Forest Focus

Have you ever wondered why some trees -- in certain locations, a lot of trees -- are brown and dying? The connection between bark beetles, drought and tree mortality is a topic of this episode and how researchers are looking into making trees less attractive...to bark beetles, not tree huggers.

Springtime is defined as an early or flourishing stage of development, and after a wildfire damages the landscape, we sometimes see teams of people replanting trees within the burn scar during the early part of the year. Jamie Hinrichs helps explain reforestation efforts in a very special place in the forest.

In this episode, we return once again to our series on Nature's Benefits. Today, we will focus on a benefit you can't see. Well, you can see the effects of it... it's a bit hard to explain. Luckily, we have Lara Buluc back to handle the reins, along with experts to talk about...Carbon.

In this episode, we learn about tree disease and how it affects forest health from Jamie Hinrichs. Jamie was featured in Episode 28: Trails and Transformation when she took us to the Inyo National Forest backcountry to hear from a California Conservation Corps trail crew. Expect to hear more from Jamie and her adventures into the forest in future episodes in what we will start calling an occasional series, Echoes from the Understory.

In the episode, we focus on another nature's benefits: recreation. This continues our series on the many benefits forests provide so let's take a long hike and chat about how we understand outdoor activities. The diverse landscapes and climates in California’s 18 National Forests provide many outdoor recreation opportunities to nearly 24 million people annually including: hiking, camping, picnicking, water activities, winter sports, horseback riding, motorized activities, and green space... read more

In the episode, we focus on another nature's benefits: recreation. This continues our series on the many benefits forests provide so let's take a long hike and chat about how we understand outdoor activities. The diverse landscapes and climates in California’s 18 National Forests provide many outdoor recreation opportunities to nearly 24 million people annually including: hiking, camping, picnicking, water activities, winter sports, horseback riding, motorized activities, and green space for gathering, practicing cultural traditions, or solitude. From primitive, unconfined solitude to formalized group activities and the broad spectrum of activities in between these outdoor experiences, these recreation opportunities help people connect to nature and strengthen their bonds with each other.   show less

In this episode, we meet up with a backcountry trail crew on the Inyo National Forest. California Conservation Corps members and the United States Forest Service staff tell us what it takes to live and work on the trail. As we shall soon learn, the combination of partnership, funding from the Great American Outdoors Act, and True Grit brings transformation for the trail and the crew.

In this episode, we focus on how reforestation and restoration projects begin. It all starts with a seed. What happens when a national forest in California needs to replant trees after the damage of a wildfire, insects or other harmful activity that has scarred the landscape? What they need are seedlings adapted to grow in specific elevations and climates. What they need to do is call the seed specialists at the Placerville Nursery, located in Camino on the Eldorado National Forest.

National Forests are loved by many people for many things beyond the recreational benefit they provide. We will tie in Episode 22: Employee Spotlight: Hydrologist, Stewardship Coordinators with another amazing benefit carved into the national forest landscape. History. Historical markers can be found throughout California's forests, parks, cities and towns that speak towards the Native American tribes that lived off the land, to the pioneers who served and explored, and to those who shaped what California is today.

In this episode, we focus on National Invasive Plant, Pest and Disease Awareness Month. With the U.S. Forest Service under the Department of Agriculture there is certainly a connection between these harmful invaders and the threat they pose to our nation's food security, backyard gardens and natural resources.

In this episode, we focus on a former Forest Service employee with the Modoc National Forest, his career, his connection with the Choctaw tribes, and his chance of a lifetime to work with Bison and the Modoc Nation.

In this episode, Ted Weller, an ecologist with the Pacific Southwest Research Station, helps us go batty for bats. Each year, Bat Week is observed the week before Halloween and is used by bat enthusiasts, scientists, conservation groups and others to educate the public, dispel myths and bring attention to the struggles they face. The beneficial impact these amazing creatures have on our ecosystem should be celebrated far beyond the season of spooky ghosts, skeletons and vampires.

In this episode, we focus on three employees and talk about their childhood, how they got involved in the Forest Service and more. So join us in welcoming a hydrologist, a shared stewardship coordinator, and the acting National Forest Stewardship Program manager in Incorporative Forestry.

We learned in Episode 19 about Ecosystem Services or Nature's Benefits in an introduction-type show. This show, we dive back in with Part 2 of that series with our first forest benefit spotlight shining on - Water. A research associate with the Public Policy Institute of California Water Policy Center joins us to talk about this critical need.

In this episode we speak with Sarah LaPlante, a Forest Service employee, about her challenges of working as a District Ranger on the Stanislaus National Forest during the COVID-19 pandemic and balancing her workload with her new role as a mother.

Millions of us understand what the benefit of being outdoors has on our mind, body and spirit. But what other benefits does the natural world provide on your national forests? Well, this episode we explore how nature benefits our daily lives with an introduction into ecosystem services, otherwise known as nature's benefits.

The focus of this episode is recycling. What happens when a large wildfire requires the creation of a fire camp or incident command post, where hundreds or even thousands of personnel support the firefighting effort? The amount of trash that accumulates could match that of a small town. We speak with the National Greening Fire Team, ambassadors, and recycling vendors who work to lessen this environmental impact.

In this episode of Forest Focus, we explore backcountry and wilderness packing with the Pacific Southwest Region's Pack Stock Center of Excellence. Have a listen to a tradition, one covered in over a hundred years of trail dust, that is still critical and relevant today in supporting fire management, ecosystems and forest management.

In this episode of Forest Focus, Steve Dunsky, a videographer and historian of the Forest Service for more than 30 years, speaks with Char Miller about the 50th anniversary of NEPA, the National Environmental Policy Act. Char Miller is Director of the Environmental Analysis Program and W.M. Keck Professor of Environmental Analysis at Pomona College in Claremont, California. Dr. Miller is the author of many books, articles and blog posts on environmental history and politics. He has consulted on, and appeared in many documentaries including The Greatest Good, a history of the U.S. Forest Service.