A new partnership between the National Forest Foundation (NFF) and REI Co-op (REI) will plant 1 million trees on National Forests across the U.S. over the next decade. Each project will prioritize immediate reforestation to restore ecosystems adversely impacted by severe wildfire, pests, diseases, blowdown, or other natural disturbances. These efforts will help protect the vital benefits that our National Forests provide, including carbon sequestration, clean air and water, and wildlife habitat.

This commitment, part of REI’s initiative to mitigate climate change and pledge to 1T.org, will advance the NFF’s 50 Million For Our Forests campaign and the NFF’s longer-term reforestation goals on National Forests. The NFF and REI will work together on an annual basis to select projects from a list of high-priority sites determined by professional foresters with the U.S. Forest Service.

Locations and types of projects that will be planted through the partnership include:

• California, Pacific Northwest, Southwest, Northern, and Southern Rockies Regions, to address wildfire, insect, and disease recovery;
• Western Great Lakes states for blowdown, insect, and disease recovery; and
• Southeastern and Appalachian states, to restore critical wildlife habitat to support endangered species and highly biodiverse ecosystems.

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An example of National Forest stewardship in action.

As with many mountain communities in Colorado, visitation to the Gunnison Valley is at an all-time high. Land managers observe that they have never seen our public lands as busy as they have been in recent years. The area is surrounded by 1.7 million acres of National Forest, and the Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service also manage well-known recreation areas and parks in the region.

The valley has been nicknamed “the American Serengeti” for its abundance of wildlife, the single-track trail network is among the largest in the country, and the network of waterways provide endless opportunities for summer recreation. If it sounds like the perfect place to escape during quarantine, you aren’t alone in thinking that way.

The National Forest Foundation and Gunnison County officials acted urgently this past spring to prepare for the anticipated onrush of summer visitation. The partners quickly hatched the idea for the STOR Corps – a jobs-creation program modeled in-part after the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1920’s and in-part after the youth corps model that is so successful today.

The Corps is working with all of the federal land management agencies in the county, and the work is varied and of high importance. So far, the Corps has accomplished the following: distributed vaccines to prairie dogs, cleared deadfall on Wilderness trails, installed signs on Cottonwood Pass, restored wet meadows, removed noxious weeds, and planted NFF-funded trees on Slumgullion Pass.

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Have you ever spent the whole day inside sitting in school or work feeling exhausted, but when you walk outside into the sun and fresh air, you instantly feel better? There’s an actual scientific term for this feeling. Biophilia is a word for human’s innate draw to the natural environment. However, nature and forests in particular do much more for human health than just improve our mood.

Here are five ways that forests can positively impact human health:

1. Spending time outside improves mental health

2. Taking a walk through the forest can benefit physical health

3. Forests provide oxygen for out lungs

4. Forest purify and provide clean water for out communities

5. Trees help mitigate the effects of climate change

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In 2018, the largest number of trees were planted in a single year by the National Forest Foundation.

The NFF works with the U.S. Forest Service to restore priority sites on America’s 193-million-acres of National Forests and engages Americans across the country in stewarding and enjoying these landscapes. The NFF announced a campaign to plant 50 million trees on National Forests on Earth Day 2018. Every dollar donated to the NFF plants one tree on a National Forest. When considering your Giving Tuesday donations, perhaps keep the National Forest Foundation in mind.

The 2018 tree-planting projects occurred on 25 different forests across the country and reforested approximately 13,000 acres, an area equal to planting a forest across more than 10,000 football fields. These reforestation projects improved local watersheds and improved wildlife habitat for threatened and endangered species. These projects are also restoring thousands of acres that have been impacted by recent wildfires in the western U.S.

Each tree will sequester an average of 11 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every year, meaning that in the next 100 years, these 2.6 million trees will sequester more than 13 million tons of carbon dioxide. That’s equal to the annual emissions from more than 280,000 cars.

Redlands tree planting professionals.

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On Earth Day 2018, April 22nd, the National Forest Foundation (NFF) launched an ambitious campaign to plant 50 million trees on America’s National Forests. The NFF initiated this effort to address the increasing reforestation needs on our National Forests.

