Episodes

  • Forest Focus Podcast — Episode 29: Nature's Benefits: Recreation

    Forest Focus Podcast — Episode 29: Nature's Benefits: Recreation
    Jan 22 2026
    In the episode, we focus on another nature's benefits: recreation. This continues our series on the many benefits forests provide so let's take a long hike and chat about how we understand outdoor activities. The diverse landscapes and climates in California’s 18 National Forests provide many outdoor recreation opportunities to nearly 24 million people annually including: hiking, camping, picnicking, water activities, winter sports, horseback riding, motorized activities, and green space for gathering, practicing cultural traditions, or solitude. From primitive, unconfined solitude to formalized group activities and the broad spectrum of activities in between these outdoor experiences, these recreation opportunities help people connect to nature and strengthen their bonds with each other.
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    23 mins
  • Forest Focus Podcast — Episode 28: Trails in Transformation

    Forest Focus Podcast — Episode 28: Trails in Transformation
    Jan 22 2026
    In this episode, we meet up with a backcountry trail crew on the Inyo National Forest. California Conservation Corps members and the United States Forest Service staff tell us what it takes to live and work on the trail. As we shall soon learn, the combination of partnership, funding from the Great American Outdoors Act, and True Grit brings transformation for the trail and the crew.
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    19 mins
  • Forest Focus Podcast — Episode 27: Placerville Nursery: From Seed to Reforestation and Restoration

    Forest Focus Podcast — Episode 27: Placerville Nursery: From Seed to Reforestation and Restoration
    Jan 22 2026
    In this episode, we focus on how reforestation and restoration projects begin. It all starts with a seed. What happens when a national forest in California needs to replant trees after the damage of a wildfire, insects or other harmful activity that has scarred the landscape? What they need are seedlings adapted to grow in specific elevations and climates. What they need to do is call the seed specialists at the Placerville Nursery, located in Camino on the Eldorado National Forest.
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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • Forest Focus Podcast — Episode 26: Chinese Heritage Sites on California National Forests

    Forest Focus Podcast — Episode 26: Chinese Heritage Sites on California National Forests
    Jan 22 2026
    National Forests are loved by many people for many things beyond the recreational benefit they provide. We will tie in Episode 22: Employee Spotlight: Hydrologist, Stewardship Coordinators with another amazing benefit carved into the national forest landscape. History. Historical markers can be found throughout California's forests, parks, cities and towns that speak towards the Native American tribes that lived off the land, to the pioneers who served and explored, and to those who shaped what California is today.
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    40 mins
  • Forest Focus Podcast — Episode 25: National Invasive Plant, Pest and Disease Awareness Month

    Forest Focus Podcast — Episode 25: National Invasive Plant, Pest and Disease Awareness Month
    Jan 22 2026
    In this episode, we focus on National Invasive Plant, Pest and Disease Awareness Month. With the U.S. Forest Service under the Department of Agriculture there is certainly a connection between these harmful invaders and the threat they pose to our nation's food security, backyard gardens and natural resources.
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    49 mins
  • Forest Focus Podcast — Episode 24: A Forest Service Employee's Tribal Connection

    Forest Focus Podcast — Episode 24: A Forest Service Employee's Tribal Connection
    Jan 13 2026
    In this episode, we focus on a former Forest Service employee with the Modoc National Forest, his career, his connection with the Choctaw tribes, and his chance of a lifetime to work with Bison and the Modoc Nation.
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    53 mins
  • Forest Focus Podcast — Episode 23: Bats

    Forest Focus Podcast — Episode 23: Bats
    Jan 13 2026
    In this episode, Ted Weller, an ecologist with the Pacific Southwest Research Station, helps us go batty for bats. Each year, Bat Week is observed the week before Halloween and is used by bat enthusiasts, scientists, conservation groups and others to educate the public, dispel myths and bring attention to the struggles they face. The beneficial impact these amazing creatures have on our ecosystem should be celebrated far beyond the season of spooky ghosts, skeletons and vampires.
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Forest Focus Podcast — Episode 22: Employee Spotlight: Hydrologist, Stewardship Coordinators

    Forest Focus Podcast — Episode 22: Employee Spotlight: Hydrologist, Stewardship Coordinators
    Jan 13 2026
    In this episode, we focus on three employees and talk about their childhood, how they got involved in the Forest Service and more. So join us in welcoming a hydrologist, a shared stewardship coordinator, and the acting National Forest Stewardship Program manager in Incorporative Forestry.
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    48 mins