Gifford Pinchot National Forest
Encyclopedia
Gifford Pinchot National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in southern Washington, USA. With an area of 1.37 million acre
s (5300 km2), it extends 116 km along the western slopes of Cascade Range
from Mount Rainier National Park
to the Columbia River
. It includes the 110,000 acre
(445 km2) Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument
, established by Congress in 1982. In addition, Congressional action since 1964 has established the following wilderness areas:
Also, William O. Douglas Wilderness
is administered jointly with Wenatchee National Forest
. A 1993 Forest Service study estimated that the extent of old growth in the Forest was 198000 acres (80,127.8 ha)., some of which is contained within its wilderness areas.
The forest offices are located in Vancouver, Washington
. There are local ranger
district offices in Randle
, Amboy, and Trout Lake
. The forest is named after the first chief of the United States Forest Service
, Gifford Pinchot
. Washington towns near entrances of the forest include Cougar
, Randle
, and Carson
.
in 1897, the area was set aside as the Columbia National Forest
in 1908. It was renamed the Gifford Pinchot National Forest on June 15, 1949. In 1985 the non-profit Gifford Pinchot Task Force formed to protect the area. At 338 spots more than 6,000 culturally modified trees
were identified, of which 3,000 are protected now.
The forest was named after Gifford Pinchot
, one of the leading figures in the creation of the national forest system of the United States.
to the west, Mount Adams
to the east, Mount Rainier National Park to the north, and the Columbia River
to the south. This region of Southwest Washington is noted for its complex topography and volcanic geology. About 65 percent of the forest acreage is located in Skamania County. In descending order of land area the others are Lewis
, Yakima
, Cowlitz
, Klickitat, and Clark
counties.
and the spotted owl
as well as multiple species of Northwest fish like the bull trout
, chinook salmon
, coho salmon
and steelhead salmon. The forest also provides habitat for other species like the gray wolf
, grizzly bear
and marbled murrelet
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s (5300 km2), it extends 116 km along the western slopes of Cascade Range
Cascade Range
The Cascade Range is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, and the notable volcanoes known as the High Cascades...
from Mount Rainier National Park
Mount Rainier National Park
Mount Rainier National Park is a United States National Park located in southeast Pierce County and northeast Lewis County in Washington state. It was one of the US's earliest National Parks, having been established on March 2, 1899 as the fifth national park in the United States. The park contains...
to the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
. It includes the 110,000 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
(445 km2) Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument
Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument
Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument is a U.S. National Monument that includes the area around Mount St. Helens in Washington. It was established on August 27, 1982 by U.S. President Ronald Reagan following the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. The 110,000 acre National Volcanic...
, established by Congress in 1982. In addition, Congressional action since 1964 has established the following wilderness areas:
- Goat RocksGoat Rocks WildernessGoat Rocks Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area in Washington, United States. Consisting of portions of Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and Gifford Pinchot National Forest on the crest of the Cascade Range south of U.S...
- 105,600 acres (427 km2) - TatooshTatoosh WildernessThe Tatoosh Wilderness, located in Washington, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, is managed by the U.S. Forest Service and protects . In 1984 it was officially designated as wilderness by Congress....
- 15,800 acres (63.9 km2) - Mount AdamsMount Adams WildernessThe Mount Adams Wilderness has of ecologically complex and geologically active land. Weather differs between the dry eastside and moist westside of the mountain. At , Mount Adams is one of the major Cascade mountains. The wilderness area is on the west side of the mountain and is part of the...
- 47,420 acres (191.3 km2) - Indian HeavenIndian Heaven WildernessIndian Heaven Wilderness is a protected area located inside the Gifford Pinchot National Forest of southwestern Washington state. Originally known to the Indians as "Sahalee Tyee," the area has been and remains culturally important to Native Americans...
- 20,400 acres (82.6 km2) - Trapper CreekTrapper Creek WildernessThe small Trapper Creek Wilderness area consists of in southern Washington in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The wilderness covers nearly the entire Trapper Creek drainage and is the only pristine anadromous fish habitat in the Wind River watershed. The terrain is very steep and rugged and...
- 6,000 acres (24 km2)
Also, William O. Douglas Wilderness
William O. Douglas Wilderness
The William O. Douglas Wilderness is a designated wilderness located in central portion of the U.S. state of Washington. It includes 168,232 acres located between the U.S. Route 12 and State Route 410 and is jointly administered by the Snoqualmie National Forest and the Gifford Pinchot National...
is administered jointly with Wenatchee National Forest
Wenatchee National Forest
Wenatchee National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in Washington. With an area of 1,735,394 acres , 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...
. A 1993 Forest Service study estimated that the extent of old growth in the Forest was 198000 acres (80,127.8 ha)., some of which is contained within its wilderness areas.
The forest offices are located in Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. Incorporated in 1857, it is the fourth largest city in the state with a 2010 census population of 161,791 as of April 1, 2010...
. There are local ranger
National Park Ranger
National Park Service Rangers are among the uniformed employees charged with protecting and preserving areas set aside in the National Park System by the United States Congress and/or the President of the United States...
district offices in Randle
Randle, Washington
Randle is an unincorporated community in extreme eastern Lewis County, Washington, United States. Randle is located on U.S. Route 12 and is notable as the northeastern access point to the Mount St. Helens Windy Ridge viewpoint, by way of forest service roads that cut through the Gifford Pinchot...
, Amboy, and Trout Lake
Trout Lake, Washington
Trout Lake is a census-designated place in Klickitat County, Washington, United States. The population was 848 at the 2011 census. The town is notable for dairy farms, herb farms, as an access point to the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.-Geography:...
. The forest is named after the first chief of the United States Forest Service
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...
