US Forest Service announces 2012 fee waiver days

The U.S. Forest Service announced yesterday eight dates for the new year when national forests nationwide will waive fees that are usually collected to support forest maintenance and amenities.

�We encourage the public to get outdoors in America�s vast and dynamic playground,� said Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell. �We hope that visiting your beautiful national forests and grasslands will help people gain a deep appreciation for natural resources, and create lifelong memories.�

Visitors to national forests will not pay fees on the following dates in 2012:

� Jan. 14-16 -- Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend

� June 9 -- Get Outdoors Day

� Sept. 29 -- National Public Lands Day

� Nov. 10-12 -- Veterans Day weekend

Despite the Forest Service�s fee waivers, the agency does not usually charge for visitors to national forests. In fact, the Forest Service does not charge for access on 98 percent of its land. More than two-thirds of the Forest Service�s approximately 18,000 recreation sites nationwide can be used for free. They include picnic sites, campsites, beach and lake areas, trails, boat launches, and cabins.


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US Forest Service waives fees during Veterans Day weekend

The U.S. Forest Service announced yesterday that they will be waiving fees at most of their day-use recreation sites over Veterans Day weekend.

The fee waivers - the third this year - are offered in cooperation with other federal agencies under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act. Day-use fees will be waived at all standard amenity fee sites operated by the Forest Service. Concessionaire operated day-use sites may be included in the waiver if the permit holder wishes to participate.

�We�re honoring our country�s brave men and women veterans by waiving fees over the long weekend,� said U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell. �We encourage people who might not normally enjoy our beautiful public lands to get out of the house and enjoy a forest or grassland near you. Our lands offer a wide range of recreation and educational benefits such as improved physical and mental health, emotional well being, a concern for nature, and a conservation ethic.�

The Forest Service will waive fees four times in 2012: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Weekend � Jan. 14-16; National Get Outdoors Day � June 9; National Public Lands Day � Sept. 29; and Veterans Day Weekend � Nov. 10-12. The fee waiver days support the goals of President Obama�s America�s Great Outdoors initiative and First Lady Michelle Obama�s �Let�s Move Outside.�

Traditionally, fees are not charged on 98 percent of national forests and grasslands and over two-thirds of developed recreation sites in national forests and grasslands can be used for free. Many recreation opportunities such as camping, sightseeing and hiking can be enjoyed throughout the year at no cost.

The Forest Service operates approximately 17,000 recreation sites nationwide. Of those, approximately 6,000 require recreation fees, which are used to provide visitor services, repairs and replacements, and facilities maintenance.


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US Forest Service Finds Global Forests Absorb One-Third of Carbon Emissions Annually

Forests play a more significant role in removing carbon from the atmosphere than first reported - by absorbing one-third of carbon emissions annually, a new U.S. Forest Service study says.

�Forests provide us with abundant clean air,� said U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell. �This study shows the important role global forests play in keeping the air clean and it also broadens our understanding of how climate change relates to forest management in today�s world.�

Forests absorb carbon like a giant sponge into what scientists call a carbon sink. Oceans serve as the only other natural source for absorption of significant amounts of carbon. Until these new findings, many experts said forests played a less important role in removing carbon from the air we breathe. Today�s report indicates otherwise.

The study, conducted by the U.S. Forest Service�s Northern Research Station and a team of scientists from around the world, was recently published in the journal Science online, at the Science Express website, an online publication of the nonprofit American Association for the Advancement of Science.

One of the key findings in the study is that global forests have annually removed 2.4 billion tons of carbon and absorbed 8.8 billion tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, or about one-third of fossil fuel emissions annually from the period of 1990-2007.

�The new information suggests forests alone account for the most significant terrestrial carbon sink, and that non-forest lands collectively cannot be considered a major carbon absorption sink,� said Dr. Yude Pan, a U.S. Forest Service scientist and a lead author of the study.

The study reveals the dominant role of tropical forests. Tropical forests that have not suffered from deforestation absorb enormous amounts of carbon, more than all other northern hemisphere forests combined. The analysis also identified an additional large carbon uptake of 1.6 billion tons per year in tropical re-growth forests that are recovering from deforestation and logging, which partially compensates for a large carbon source from tropical deforestation.

The study also highlights the risk of passively relying on forests to continue to remove carbon from the atmosphere. Such carbon sequestration is reversible through increased drought, wildfire and forest degradation.

The study is an important example of the use of monitoring data on the state and change of forests around the world, and of the need for global cooperation among the scientific community to address the impacts of human activities on the earth system. For a copy of the study, e-mail scipak@aaas.org.


So how does this new information change all the existing climate change/global warming models being used to make predictions about the future? More importantly, how many other climate model inputs are incorrect due to faulty assumptions or lack of hard scientific data?


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US Forest Service Announces 2011 Fee Waiver Dates

The U.S. Forest Service announced they will be waiving day-use fees associated with many recreation sites or amenities in national forests nationwide on several days this year.

�The Forest Service waives fees every year to encourage more Americans to get outdoors and experience the wide array of recreation opportunities provided on our forests and grasslands,� said U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell.

This year�s fee waiver dates are as follows:

1.National Get Outdoors Day � June 11
2.National Public Lands Day � September 25
3.Veterans� Day Weekend � November 11-13

Day-use fees will be waived at all standard amenity fee sites operated by the Forest Service for these listed dates. Concessionaire-operated, day-use sites may be included in the waiver if the permit holder wishes to participate.

Fees are not charged for 98 percent of national forest and grasslands. More than two-thirds of developed recreation sites can be used for free. The Forest Service operates approximately 18,000 recreation sites nationwide, many including day-use areas, picnic and shelter sites, beach and lake areas, boat launches, trails and trailheads, and campsites and cabins.

To assist with travel planning, the agency has posted a special interactive map on its website that locates national forest sites within a certain radius of a chosen location. Users can type in their location and adjust the radius to suit their travel plans.

Campsites and locations that are reserved online will not be included in the fee waiver. Contact your nearest national forest or grassland for local details.

For more information on the Forest Service�s recreation fee program and how these funds are used, click here.


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