SantaFeToday.com Santa Fe’s Hometown News
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| The Tonto National Forest is part of the Four Forest Restoration Initiative where the Forest Service is targeting investments to reduce wildfire risk across multiple “Wildfire Crisis Strategy” landscapes. This partnership has already treated hundreds of thousands of acres in central Arizona, setting fire managers up to capitalize on opportunities with naturally caused wildfires. (USDA Forest Service photo by Preston Keres) |
Our forest bill is dueThe western U.S. has a debt to pay, one that has been piling up interest for over a hundred years. “If there’s an accumulation of fuel, it’s due for a fire. It’s a fire debt,” said Danny Whatley, a U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service fire manager who grew up in Gila County, Arizona. “If you don’t pay it this year, it’s due next year. And if you forego, it’s just a bigger debt every year you put it off.” Read more… |
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| Wildland firefighters during the Sandstone Fire receive a hot meal from advanced culinary students with the Treasure Island Job Corps, Mt. Hood National Forest, August 2024. (USDA Forest Service photo) |
Cooking up collaborationIt’s National Apprenticeship Week, and at our Civilian Conservation Centers, our Job Corps students are working a variety of apprenticeships. For the advanced culinary students with the Treasure Island Job Corps, the real-world impact of their work was made apparent as they provided vital hot meals for the wildland firefighters responding to Western wildfires. Read more… |
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| Tribal representatives from the Rocky Mountain Region pose after a tribal blessing of Mount Democrat on Aug. 21, 2024. Members of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Northern Arapaho Tribe, Northern Cheyenne Tribe, Comanche Nation, Kiowa Tribe, and Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes participated. (USDA Forest Service photo by Joshua Cowden) |
The blessing of Mount DemocratIt’s also Native American Heritage Month, and all month long, the USDA Forest Service is highlighting our partnerships and collaborations with Tribal governments and people. One effort to advance co-stewardship came through the unique tribal blessing for Mount Democrat, a popular Colorado “fourteener,” the term for a mountain whose peak rises above 14,000 feet. Last year, in partnership with The Conservation Fund, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service acquired nearly 300 acres leading to the summit of Mount Democrat in Colorado’s Mosquito Range. Read more… |
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| Tanks cross a pontoon bridge over the Red River during the Louisiana Maneuvers. (U.S. Army photo) |
When a national forest trained Americans for warMarking Veterans Day, we share the story of when Kisatchie National Forest in Louisiana played host to the largest military action to ever take place in North America: the Louisiana Maneuvers. A vital practice run for World War II, the Louisiana Maneuvers brought 400,000 men into action under the piney woods of Kisatchie. Read more… |
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| One goal of the Forest Legacy program is to preserve habitat for wildlife, like the eastern brook trout, an important native species and a favorite of anglers. (USDA Forest Service photo by Preston Keres) |
Conserving forests for our futureForests are essential to the well-being of communities and are central to the lives of families like the Lalibertes. They provide clean water and air, spaces for recreation, jobs in the forest products sector and habitat for valuable wildlife. However, private forest landowners face increasing pressure to sell their forests or convert them to other uses. Fortunately, there is the Forest Legacy Program. Through Forest Legacy, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service with a coalition of state agencies, private landowners and non-profit organizations is working across values to conserve important forests and protect them for future generations. Read more… |
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| Helicopter takes off from the nicely paved Trimmer Heliport, in route to a wildfire water drop on the Sierra National Forest. (USDA Forest Service photo by Bert Valdez) |
Paving the way on the Sierra National ForestDon’t be fooled into thinking fixing asphalt is quick and easy. While we may take the ground we travel upon for granted, pavement repairs can make all the difference in the safety, accessibility and beauty of our national forests. To get the work done right, the perfect mix of national funds and a new business model helped expedite repairing two roads and three heliport pads on the Sierra National Forest in central California. Let’s see how these funds and updated contracting tools are creating better roads and safer wildfire-fighting conditions on one of our national forests. Read more… |
