Transforming America's Love of Nature into Action

From clean water to unforgettable outdoor experiences, National Forests and Grasslands are dynamic wild spaces. These groves and grasses produce oxygen we rely on, and provide drinking water to one-third of American households. They’re also powerful economic engines: They contribute $15 billion to the U.S. economy each year, support hundreds of rural and gateway communities, supply sawtimber to mills that sustain local jobs, and offer recreation opportunities to more than 170 million visitors annually.

The National Forest Foundation transforms America’s love of nature into action for our National Forests. Chartered by Congress in 1990 to serve as the official national nonprofit partner of the Forest Service, NFF accelerates on-the-ground stewardship by bringing together public and private capital, community partners, and capacity to restore and enhance America’s 193 million acres of National Forests and Grasslands.

NFF’s work centers on three pillars: wildfire resilience, land and watershed restoration, and recreation enhancements. They are national in scope, local in practice, and generational in impact. This means they bring national resources to support active forest management on the ground, partner closely with local communities and contractors, and deliver projects that reduce wildfire risk, restore working landscapes, and strengthen rural economies for decades to come.

Through it all, NFF’s vision–to foster a world where caring for forests is second nature–is at the heart of what they do.

Repairing and healing the waters that sustain us–bringing back vibrant forests, flowing streams, and resilient habitats for future generations. NFF restores native habitats, repairs streams, and plants millions of new trees to reinvigorate and conserve vital resources.

Project Highlights

Colorado River Basin Watershed Restoration
Healing degraded watersheds across 10 National Forests by repairing hundreds of stream miles and thousands of wetland acres in the Colorado River Basin—which supplies drinking water to 40 million people.

Nursery & Seed Capacity
Closing the approximately 3.5 million-acre National Forest System reforestation backlog through holistic efforts like strategic planning, cone collection, site prep, nursery operations and capacity.

Making forests and communities better able to withstand wildfire through landscape-wide treatment, community risk reduction, and local collaboration. Wildfires can be unpredictable, but NFF works to reduce wildfire impact by collaborating with local communities and partners to fortify forests, protect nearby homes, and maintain habitats.

Project Highlights

Eastern Sierra Climate & Community Resilience
Bolstering community and forest resilience to wildfire on 5,000 acres on the Inyo National Forest over the next five years.

Southwest Idaho Wildfire Resilience Project
Reducing community wildfire risk through fuel reduction on and around the Boise and Payette National Forests through a cross-boundary partnership; developing markets for wood and fuel utilization, like Wood for Life and biochar opportunities. The partnership’s goal is to treat 150,000 acres in the next ten years.

Ensuring accessible, sustainable, and high-quality opportunities for people to connect with nature, while strengthening economies and protecting ecosystems. National Forests belong to all of us. That’s why NFF takes care of the trails, campgrounds, and infrastructure that keep them safe and accessible to over 170 million visitors each year. They are building sustainable recreation infrastructure, ensuring opportunities to connect with nature and strengthening local economies.

Project Highlights

Disaster Recovery for Recreation Infrastructure
Creating a recreation recovery plan to enable timely action when National Forest recreation infrastructure is damaged or destroyed due to fire, flood, or storm.

Alaska Cabins Project
Building and renovating public-use cabins on Alaska’s National Forests, expanding access to outdoor recreation and supporting local economies.

See a full scope of National Forest Foundation projects at nationalforests.org.