Many Americans are unaware that an estimated one million acres of National Forests need reforestation. Every year, wildfire, insects and disease take their toll on these treasured public lands. The campaign calls attention to this issue and invites Americans to make a difference.

“We will address this need head on by planting trees where they are needed most,” said Mary Mitsos, NFF President. “Planting 50 million trees is an enormous challenge, but in that challenge we see opportunity – opportunity to engage Americans in their National Forests. Since every dollar donated plants a tree, each of us can plant several trees for the cost of a morning latte. It really is that easy.”

Clovis tree planting and maintenance experts.

Working in partnership with the USDA Forest Service, corporate partners, small businesses and individual supporters, the NFF will direct its support to National Forests that need it most. The Forest Service only plants native trees, chosen specifically for each site. For every dollar contributed, the agency invests two additional dollars in these reforestation projects.

“We see a growing reforestation need across our National Forests,” said Vicki Christiansen, Interim Chief of the Forest Service. “It is fitting the Forest Service joins in launching this campaign as we celebrate Earth Day and work to sustain the natural resources that support our communities, livelihoods and life itself. Through this reforestation effort, the Forest Service and the National Forest Foundation will work together to tackle this challenge. This is a public-private partnership at its best.”

The NFF has already planted more than 11 million trees on National Forests across the country since 2008. Reforestation projects like these:

• Improve wildlife habitat for the thousands of wildlife species that call our forests home.
• Restore watershed health, which benefits the millions of Americans who depend on our National Forests for water.
• Improve forest health to ensure our forests are resilient in the face of climate change.
• Enhance the beauty of our forests and people’s ability to enjoy them.

The NFF launched its campaign on Earth Day, April 22nd, and invites Americans and American businesses to join this effort. Through June 1st, a generous donor has offered to double every gift from individuals, so the NFF will plant two trees for every $1 donated. To learn more, please visit www.nationalforests.org/50million.

About the National Forest Foundation
The National Forest Foundation promotes the enhancement and public enjoyment of the 193-million-acre National Forest System. By directly engaging Americans and leveraging private and public funding, the NFF improves forest health and Americans’ outdoor experiences. The NFF’s programs inform millions of Americans about the importance of these treasured landscapes. Each year, the NFF restores fish and wildlife habitat, plants trees in areas affected by fires, insects and disease, improves recreational opportunities, and enables communities to steward their National Forests and Grasslands. Learn more at www.nationalforests.org.

In 1942, the U.S. Army transformed a valley near Leadville, Colorado, into training grounds for its 10th Mountain Division. The high altitude, climate and steep terrain prepared World War II troops for critical battles in the Italian Alps. At Camp Hale, as the area at the headwaters of the Eagle River became known, thousands of soldiers learned to ski, mountaineer and survive in harsh winter conditions.

To build the camp, the Army Corps of Engineers brought in millions of cubic yards of fill by rail car to flatten the valley bottom. The Corps straightened the river’s natural sinuosity into a ditch system and drained the surrounding wetlands. Today, the valley bears only a few remnants of the old garrison, including the pillars of a field house that proved difficult to dismantle when the rest of the buildings were leveled.

But the river remains straitjacketed, the valley flat. “It’s a testament to the engineering that it’s still that way today,” says Eagle-Holy Cross District Ranger Aaron Mayville, “but it’s not the most healthy ecosystem.”

Now, two parallel initiatives seek to restore the ecosystem while still honoring the site’s history. One is a conservation effort that seeks to improve the valley’s ecology and to better educate visitors. The other is the Continental Divide Wilderness and Recreation Act, which, in addition to creating new wilderness and other protections in Eagle and Summit Counties, would designate Camp Hale as the nation’s first National Historic Landscape.

The current restoration plan has been successful. Spearheaded by the National Forest Foundation, the nonprofit partner of the Forest Service, the project brought together more than 40 stakeholders, including veterans, recreation groups and water rights holders.

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As of September 15, 2017, over 8,834,487 acres across the United States have been burned by wildfire, the highest number of wildfire acres burned in year-to-date records kept by the National Interagency Fire Center. The highest total acreage burned in any year on record is 9,873,745, in 2006.

