USDA Blog

Every year, the Christmas tree that graces the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol originates from one of our country’s National Forests. It may not be widely known that the USDA’s Forest Service is instrumental in facilitating the Capitol Christmas Tree’s transport from the forest to the Washington, DC...

Some people may not guess that Lindsay Campbell works for the U.S. Forest Service. After all, she does not work on a national forest. Rather, she loves her job in New York City and frequently travels the globe as a member of the U.S. National Team for fencing.

Who says you have to travel outside the city to enjoy the beauty (and deliciousness) of fresh fruit orchards? Cities all across America are transforming the urban landscape by harvesting trees in public spaces. Together with growing community gardens, planting urban orchards is bringing local groups...

Who says you have to travel outside the city to enjoy the beauty (and deliciousness) of fresh fruit orchards? Cities all across America are transforming the urban landscape by harvesting trees in public spaces. Together with growing community gardens, planting urban orchards is bringing local groups...

Are there cost effective steps that rural communities can take to attract and grow competitive, sustainable energy-related businesses? That was the central question being examined by visiting members of the Organization for Economic and Community Development (OECD) during a series of meetings this...

This month a Brazilian beetle, tested for years by the U.S. Forest Service, is being released in Hawaii to hopefully devourer a non-native fruit known as strawberry guava. Though it sounds delicious, this colorful plant is invading and threatening Hawaii’s native forests and watersheds and has...

This post is part of the Science Tuesday feature series on the USDA blog. Check back each week as we showcase stories and news from USDA’s rich science and research portfolio. In partnership with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Cradle of Forestry Interpretive...

Can’t is a four letter word that is not in Karren Alexander’s vocabulary. Having lost both arms in an accident at a very early age has not stopped Karren from reaching for the stars and trying to spread joy and determination to others. Karren’s philosophy and purpose in life is to encourage and...

During this holiday season, tree cutters are looking for the perfect, pristine Christmas tree as they trek through our national forests as part of their holiday tradition. However, the Forest Service would like to remind those tree cutters to put safety first on their lists this year.

The ponderosa pine is fairly easy to identify. The orange-hued checked bark is well known to westerners. What might not be as well known though is that these native trees can grow to sizes rivaling giant redwoods.