National forests and grasslands have long been an excellent source of outdoor recreation opportunities. From skiing and camping to fishing and hiking, national forests and grasslands support a plethora of activities and provide access to America’s beautiful, forested ecosystems for over 100 million annual visitors. The Pacific Southwest (PSW) and Pacific Northwest Research Stations have long supported the diverse ecosystems of the western United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. Below are a few ways our researchers are working to help improve recreation opportunities on national forests. Recreation DisplacementOccasionally, disturbances such as storms and wildfires result in closures to popular recreation sites. For visitors accustomed to frequenting an outdoor recreation destination, perhaps for certain features such as water access, displacement could mean canceling or rescheduling established plans. PSW researchers, along with partners at Michigan State University and Kansas State University, worked closely with Southern California national forests to determine which high-use visitation areas were most at risk in fire-prone landscapes. Together, researchers administered visitor use surveys and combined the results with mobility data, trail counters, and wildfire severity models to determine high-use, high-risk recreation sites. Armed with this valuable information, forest service staff, such as those on the Los Padres National Forest, have been better able to plan for recreation closures and respond to changing recreation needs, directing visitors to sites with similar features of interest when these unexpected closures occur. | Above: A map depicting the potential for fire to impact recreation in Los Padres National Forest under dry conditions.
Below: Trail sign for the Hot Springs Trail.
USDA Forest Service photos. | Recreation Displacement Fire Severity Mapping |
Therapeutic Public Lands for Veterans | | | Two images from the Living Memorial Sculpture Garden on the Klamath National Forest. USDA Forest Service photos. |
In 2020, the Veterans Comprehensive Prevention, Access, Care, and Treat (COMPACT) Act was signed into law, a portion of which established an interagency task force on outdoor recreation for veterans. Recognizing the value of public lands as therapeutic destinations to aid veterans, the task force solicited public comments to better understand the hurdles veterans and their supporting organizations face when accessing public lands. PNW researchers, with partners at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, analyzed those public comments along with promotional materials from veteran organizations to identify key barriers and areas for improvement. Along with identifying barriers such as intrapersonal constraints (e.g., health conditions), interpersonal constraints (e.g., lack of social support), and structural constraints (e.g., lack of information), researchers opened a useful dialogue to clarify ways in which public lands can better serve veterans as therapeutic landscapes. Read More How Forest Recreation Supports Local CommunitiesRecreation opportunities can have many benefits, from the therapeutic effects on those participating, to helping support the local economies around them. For PNW researchers, quantifying the various facets of recreation on national forests has been a core part of their work. One vital metric for measuring the economic impact of recreation is how much forest visitors contribute to local and rural economies near national forests. Researchers administer the ongoing National Visitor Use Monitoring survey (NVUM) which includes questions about trip spending. Using these responses, recreationists were split into groups such as local versus non-local or whether they were on day trips versus overnight trips. When paired with average spending calculations, these data provide much needed estimates for local and rural governments and community planners to account for recreation tourism. Read More Ongoing Research Supporting RecreationAbove: Smoke from Beachie Creek Fire.
Below: Smoke from the Pyramid Fire.
Willamette National Forest. USDA Forest Service photos. | Recreation After Fire Fire is a natural part of the lifecycle of forests. Occasionally, wildfire disturbances impact some of our favorite recreation sites which then require maintenance, or in some cases a complete rebuilding, before the public can safely access them again. To that end, PNW researchers are teaming up with the Willamette National Forest to determine what value visitors receive from these previously burned landscapes. By holding a series of engagement sessions, land managers will be able to maximize each dollar in rebuilding burned sites by providing recreation opportunities that the community values. This research and the public engagement sessions are key parts of ensuring that national forests meet the needs of the local communities and that recreation opportunities are desirable to frequent visitors. |
Improving Access to National Forests While national forests see hundreds of millions of visitors each year, accessing them isn’t always easy. To help bridge the gap between national forests and their local communities, PSW researchers are exploring the impact of increasing access to the Angeles National Forest using public transit. Armed with funding from the Department of Transportation , PSW researchers teamed up with the Angeles National Forest, Nature for All, the city of Pasadena, and California State University (Cal State Northridge) to understand the impacts of implementing the Mt. Wilson Express Shuttle, which will provide access for local communities to several recreation sites within the Angeles National Forest. In addition, researchers are planning to collect pre- and post-survey data to estimate visitation rates, along with planning educational campaigns to ensure that new visitors to the forest are familiar with safety information and best practices (e.g., leave no trace principles). Mt. Wilson Express Shuttle service is expected to begin in 2026. | Above: Trail on the Angeles National Forest. USDA Forest Service Photo.
Below: A map displaying the planned Mt. Wilson Express route in orange.
USDA Forest Service photos. |
Webinars, Events, and Information | Joining Forces PSW and PNW will be combining webinar series. Moving forward Lunch and Learns (PSW) and SciCast (PNW) will be known simply as SciCast. Stay tuned for future webinar updates. In the meantime, check out our most recent webinars below: | PSW Lunch and Learn
Urban forests, fires, and communities: The “U” in Wildland-Urban Interface
Presented by:
Francisco Escobedo PSW Webinar Archive PNW SciCast Webinar
Carbon Storage in
Pacific Coast Forests
Presented by:
Andy Gray PNW Webinar Archive |
Publication Highlight | Characterizing Community Water Systems Exposed to Wildfire in the Western U.S. | Wachter, Charlotte; Suter, Jordan F.; Burkhardt, Jesse; Austin, Wes; Haley, Beth M.; Pan, Siyu; Kolstoe, Sonja H. 2025. Characterizing community water systems exposed to wildfire in the Western U.S. Science of The Total Environment. 989(7): 179814. Wildfires have increased in size and severity and so have concerns over how wildfires impact watersheds that source drinking water for community water systems. Research suggests that wildfires may negatively impact community water systems, particularly those which rely on surface water, yet few studies have considered the implications for those served by these downstream systems. This study looked both at which community water systems were downstream of a large fire (1000 acres or larger) between 1984 and 2022, and at the future wildfire risk for the source watershed. The researchers found that just over 64 percent of community drinking water systems in the western United States had experienced an upstream fire between 1984 and 2022, potentially impacting 60 million people. This research contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of water security by characterizing community water systems (CWSs) that were historically exposed to wildfire and assessing their future potential wildfire risk. Read More |
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