Wenatchee National Forest

Wenatchee National Forest
IUCN category VI (protected area with sustainable use of natural resources)
Bumping River, Wenatchee National Forest
Location	Washington, USA
Nearest city	Wenatchee, WA
Coordinates	48°24′N 121°00′W / 48.4°N 121°WCoordinates: 48°24′N 121°00′W / 48.4°N 121°W
Area	1,739,057 acres (7,037.71 km^2)[1]
Established	July 1, 1908[2]
Governing body	U.S. Forest Service
http://www.fs.usda.gov/okawen/

Wenatchee National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in Washington. With an area of 1,735,394 acres (2,711.55 sq mi, or 7,022.89 km²), it extends about 137 miles along the eastern slopes of the Cascade Range of Washington, USA from Okanogan National Forest to Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The forest is located in Chelan, Kittitas and Yakima counties.

Wilderness areas

There are six officially designated wilderness areas within Wenatchee National Forest that are part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. All of them lie partially in neighboring National Forests (as indicated).

• Alpine Lakes Wilderness (partly in Snoqualmie NF)
• Glacier Peak Wilderness (partly in Mount Baker NF)
• Goat Rocks Wilderness (mostly in Gifford Pinchot NF)
• Henry M. Jackson Wilderness (partly in Snoqualmie NF (46.2%); Mount Baker NF (27.2%))
• Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness (mostly in Okanogan NF)
• William O. Douglas Wilderness (partly in Gifford Pinchot NF)

Administration

The Okanogan and Wenatchee National Forests are managed as one forest with headquarters in Wenatchee, Washington. There are local ranger district offices located in Chelan, Cle Elum, Entiat, Leavenworth, and Naches. The first forest supervisor of Wenatchee National Forest was Albert H. Sylvester, who named over a thousand natural features in the region.

Ecology

A 1993 United States Forest Service study estimated that the extent of old growth in the Forest was 318,800 acres (129,000 ha).^[3] Wildfires are not uncommon in the National Forest. In September 2012, a severe lightning storm ignited hundreds of fires, the largest of which were located southwest of the city of Wenatchee and east of Blewett Pass. Significant wildfires occurred again in July 2014, in the Chiwaukum and Entiat Mountains.

Panoramic view of the Wenatchee River watershed, Wenatchee National Forest

References

1. "Land Areas of the National Forest System" (PDF). U.S. Forest Service. January 2012. Retrieved June 30, 2012.
2. "The National Forests of the United States" (PDF). ForestHistory.org. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
3. 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

External links

• Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest U.S. Forest Service