About USFS

The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands covering 193 million acres (780,000 km²) of land.

The Forest Service motto, “Caring for the Land and Serving People,” captures the spirit of our mission, which we accomplish through five main activities:

• Protection and management of natural resources on lands we manage.
• Research on all aspects of forestry, rangeland management, and forest resource utilization.
• Community assistance and cooperation with State and local governments, forest industries, and private landowners to help protect and manage non-Federal forest and associated range and watershed lands to improve conditions in rural areas.
• Achievement and support of an effective workforce that reflects the diversity of the American people.
• International assistance to formulate policy and coordinate U.S. support for the protection and sound management of the world's forest resources.