, Gifford Pinchot
Gifford Pinchot
Gifford Pinchot was the first Chief of the United States Forest Service and the 28th Governor of Pennsylvania...
. Washington towns near entrances of the forest include Cougar
Cougar, Washington
Cougar is a former town, and now unincorporated community, in Cowlitz County, Washington, United States. The population was 122 at the 1990 census; it was not measured in 2000....
, Randle
Randle, Washington
Randle is an unincorporated community in extreme eastern Lewis County, Washington, United States. Randle is located on U.S. Route 12 and is notable as the northeastern access point to the Mount St. Helens Windy Ridge viewpoint, by way of forest service roads that cut through the Gifford Pinchot...
, and Carson
Carson, Washington
Carson is a small unincorporated town in Skamania County in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Washington.Carson is the population base of Skamania County, located just north of the Columbia River near the towns of Stevenson, Bingen and White Salmon in Washington and Cascade Locks and Hood...
.
History
Gifford Pinchot National Forest is one of the older national forests in the United States. Included as part of the Mount Rainier Forest ReserveMount Rainier Forest Reserve
The Mount Rainier Forest Reserve in Washington was established by the General Land Office on February 22, 1898 from the Pacific Forest Reserve and other lands with . In 1905 federal forests were transferred to the U.S. Forest Service. On March 2, 1907 the name was changed to Rainier National Forest...
in 1897, the area was set aside as the Columbia National Forest
Columbia National Forest
Columbia National Forest was established in Washington by the U.S. Forest Service on July 1, 1908 when it was established from part of Rainier National Forest with . On June 15, 1949 it was renamed Gifford Pinchot National Forest in honor of the forestry pioneer Gifford Pinchot. -External links:** ...
in 1908. It was renamed the Gifford Pinchot National Forest on June 15, 1949. In 1985 the non-profit Gifford Pinchot Task Force formed to protect the area. At 338 spots more than 6,000 culturally modified trees
Culturally modified trees
Culturally modified trees is a term which describes the modification of trees by indigenous people as part of their tradition. Their meaning for the indigenous cultures is relatively well known, but only from the beginning of the 1980s scientists have recognized that they are also important...
were identified, of which 3,000 are protected now.
The forest was named after Gifford Pinchot
Gifford Pinchot
Gifford Pinchot was the first Chief of the United States Forest Service and the 28th Governor of Pennsylvania...
, one of the leading figures in the creation of the national forest system of the United States.
Geography
Gifford Pinchot National Forest is located in a mountainous region approximately between Mount St. HelensMount St. Helens
Mount St. Helens is an active stratovolcano located in Skamania County, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is south of Seattle, Washington and northeast of Portland, Oregon. Mount St. Helens takes its English name from the British diplomat Lord St Helens, a...
to the west, Mount Adams
Mount Adams (Washington)
Mount Adams is a potentially activestratovolcano in the Cascade Range and the second-highest mountain in the U.S. state of Washington.Adams is a member of the Cascade Volcanic Arc, and is one of the arc's largest volcanoes,...
to the east, Mount Rainier National Park to the north, and the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
to the south. This region of Southwest Washington is noted for its complex topography and volcanic geology. About 65 percent of the forest acreage is located in Skamania County. In descending order of land area the others are Lewis
Lewis County, Washington
Lewis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of 2010, the population was 75,455. The county seat is at Chehalis, and its largest city is Centralia....
, Yakima
Yakima County, Washington
Yakima County is the second largest county by area in the U.S. state of Washington. It is named after the Yakama tribe of Native Americans. In the 2010 census, its population was 243,231...
, Cowlitz
Cowlitz County, Washington
Cowlitz County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2010 census its population was 102,410. It forms the Longview, Washington, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Cowlitz County. The county seat is at Kelso, and its largest city is Longview...
, Klickitat, and Clark
Clark County, Washington
Clark County is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Washington, across the Columbia River from Portland, Oregon.Clark County was the first county of Washington, named after William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition...
counties.
Fauna
The Gifford Pinchot National Forest is the native habitat for several threatened and endangered species. Local endangered species include the bald eagleBald Eagle
The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...
and the spotted owl
Spotted Owl
The Spotted Owl, Strix occidentalis, is a species of true owl. It is a resident species of forests in western North America, where it nests in tree holes, old bird of prey nests, or rock crevices. Nests can be between 13 and 66 yards high and usually contain two eggs...
as well as multiple species of Northwest fish like the bull trout
Bull trout
The bull trout, Salvelinus confluentus, is a char of the family Salmonidae native to northwestern North America. Historically, S. confluentus has been known as the "Dolly Varden" , but was re-classified as a separate species in 1980. Bull trout are listed as a threatened species under the U.S....
, chinook salmon
Chinook salmon
The Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, is the largest species in the pacific salmon family. Other commonly used names for the species include King salmon, Quinnat salmon, Spring salmon and Tyee salmon...
, coho salmon
Coho salmon
The Coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch, is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family. Coho salmon are also known as silver salmon or "silvers". It is the state animal of Chiba, Japan.-Description:...
and steelhead salmon. The forest also provides habitat for other species like the gray wolf
Gray Wolf
The gray wolf , also known as the wolf, is the largest extant wild member of the Canidae family...
, grizzly bear
Grizzly Bear
The grizzly bear , also known as the silvertip bear, the grizzly, or the North American brown bear, is a subspecies of brown bear that generally lives in the uplands of western North America...
and marbled murrelet
Marbled Murrelet
The Marbled Murrelet is a small seabird from the North Pacific. It is a member of the auk family. It nests in old-growth forests or on the ground at higher latitudes where trees cannot grow...