New Director Named For Forest Service R&D Staff
  WASHINGTON, Feb. 12, 2007-Forest Service Deputy Chief of Research and Development Ann Bartuska today announced the selection of Dr. Carlos Rodriguez-Franco as director of the Forest Management Sciences Staff.
• Forest Service Publishes New Rule For Energy-Related Permits
  WASHINGTON, Feb. 2, 2007-The Forest Service today announced a new rule that permits it to respond quickly to applications for oil-and-gas exploration on Forest Service land already under federal leases.
• Forest Service and BLM Announce 2007 Federal Grazing Fee
  WASHINGTON, Feb. 2, 2007-The Federal grazing fee for Western public lands managed by the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management will be $1.35 per animal unit month (AUM) in 2007, down from $1.56 in 2006. The newly adjusted fee, determined by a congressional formula and effective on March 1, applies to more than 8,000 permits administered by the Forest Service and nearly 18,000 grazing permits and leases administered by the BLM.
• Forest Service Convenes Team to Broaden Public's Involvement in Recreation Site Facility Master Planning
  WASHINGTON, Jan. 26, 2007-USDA Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth has tapped a National Review Team to gauge the effectiveness of citizen participation in the Recreation Site Facility Master