Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest
Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest | |
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Location in the United States | |
Location | Okanogan County, Washington |
Nearest city | Omak, Washington |
Coordinates | 48°33′06″N 120°23′06″W / 48.5517°N 120.385°W |
Area | 1,499,023 acres (6,066.33 km2)[1] |
Established | July 1, 1911[2] |
Visitors | 397,000 (in 2005) |
Governing body | United States Forest Service |
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The Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest is a
.The 1,499,013-acre (2,342.208 sq mi; 6,066.29 km2) forest is bordered on the north by
Most of the
The western part of the forest is wetter than the dry and less temperate east. The vegetation varies similarly, from the western
The Okanogan National Forest was established on July 1, 1911, from a portion of the Chelan National Forest. On July 1, 1921, the entire forest was transferred back to the Chelan National Forest, but on March 23, 1955, the transfer was reverted.[2]
Administration
The Okanogan National Forest was administratively combined with the Wenatchee National Forest in 2000, although the boundaries for each forest remained unchanged, and in 2007, it administratively became known as the Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest.[5] The headquarters are in Wenatchee, Washington. There are local ranger district offices located in Chelan, Cle Elum, Entiat, Leavenworth, and Naches.
History
The
The Conconully, Loomis, Squaw Creek, Sweat Creek, Twisp and Winthrop ranger districts were formed between 1911 and 1915.[5] On July 1, 1921, the entire forest reunited back into the Chelan National Forest, and the term Okanogan was discontinued.[9] Subsequently, another ranger district was established, the Chelan Ranger District. Portions of the Loomis Ranger District, along with the Sweat Creek Ranger District, absorbed to become the Loomis State Forest, later abandoned. The forest's ranger area underwent a number of smaller changes until the mid-1940s. The Squaw Creek Ranger District was absorbed by the Twisp Ranger District in the early 1930s, while the Forest Service Monument 83 lookout was constructed in neighboring British Columbia as an accident. The Pasayten Ranger District was later created from a portion of the Winthrop Ranger District, and the Conconully Ranger District became the Okanogan Ranger District.[5] The western part of the Colville National Forest transferred into the Chelan National Forest in 1943. On March 23, 1955, Chelan National Forest again became the Okanogan National Forest, then headquartered in the city of Okanogan. As per the change, the rename of the Conconully Ranger District was reverted.[9]
In 1968, the Pasayten Wilderness was established, introducing over 200,000 acres (81,000 ha) to the forest.[5] The United States Congress designated almost 65 percent of the forest's area as the Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness under the National Wilderness Preservation System around 1984, upon land formerly occupied by the former Chelan Division of the Washington Forest Reserve.[10]
The first forest supervisor of Wenatchee National Forest was Albert H. Sylvester, who named over a thousand natural features in the region.
See also
References
- ^ "Land Areas of the National Forest System" (PDF). United States Forest Service. January 2012. Retrieved June 30, 2012.
- ^ a b Davis, Richard C., ed. (1983). "Appendix I. National Forests of the United States" (PDF). Encyclopedia of American Forest and Conservation History, Volume 2. MacMillan Publishing Company for the Forest History Society. pp. 743–788. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-10-28. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
- ^ "Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness acreage breakdown, Wilderness.net". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-07-06.
- ^ 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
- ^ a b c d e "Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest – A Brief History". United States Forest Service. 2008. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
- ^ Steen, Harold K. (May 1, 1991). "Reserve Act and Congress: Passage of the 1981 Act". The Beginning of the National Forest System. Washington, D.C: United States Forest Service. pp. 18–23. Archived from the original on September 18, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
- ^ "The U.S. Forest Service – An Overview" (PDF). United States Forest Service. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 14, 2009. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
- ^ "The National Forests of the United States" (PDF). Forest History Society. p. 34. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 16, 2011.
- ^ a b c "United States Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region (Region 6)". University of Oregon. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
- ^ "Wilderness Evaluation – Sawtooth, 608027" (PDF). United States Forest Service. 2009. Retrieved July 16, 2013.