national forest

noun

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

Examples of national forest in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The agency was finding and eradicating cannabis grows in national forests effectively. Rachel Becker, Los Angeles Times, 12 Feb. 2026 Part of the almost 2,200-mile-long Appalachian Trail runs through the national forest, allowing visitors to hike a segment of the trail alongside other scenic routes. Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 11 Feb. 2026 The rule prohibits road construction and timber harvesting on nearly 45 million acres of national forest lands, including those in northern Wisconsin. Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 28 Jan. 2026 Hiking trails meander into the national forest and there are sledding hills nearby. Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 12 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for national forest

Word History

First Known Use

1848, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of national forest was in 1848

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Cite this Entry

“National forest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/national%20forest. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.

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