national forest

noun

|Updated on: 20 Jun 2018

Definition of national forest

: a usually forested area of considerable extent that is preserved by government decree from private exploitation and is harvested only under supervision

Recent Examples of national forest from the Web

The Angeles Crest 100 makes use of trails that crisscross the national forest.

— david wharton, latimes.com, "Ultra running can mean extreme heat, mountain climbs and, oh yeah, look out for those trees," 14 June 2018
June 12) AP Extreme fire danger in the southwest has prompted federal land managers to take the unusual step of indefinitely closing public access to an area of national forests larger than Connecticut.

— trevor hughes, USA TODAY, "Wildfires in Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona force closure of large chunks of forest," 12 June 2018
Traveling through the national forest along Highway 77, the Great Divide National Forest Scenic Byway, signs warn of elk crossings.

— chelsey lewis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Cable is one of Wisconsin's best trail towns," 7 June 2018
More than 60 percent of the U.S. West is experiencing some level of drought, the latest federal drought maps show, forcing national forests and other public lands to close because of escalating fire danger.

— Fox News, "Wildfire burns empty Boy Scouts' buildings in dry New Mexico," 1 June 2018
Portions of the Apache-Sitgreaves, Coconino, Kaibab and Tonto national forests are closed because the dry vegetation quickly can go up in flames, firefighters would have a hard time stopping it, and homes and water resources are at risk.

— Washington Post, "No rain in sight: Fire fears force land closures in Arizona," 27 May 2018
The issue is particularly stark in California, which has more than 16 million acres of national forest lands, including Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Lassen Volcanic National Park.

— madison park, CNN, "Use of federal lands for illegal pot a growing concern, California officials say," 30 May 2018
The cartels, mainly from Mexico, use 760 tons of fertilizer on 400 grows every year hidden on the 20 million acres of national forest land in California, officials said.

— peter fimrite, San Francisco Chronicle, "Illegal pot grows spread deadly pesticides, other hazards, despite change in law," 29 May 2018
An annual lottery for permits to harvest valuable ginseng in North Carolina's mountain national forests will begin June 4.

— bruce henderson, charlotteobserver, "Lottery set for 'green gold' in NC hills," 29 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'national forest.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.