Nonnative invasive species (NNIS) are entering the United States at accelerating rates due to global travel, trade, and expanding human development, posing a serious threat to forest ecosystems. As summarized in Impacts of Nonnative Invasive Species on U.S. Forests and Recommendations for Policy and Management, these species can alter ecological trajectories, suppress rare native plants and animals, reduce forest productivity, and degrade wildlife habitat. Under Federal Executive Order 13112,...

The goal: Paddle into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) with a small team to clear a very remote section of the Sioux Hustler Trail. This is a 30-mile loop that requires stewardship from several groups such as the Boundary Waters Advisory Committee and Wilderness Volunteers, and Friends of the Superior National Forest was excited to be part of this work. We were tasked with clearing the trail from Heritage Creek to Pageant Lake. The team: Friends of the Superior National...

Volunteers are vital to keeping public lands open and accessible. Most of our volunteers contribute a few hours or days, but others contribute weeks, months, or even an entire season. Groups who can volunteer for longer stretches help public land management agencies to complete more technical or longer duration projects. In 2025, with support from the Friends of the Superior National Forest, the Superior National Forest hosted the Conservative Anabaptist Service Program (CASP), whose members...