Forest Service

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Americans are finding connections to national 

forests and grasslands in greater 

numbers than ever before. 

Visitation to national forests and 

grasslands in 2020 surged to a 

record-breaking 168 million visits, 

more visitors than at any other 

time in the history of the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, Forest 

Service (USDA Forest Service 

2021). During the pandemic, 

visitors came to safely recreate, 

be restored, and create new 

memories. 

That surge also brought clarity 

to areas where, at the Forest 

Service, we can improve how we 

deliver affordable, safe access 

to outdoor recreation. We also 

know that not all visitors feel 

welcome or connected to the 

great outdoors. Our national 

forests and grasslands belong to 

all Americans, and our goal is to 

show that national forests and 

grasslands are open to anyone 

from any background or ability. 

We also are working to make 

investments in our infrastructure 

and workforce. Many of our 

recreation sites and other 

facilities need to be updated or 

redesigned. Despite significant 

reductions in the size of our 

workforce and increased visitation 

during challenging times, our 

staff continue to deliver the best 

experiences they can under the 

circumstances. But the costs have 

shown in employee morale and 

retention.

We support and empower our 

employees to deliver a vast and 

complex recreation program. We 

hope that visitors see themselves 

as active participants and 

stewards in the heritage and 

respect of public lands and of 

the people who came before us. 

We hope you feel encouraged to 

enjoy the spiritual and physical 

benefits of these places. 

We also know that recent funding 

investments in our public lands 

have the potential to connect 

even more people to the outdoors 

and strengthen the outdoor 

recreation economy, which 

generated an astonishing $689 

CREATING AN 

INSPIRED NEW 

VISION FOR 

OUTDOOR 

RECREATION 

ON AMERICA’S 

NATIONAL FORESTS 

AND GRASSLANDS

RECREATION

REIMAGINE

August 2022 | FS-1204a
partners both new 

and old to provide a 

place for everyone 

to feel welcome and 

connected to the 

outdoors.

in our workforce and 

delivery systems to 

provide our workforce 

with the skills, 

knowledge, tools, 

financial resources, and 

operating environment 

necessary to succeed.

creative ways to 

engage with others 

to steward recreation 

on our public lands to 

plan, design, adapt, 

and manage the 

recreation landscape 

into the future. 

FOUNDATION 

FOR CHANGE

In the coming months, we will focus on three foundations to

reimagine recreation on America’s forests and grasslands: 

References

USDA Forest Service. 2021. National Visitor 

Use Monitoring Survey Results National 

Summary Report: Data Collected FY 2016 

through FY 2020. Washington, DC:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/sites/default/

files/2020-National-Visitor-UseMonitoring-Summary-Report.pdf.

Bureau of Economic Analysis. 2021. 

Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account, 

U.S. and States, 2020. Suitland, MD: 

https://www.bea.gov/news/2021/outdoorrecreation-satellite-account-us-andstates-2020.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, 

employer, and lender.

INITIATION

September 2022

Summarize and share the 

preliminary vision, focus areas,

and goals.

ENGAGEMENT

October 2022–March 2023

Hold employee surveys, open-door 

discussions, and Tribal and other 

stakeholder engagement sessions.

DEVELOPMENT

April–September 2023

Develop a “Five-Year National 

Recreation Action Plan” that sets 

clear priorities for our work.

IMPLEMENTATION

Fall 2023 and beyond

Work with local communities, 

States, Tribes, other governments 

and nongovernmental partners to 

implement the shared strategy and 

action plan

billion in economic output and created 4.3 million jobs in 2020 (Bureau 

of Economic Analysis 2021). For many rural and gateway communities, 

the outdoor economy is an essential piece of a diverse and robust 

economy. 

Outdoor recreation on national forests and grasslands continues to be 

one of our best opportunities to make connections, build relationships, 

and foster long-term care and stewardship of our natural resources. 

Our public lands can also be a source of healing, inspiration, and 

purpose to bridge some of the divides and challenges our country has 

faced over the past few years.

Reflecting on what we have heard and seen from visitors and 

employees in the last few years, we know we need to create a bold new 

vision for recreation on national forests and grasslands.

We are going to reimagine recreation and invite you to take this 

journey with us.

1 REENGAGE 2 REINVEST 3 REINVENT