Clik here to view.
Christmas Tree Cutters: Make Sure Safety is on your List this Year
Young child assists with carrying a cut Christmas tree. The Forest Service would like to remind those tree cutters to put safety first on their lists this year. During this holiday season, tree cutters...
View ArticleDon’t Lose Your Holiday Cheer: Avoid Having Your Imported Holiday Food Items...
Importing foods from abroad can make the holidays more meaningful and fun. But please take care when bringing any food or agricultural items into the United States—whether you’re returning from an...
View ArticleGiving Citrus this Holiday Season? Four Things You Need to Know
If you are looking to give a thoughtful, healthy gift this holiday season, citrus is the way to go. But beware of infected citrus fruit and plants, especially if you plan to buy citrus online. Before...
View ArticleSecretary’s Column: Hunger And the Holidays
Like millions of Americans, I will join family and friends this holiday season to share meals, conversation and to count our blessings. We’ll take a moment to thank the men and women in uniform...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Russia Christmas Fair Highlights American Holiday Treats
The United States pavilion at the St. Petersburg Christmas Fair showcased American holiday treats. (Photo credit: U.S. Embassy Moscow) The Agricultural Trade Office in St. Petersburg, Russia joined...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Planting a Holiday Tradition
One of the many celebrations and traditions that people still practice is the burning of the yule log and singing yuletide carols. Photo courtesy of Penny Stritch. Many holiday traditions are...
View ArticleClik here to view.
USDA Rural Development Helps Make Holidays Merry for Pennsylvania Children
The Pennsylvania Rural Development staff and the toys that were donated to local children in need through the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots Toy Drive. Rather than the traditional office name exchange...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Smokey Bear Hug Warms the Heart of Young Virginia Boy Battling Cancer
Six-year-old Nathan Norman and Smokey Bear share a moment together during a Feb. 25, 2013 visit to Nathan’s home. Six-year-old Nathan Norman counts Smokey Bear as one of his new best friends. The...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Packing the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree for Ride ‘Home’ is no Easy Feat
In a staging area, workers carefully begin the process of wrapping the tree to protect it during the 5,000-mile journey from Colville National Forest to the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
US Capitol Christmas Tree has Deep Roots Connecting Americans
Only a massive tree will complement the expanse of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. The selected tree is usually between 60 feet and 80 feet tall and holds tens of thousands of lights. The...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Oh Silent Light of the Capitol Christmas Tree
The 2013 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree shimmers like a thousand stars after a lighting ceremony on the west lawn of the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. (U.S. Forest Service/Robert H. Westover) A...
View ArticleClik here to view.
My Family’s Christmas Tree, from a Colorado National Forest
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack (second from right) and his family recently at Pike National Forest in Colorado. USDA photo. Across the nation, 193 million acres of National Forest land provide...
View ArticleNEWSFLASH — Santa’s Reindeer Issued Permit from USDA to Enter the U.S.
BREAKING NEWS out of Washington DC as the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today issued a movement permit to Mr. S. Claus of the North Pole, a broker...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Recycling Christmas Trees on National Forests a Seasonal Tradition
Recycled trees placed in a fish crib. (U.S. Forest Service) For many, purchasing or cutting a Christmas tree is a favorite seasonal tradition. But what do you do with your trees after the festivities...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Home for the Holidays
Robert Tapia, a single father of two, is pictured outside the Reedley, Calif. home he proudly helped build with ten other families through USDA's Mutual Self-Help Housing Loan program in partnership...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Christmas Tree Grower Branches Out
Christmas trees are a staple crop for many farms in Oregon, including this tree farm off Interstate 5. (NRCS photo) During a time of year more often associated with consumption than conservation,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Shasta-Trinity National Forest Brings Christmas Cheer to Disadvantaged Youth
Ally Buccanero, Shasta College student and volunteer, demonstrates how to make a bird feeder using a large pine cone and peanut butter during Shasta-Trinity National Forest’s annual Operation Christmas...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ready, Set, Lights! U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree Delivered, Decorated and...
Workers use a crane to lift an 88-foot spruce tree harvested from the Chippewa National Forest to its final resting place on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol. The scaffolding surrounding the dome is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Even Paul Bunyan is Overshadowed by the 2014 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree –...
Aaron Urban, front, poses with his four siblings, his parents, Jeremy and Leisha, and Speaker of the House John Boehner before the ceremony to light the 2014 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree. Aaron, who is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, How Do We Count Thee?
According to the 2012 #AgCensus there were 12,079 farms in the U.S. that harvested a total of 17.3 million cut Christmas Trees. What will the 2014 Census of Horticulture reveal? Just as millions of...
View Article