Welcome to the Southern Region
The Southern Region of the Forest Service is a dynamic collection of lands that encompasses 13 states and Puerto Rico. Known as Region 8 within the Forest Service, the Southern Region consists of 14 National Forest units and two special units. The Forest Service employs about 250 people at the Region 8 headquarters in Atlanta, and nearly 2,500 throughout the South.
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2023 Regional Forester Awards
The Regional Forester’s Awards Ceremony is an opportunity to recognize teams and individuals who reflect Agency core values by demonstrating excellence through interdependence, service to others, and commitment to conservation, diversity, and safety.
This year’s theme “Assess. Transform. Achieve. – Showcasing Our Best,” acknowledges the work you are tasked with and how we continue to access, transform, and achieve! You continue to rise above to meet daily, weekly, and monthly challenges.
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Find Your Forest
The Southern Region is pretty big, and we want to make sure you can easily find the National Forest website you're looking for! We've got a complete list to help you out, by state and territory!
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Bear Safety
Visiting bear country? Be a good guest while there!
Recent News
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Women in fire: Blazing through barriers
Release Date: Mar 18, 2024
Features
Celebrating Efforts to Restore America’s Longleaf Pine
We are working with partners to restore longleaf pine forests. Most of America’s longleaf pine forests are found on family-owned forest lands, making public-private partnership key to its restoration. Working together, we are focused on maintaining what remains, improving forest health and, where possible, creating new longleaf forests.
Southern Area a Top Priority for National Wildfire Response
The last time the Southern Area was the top priority nationally was 18 years ago during Hurricane Katrina.
The South is burning. Over 15,700 wildfires have burned 505,179 acres since New Year’s Day 2023. Persistent dry conditions and high temperatures have created the right circumstances for extreme fire behavior at an unexpected time of year.