Wildfire is a necessary and important part of a natural landscape, but it is undeniable that some wildfires have harsh and negative impacts on communities, water resources, outdoor recreation resources, and fish and wildlife habitat. In these cases, post-fire restoration can be crucial to prevent further damage and to spur recovery.

Loss of vegetation as a result of an intensely burning large fire can expose soil to erosion. Following such a fire, storm events or spring runoff on denuded slopes can cause ravaging floods and debris flows, which may damage structures, roads, trails, water reservoirs, put community water supplies at risk, and harm critical wildlife habitat. These adverse impacts can continue to occur for years after the fires are extinguished.

As soon as it is safe to do so, sometimes even before a fire is totally suppressed, the Forest Service begins a process called a burned area emergency response (BAER).

BAER is an assessment intended to protect life, property, water quality, important archeological resources, and impacted ecosystems from further damage. If emergency conditions exist after a fire, then, if possible, steps will be taken in attempt to alleviate emergency conditions such as helping to stabilize soil, and to control water, sediment and debris movement.

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Since the establishment of eastern National Forests at the beginning of the 20th century, the forests of western North Carolina have been recognized and valued for their importance to scenic outdoor experiences and directly connected to the health of the region. The Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests in particular cover a remarkable and unique landscape, spanning the biodiversity hotspot that is the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Here in this verdant corner of America, wild rivers carve deep valleys into the highest mountain ranges in the Eastern U.S.

Ecologically, the ancient forests of western North Carolina support a diversity of forest communities, from dry piedmont forests to high-elevation spruce-fir forests. Along with a diverse landscape, the forests support some of the most pristine waters in the country. Waters from the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests supplement municipal water supplies in eight southeastern states, from Kentucky through Georgia.

As part of their national Treasured Landscapes, Unforgettable Experiences conservation program, the National Forest Foundation has designated the Nantahala-Pisgah National Forests as a Treasured Landscape campaign site.

Through this designation, which the NFF is calling the Investing in the Great Outdoors campaign, they are working with the U.S. Forest Service and community partners to address and expand much-needed restoration efforts on the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests of western North Carolina.

The Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests are also among the most visited in the National Forest System. The landscape contains a broad range of nationally recognized recreation destinations. Over the last 30 years, as the area’s population and visitation has increased, so has pressure on the Forests to provide clean water and recreation from a healthy forest landscape.

At the same time, forest infrastructure, mostly constructed in the 1950s, has degraded over time. Areas of the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests that experience high visitation are being “loved to death.” The Treasured Landscape campaign aims to fix that.

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It’s easy to forget all the amazing things forests do for us. Take a few minutes to discover why the trees in America’s National Forests play such a vital role in our world.

The following infographic was provided by the National Forest Foundation. The NFF works with the U.S. Forest Service to care for 193 million acres of National Forests in 42 states + Puerto Rico. They have planted more than 4 million trees in the past ten years through partnerships with individuals and business.

Last month the National Forest Foundation gathered with partners, friends and collaborators to celebrate the culmination of years of effort on the Deschutes National Forest. Part of their Treasured Landscapes, Unforgettable Experiences campaign, “The Tale of Two Rivers” site leveraged more than $4 million to restore Whychus Creek and Metolius River. The event took place at the new Whychus Overlook, the final piece of the site work, which provides stunning views of the Three Sisters Wilderness.

These rivers are truly treasured landscapes and are highly valued by the community of Sisters and the many people who hike or fish these rivers. Whychus has an impressive history. It once provided more than half of the steelhead spawning habitat in the Upper Deschutes River Basin. In recent years Whychus Creek was known as the “lost river” because the river lost its water to irrigation withdrawals. In the summertime it often would run dry preventing fish to swim upstream.

The Metolius River is a crystal clear, spring fed river that runs through towering old growth Ponderosa pines and provides miles of hiking trails and amazing fly fishing opportunities. Due to its popularity, the recreation on and in the river degraded the water quality and beauty which is what brought so many visitors. In short, people were loving it to death.

Over the past six years, the NFF worked with local organizations, the community of Sisters and the Forest Service to restore these rivers. Over 1,200 volunteers spent more than 9,600 hours restoring hiking trails, planting trees and removing unnecessary fences near these amazing rivers. Their efforts protected fish habitat and made the recreation opportunities more accessible and sustainable.

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