National forests a boon to rural economies

National forests continue to have major benefits on the economies of rural communities.

According to a report released this week by the US Forest Service, national forests and grasslands contributed $14 and a half billion dollars to the U.S. economy over the last year.

Nearly 171 million people visited a state park last year - sustaining nearly 223,000 jobs in rural communities across the country.

The Forest Service says nearly a quarter million people visited the Apalachicola National Forest in Florida last year.

And in case you’re wondering who’s visiting the national forest – the Forest Service says its mostly men and mostly young.

Nearly a quarter of the visitors to the Apalachicola National Forest last year were under 16 and nearly 81 percent of the visitors were men.

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