Our National Forests

An inspiring reminder of the incredible resource that is our public lands. Brendan Leonard, author of The Camping Life and Surviving the Great Outdoors Across 193 million acres of forests, mountains, deserts, watersheds, and grasslands, national forests provide a multitude of uses as diverse as America itself. They welcome 170 million visitors each year to hike, bike, paddle, ski, fish, and hunt. But the people s lands offer more than just recreation. Lost habitats are recovered, timber is harvested, and endangered wildlife is protected as part of the Forest Service s enduring mission. In Our National Forests, Greg Peters gives an inside look at America s most important public lands and the people committed to protecting them and ensuring access for all. From the Forest Service growing millions of seedlings in the West each year, to their efforts to save the hellbender salamander in Appalachia, the story spans the breadth of the country and its diverse ecology. And people are at the center, whether the dedicated Forest Service members or the everyday citizens who support and tend to the protected lands near their homes. This complete look at America s national forests their triumphs, challenges, controversies, and vital programs is a must-read for everyone interested in the history of America's most important public lands.

“"This beautifully illustrated and gracefully written book demonstrates how vital these complex landscapes and their fraught place in US environmental culture are." -- Char Miller, Pomona College, author of America's Great National Forests, Wildernesses, and Grasslands”

"Provides new and fascinating information on the country's large expanse of public lands." --Travel Writers Magazine

"Peters urges readers to act as citizen-agents to fight on behalf of these lands." --Landscape Architecture

"Greg brings decades of lived and professional experience to bear in this outstanding narrative. With both historic and personal references in the sweeping arch of thoughtful natural resource management, this remarkable book offers a practical guide to encourage conscientious environmental stewardship for all to follow." --James Edward Mills, author and National Geographic Explorer

"This beautifully illustrated and gracefully written book demonstrates how vital these complex landscapes and their fraught place in US environmental culture are." --Char Miller, Pomona College, author of America's Great National Forests, Wildernesses, and Grasslands

"In Greg Peters's hands, the subject of the United States National Forests comes alive as a history of America, at turns humbling and tragic, but ultimately an inspiring reminder of the incredible resource that is our public lands." --Brendan Leonard, author of The Camping Life and Surviving the Great Outdoors

Greg M. Peters is a freelance writer based in Missoula, Montana. Before writing full time as a freelancer, Greg was the director of communications at the National Forest Foundation where, among many other things, he edited the NFF s magazine Your National Forests. His writing has appeared in National Parks magazine, High Country News, Down East magazine, Big Sky Journal, Outside Bozeman, and Adventure-Journal.

From the lowland swamps of coastal Carolina, across the tallgrass prairies of Illinois, to Colorado's iconic snowy peaks and California's towering redwood forests, our national forest system is a legacy that belongs to each of us. These beautiful landscapes have a story to tell, and so do the people who help keep them alive and thriving--whether it's citizen scientists tracking wildlife populations, dedicated members of the Forest Service overseeing sustainable timber harvests, or everyday advocates for responsible usage and equitable access. In Our National Forests , Greg Peters delves into these stories and many others, revealing what makes our national forests so extraordinary and worthy of our attention. He explores the forces that have shaped the US National Forest System and continue to drive its work--the far-reaching effects of deforestation, the ongoing issues of sustainable use, wildfire and its growing impact, Native rights and concerns, and forest access for diverse populations. Perhaps surprisingly, many of our forests' concerns are the same as those facing our society. Our National Forests offers a tour across nearly 200 million acres of mountains, forests, deserts, watersheds, and grasslands. As the owners and stewards of these amazing places, we all have much to learn from their stories. After all, national forests are known as "the peoples' lands" for a reason.

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