Colville National Forest
| Colville National Forest | |
|---|---|
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IUCN category VI (protected area with sustainable use of natural resources) | |
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| Location | Washington, USA |
| Nearest city | Colville, WA |
| Coordinates | 48°41′17″N 117°37′30″W / 48.688°N 117.625°WCoordinates: 48°41′17″N 117°37′30″W / 48.688°N 117.625°W |
| Area | 954,409 acres (3,862.36 km2)[1] |
| Established | March 1, 1907[2] |
| Governing body | U.S. Forest Service |
| http://www.fs.usda.gov/colville/ | |
The Colville National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in northeastern Washington state. It is bordered on the west by the Okanogan National Forest and the Kaniksu National Forest to the east. The forest itself also contains Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge and the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area.
The forest encompasses a mountainous area consisting of the Kettle River and Selkirk mountain ranges, and the upper reaches of the Columbia River. Wildlife include grizzly and black bears, grey wolves, bighorn sheep, cougars, bald eagles, lynx, moose, beaver, loon, and the last remaining herd of caribou in the lower 48 US states.
These trees are not actual "old growth," however, as the logging industry has continually logged the land, buying up acreage as the hippies pass on. The "infant" trees remaining are nothing like the actual old growth of an undisturbed ecosystem. "Old growth" is the term used for trees that were planted after the original logging: about two to three human generations old.
There is nothing left of the original forest, except in some of the most wild places. This is seen in the true Russian Old Growth of the similar biome. A full recovery of the old growth forests is only possible if these large forested areas are left completely untouched for thousands of years.
The forest has a total area of 1.1 million acres (1 718.75 sq mi, or 4 451.54 km²). A 1993 Forest Service study estimated that the extent of old growth in the Forest was 212,488 acres (85,991 ha).[3] In descending order of forestland area it is located in parts of Ferry, Pend Oreille, and Stevens counties. The forest headquarters is located in Colville, Washington. There are local ranger district offices located in Kettle Falls, Metaline Falls, Newport, and Republic.
Most of the Salmo-Priest Wilderness lies within the forest, while its southeastern portion extends into Kaniksu National Forest.
Other Protected Areas
The Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail passes through the Colville National Forest. It enters the forest on the east side within the Salmo-Priest Wilderness, crosses the Pend Oreille at Boundary Dam, passes through Leadpoint and Northport, then traverses the Kettle Range and exits the Colville near Republic. The Sullivan Lake Trail, designated a National Recreation Trail in 1978, runs 4.3 miles (6.9 km) between two campgrounds in the forest.[4]
References
- ↑ "Land Areas of the National Forest System" (PDF). U.S. Forest Service. January 2012. Retrieved June 30, 2012.
- ↑ "The National Forests of the United States" (PDF). ForestHistory.org. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
- ↑ Bolsinger, Charles L.; Waddell, Karen L. (1993), Area of old-growth forests in California, Oregon, and Washington (PDF), United States Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Resource Bulletin PNW-RB-197
- ↑ "Sullivan Lake". American Trails. 2013-04-24. Retrieved 2014-08-14.