Hurricane Helene, National Public Lands Day and other features from the Forest Service

On the first anniversary of Hurricane Helene’s devastation of the southern Appalachians, Pisgah National Forest recreation specialist Alexandra Davison reflects on her experiences with the storm cutting her off from the rest of the world and having to balance reopening the Forest and taking care of her own recovery. Read more…

Morning sun over a primitive campsite on the Upper Middle Fork of the Flathead River, Flathead National Forest. (USDA Forest Service photo by I. Scott)

Three cheers for volunteers For more than 100 years, USDA Forest Service volunteers have embodied the attitude and spirit behind these words in the name of conservation stewardship. Through campground hosting, trail maintenance, visitor services, research and more, the agency has embraced volunteers of all ages to contribute to the legacy of restoration for future generations. However, one day is set aside every year on the fourth Saturday in September to formally celebrate the spirit of volunteerism in the great outdoors – enter National Public Lands Day! Read more…

Aerial view of rockslide damage to I-40 post Hurricane Helene. (Courtesy photo by Andy Ryan)

Interstate 40 reopens on anniversary of Hurricane Helene One year after Hurricane Helene washed out Interstate 40 in the Pisgah National Forest, the State of North Carolina and the USDA Forest Service announce the official reopening of I-40. Read more…

Click the link to read the 75th anniversary edition of Tree Planters’ Notes. (Tree Planters’ Notes cover art created by the USDA Forest Service)

Tree Planters’ Notes celebrates 75th anniversary Tree Planters’ Notes celebrates its 75th anniversary with some retrospectives from retired Forest Service nursery specialists. It also includes articles on restoring landscapes for private landowners through partnerships, how trees in the Pacific Northwest respond to different stock type sizes, creating an in-school nursery program for technical education, using social media to generate interest in planting and nurseries, and a simple strategy to protect seedlings from inclement weather. Read more…

Flathead Electric Cooperative’s Amanda Opp supervises contract tree crews during a system trim in West Glacier, Montana. (Photo courtesy of Flathead Electric Cooperative)

Keeping the lights on and the fires out in rural Montana Wildfires are everyone’s concern—they threaten not just the forests in which they burn, but the lives, property and livelihoods of nearby communities. Many communities that live in the shadow of wildfire risk understand this danger and have banded together to address it. One such organization is FireSafe Flathead, which consists of local, county and state representatives, along with officials from the Flathead National Forest