Malheur National Forest
| Malheur National Forest | |
|---|---|
 Strawberry Lake in the Malheur National Forest | |
  | |
| Location | Oregon, U.S. |
| Nearest city | Canyon City, Oregon |
| Coordinates | 44°17′00″N 118°47′04″W / 44.2832129°N 118.7843893°W[1] |
| Area | 1,465,287 acres (5,929.81 km2)[2] |
| Established | July 1, 1908[3] |
| Visitors | 242,000 (in 2006)[4] |
| Governing body | U.S. Forest Service |
| Website | Malheur National Forest |
The Malheur National Forest is a
U.S. Route 26
runs east to west.
Overview
The forest was established by
old growth in the forest was 312,000 acres (1,260 km2).[5]
In descending order of land area, the forest is located in parts of Grant, Harney, Baker, and Malheur counties.[6] There are three ranger districts in the forest, with offices in John Day, Prairie City, and Hines.
Armillaria - largest organism on earth
The Malheur National Forest contains the largest known organism (by area) in the world: an Armillaria ostoyae (fungus) that spans 2,200 acres (8.9 km2) and is located high on a ridgeline immediately west of Clear Creek (44°28′23″N 118°28′54″W / 44.4731°N 118.4816°W).[7]
Wilderness
There are two wilderness areas in the Malheur National Forest.
- Strawberry Mountain Wilderness at 68,700 acres (278 km2)
- Monument Rock Wilderness at 19,620 acres (79 km2), located partially within the Wallowa–Whitman National Forest
Climate
The hottest temperature recorded in the Malheur National Forest was 110 °F (43.3 °C) on July 23, 2003, while the coldest temperature recorded was −26 °F (−32.2 °C) on January 22–23, 1962.[8]
| Climate data for Malheur Branch Experimental Station, Oregon, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1942–2022 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 64 (18) |
66 (19) |
80 (27) |
91 (33) |
100 (38) |
106 (41) |
110 (43) |
108 (42) |
100 (38) |
94 (34) |
77 (25) |
65 (18) |
110 (43) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 49.4 (9.7) |
57.4 (14.1) |
69.3 (20.7) |
80.2 (26.8) |
89.8 (32.1) |
96.3 (35.7) |
102.4 (39.1) |
100.8 (38.2) |
93.6 (34.2) |
81.8 (27.7) |
64.0 (17.8) |
52.4 (11.3) |
103.0 (39.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 37.2 (2.9) |
45.1 (7.3) |
56.8 (13.8) |
64.6 (18.1) |
74.1 (23.4) |
82.1 (27.8) |
92.9 (33.8) |
91.5 (33.1) |
81.4 (27.4) |
66.1 (18.9) |
49.0 (9.4) |
38.0 (3.3) |
64.9 (18.3) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 30.4 (−0.9) |
35.9 (2.2) |
44.6 (7.0) |
51.2 (10.7) |
60.3 (15.7) |
67.6 (19.8) |
76.4 (24.7) |
74.3 (23.5) |
64.5 (18.1) |
51.7 (10.9) |
38.7 (3.7) |
30.6 (−0.8) |
52.2 (11.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 23.5 (−4.7) |
26.6 (−3.0) |
32.5 (0.3) |
37.8 (3.2) |
46.6 (8.1) |
53.2 (11.8) |
59.9 (15.5) |
57.1 (13.9) |
47.7 (8.7) |
37.2 (2.9) |
28.5 (−1.9) |
23.2 (−4.9) |
39.5 (4.2) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 7.7 (−13.5) |
14.3 (−9.8) |
21.5 (−5.8) |
26.0 (−3.3) |
33.2 (0.7) |
40.9 (4.9) |
49.1 (9.5) |
46.1 (7.8) |
36.2 (2.3) |
25.0 (−3.9) |
15.3 (−9.3) |
9.6 (−12.4) |
1.6 (−16.9) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −26 (−32) |
−24 (−31) |
5 (−15) |
18 (−8) |
25 (−4) |
30 (−1) |
36 (2) |
37 (3) |
25 (−4) |
10 (−12) |
−6 (−21) |
−21 (−29) |
−26 (−32) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.44 (37) |
0.97 (25) |
1.04 (26) |
0.91 (23) |
1.29 (33) |
0.78 (20) |
0.24 (6.1) |
0.20 (5.1) |
0.41 (10) |
0.82 (21) |
1.00 (25) |
1.56 (40) |
10.66 (271.2) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 6.1 (15) |
2.3 (5.8) |
0.5 (1.3) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
1.1 (2.8) |
5.4 (14) |
15.4 (38.9) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 10.6 | 8.4 | 10.7 | 9.4 | 8.3 | 6.4 | 2.3 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 7.0 | 10.4 | 11.3 | 90.8 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 3.8 | 1.9 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 3.9 | 11.2 |
| Source 1: NOAA[9] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service[8] | |||||||||||||
See also
- Vinegar Hill-Indian Rock Scenic Area, a high-elevation scenic area in the northeast portion of the forest
- Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, a federally protected refuge to the south of the forest
References
- ^ "Malheur National Forest". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved April 11, 2009.
- ^ "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. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 28, 2012. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
- ^ "Revised Visitation Estimates" (PDF). National Forest Service.
- ^ Bolsinger, Charles L.; Waddell, Karen L. (1993). "Area of old-growth forests in California, Oregon, and Washington" (PDF). Resource Bulletin PNW-RB-197. United States Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station.
- ^ Desolation Butte quadrangle, Oregon : 7.5-minute series. U.S. Forest Service.
- ^ Beale, Bob. April 10, 2003. Humungous fungus: world's largest organism? at Environment & Nature News, ABC Online. Accessed June 25, 2008.
- ^ a b "NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Boise". National Weather Service. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
- ^ "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Malheur Branch EXP STN, OR". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
External links
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