national forest

noun

|Updated on: 15 Aug 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

National Park Service On Monday, the U.S. Forest Service warned of the threat of trees toppling in the Nantahala and Pisgah national forests.

— joe marusak, charlotteobserver, "5-mile stretch of Blue Ridge Parkway closed after heavy rains cause cracks to emerge," 5 June 2018
National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Eric Weiss says national forest personnel found the wreckage Wednesday near St. Ignace in the Upper Peninsula.

— Fox News, "Wreckage believed to be from 1997 Michigan plane crash found," 13 July 2018
Extra precautions meant that many park areas, national forests were closed and fireworks displays were canceled to prevent further fires.

— dino grandoni, Washington Post, "The Energy 202: Scott Pruitt likes snail mail — just like Trump," 5 July 2018
In Arizona, large swaths of national forests and state trust land have been closed since before Memorial Day.

— CBS News, "Colorado wildfire destroys more than 100 homes; "extreme caution" urged across West," 4 July 2018
Rangers have closed the entire San Juan National Forest in southern Colorado and Santa Fe National Forest in New Mexico near Santa Fe, along with popular areas in the Tonto, Apache-Sitgreaves, Coconino and Kaibab national forests in Arizona.

— trevor hughes, USA TODAY, "Wildfires in Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona force closure of large chunks of forest," 12 June 2018
Getting there: Fish along the national forest wilderness between Anderson Ranch Dam and Neal Bridge.

— jordan rodriguez, idahostatesman, "Fishing is hitting its summer stride across southern Idaho," 8 June 2018
In addition, neighboring national forests also take part in the trailhead permit process.

— tom stienstra, San Francisco Chronicle, "Joining the ‘1 Percent Club’ at Yosemite’s Laurel Lake," 3 June 2018
In New Mexico, all or part of three national forests remain closed because of the threat of wildfire, putting a damper on holiday camping plans.

— CBS News, "Colorado wildfire destroys more than 100 homes; "extreme caution" urged across West," 4 July 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.