Tillamook State Forest
Encyclopedia
The Tillamook State Forest is a 364000 acres (1,473.1 km²) publicly owned forest in the U.S. state of Oregon
. Managed by the Oregon Department of Forestry
, it is located 40 miles (64 km) west of Portland
in the Northern Oregon Coast Range
, and spans Washington
, Tillamook
, Yamhill
, and Clatsop
counties. The forest receives large amounts of precipitation and is dominated by Douglas-fir
trees. Activities include commercial logging, recreation, and other commercial resource extraction activities such as mushroom hunting.
. The forest was replanted from 1949 to 1973 in the largest reforestation project of its kind. On July 18, 1973, Oregon governor Tom McCall
officially designated it a State Forest.
. The Forest Center's features include a short film about the Tillamook Burn, and a suspension bridge crossing the Wilson River
. With exhibits designed by AldrichPears Associates
and architecture by MillerHull Partnership, the Center won the Oregon Tourism Achievement Award in 2007.
Commercial activities include timber harvesting managed by the Department of Forestry that benefits county governments. In addition to logging, other commercial activities include mushroom hunting, and moss and salal
harvesting. The forest is managed by the department's Forest Grove and Tillamook districts.
of northwestern Oregon
, United States
, between Hillsboro
and Tillamook
in Washington
and Tillamook
counties. Part of the forest is administered as part of the Tillamook State Forest.
The Tillamook Rainforest is one of the wettest areas of the United States, with parts getting more than 100 inches (2,540 mm) of rain. The higher elevations also receive a lot of snow.
The western part of the forest has coastal varieties of trees, while the east is dominated by Douglas-fir
. Much of the forest is young, as early deforestation was rampant and the Tillamook Burn
, a large wildfire
, passed through the area in 1933.
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. Managed by the Oregon Department of Forestry
Oregon Department of Forestry
The Oregon Department of Forestry is the agency of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon which performs a wide variety of functions relating to the management, regulation and protection of both public and private forest lands in the state...
, it is located 40 miles (64 km) west of Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
in the Northern Oregon Coast Range
Northern Oregon Coast Range
The Northern Oregon Coast Range is the northern section of the Oregon Coast Range, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region, located in the northwest portion of the state of Oregon, United States. This section of the mountain range, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, contains peaks as high...
, and spans Washington
Washington County, Oregon
- Major highways :* Interstate 5* Interstate 205* U.S. Route 26* Oregon Route 6* Oregon Route 8* Oregon Route 10* Oregon Route 47* Oregon Route 99W* Oregon Route 210* Oregon Route 217* Oregon Route 219-Demographics:...
, Tillamook
Tillamook County, Oregon
Tillamook County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The county is named for the Tillamook, a Native American tribe who were living in the area in the early 19th century at the time of European American settlement. In 2010, the county's population was 25,250...
, Yamhill
Yamhill County, Oregon
-National protected areas:*Siuslaw National Forest *Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 84,992 people, 28,732 households, and 21,376 families residing in the county. The population density was 119 people per square mile . There were 30,270...
, and Clatsop
Clatsop County, Oregon
Clatsop County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The county is named for the Clatsop tribe of Native Americans, who lived along the coast of the Pacific Ocean prior to European settlement. As of 2010, the population was 37,039. The county seat is Astoria.-Economy:The principal...
counties. The forest receives large amounts of precipitation and is dominated by Douglas-fir
Douglas-fir
Douglas-fir is one of the English common names for evergreen coniferous trees of the genus Pseudotsuga in the family Pinaceae. Other common names include Douglas tree, and Oregon pine. There are five species, two in western North America, one in Mexico, and two in eastern Asia...
trees. Activities include commercial logging, recreation, and other commercial resource extraction activities such as mushroom hunting.
History
The area was extensively burned in a series of forest fires starting in 1933 which are now called the Tillamook BurnTillamook Burn
The Tillamook Burn was a series of forest fires in the Northern Oregon Coast Rangeof Oregon in the United States that destroyed a total area of 355,000 acres of old growth timber in what is now known as the Tillamook State Forest. The fires spanned the years of 1933–1951. By association, the name...
. The forest was replanted from 1949 to 1973 in the largest reforestation project of its kind. On July 18, 1973, Oregon governor Tom McCall
Tom McCall
Thomas Lawson McCall was an American politician and journalist in the state of Oregon. A Republican, he was the 30th Governor of Oregon from 1967 to 1975. A native of Massachusetts, he grew up there and in Central Oregon before attending the University of Oregon...
officially designated it a State Forest.
Operations
The forest's recreation sites include campgrounds, hiking and backpacking trails, fishing, swimming and an interpretative center. Some of the trails are open to horses and pack animals, mountain bikes and motorized vehicles in various combinations. In 2006, the Tillamook Forest Center opened on Oregon Route 6 between Portland and TillamookTillamook, Oregon
The city of Tillamook is the county seat of Tillamook County, Oregon, United States. The city is located on the southeast end of Tillamook Bay on the Pacific Ocean. The population was 4,352 at the 2000 census...
. The Forest Center's features include a short film about the Tillamook Burn, and a suspension bridge crossing the Wilson River
Wilson River (Oregon)
The Wilson River is a stream, about long, that flows from the Northern Oregon Coast Range to Tillamook Bay in the U.S. state of Oregon. Formed by the confluence of its Devil's Lake Fork and its South Fork, it runs generally west through the Tillamook State Forest to its mouth near the city of...
. With exhibits designed by AldrichPears Associates
AldrichPears Associates
AldrichPears Associates is an interpretive planning and exhibit design firm based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. They specialize in developing immersive, interactive and hands-on interpretive experiences for mission-driven museums, science centers, interpretive centers, zoos, aquariums,...
and architecture by MillerHull Partnership, the Center won the Oregon Tourism Achievement Award in 2007.
Commercial activities include timber harvesting managed by the Department of Forestry that benefits county governments. In addition to logging, other commercial activities include mushroom hunting, and moss and salal
Salal
Gaultheria shallon is a leathery-leaved shrub in the heather family , native to western North America. In English it is known as salal, shallon, or in Britain simply Gaultheria.-Ecology:...
harvesting. The forest is managed by the department's Forest Grove and Tillamook districts.
Tillamook Rainforest
The Tillamook Rainforest is a temperate rainforest located in the Coast RangeOregon Coast Range
The Oregon Coast Range, often called simply the Coast Range and sometimes the Pacific Coast Range, is a mountain range, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region, in the U.S. state of Oregon along the Pacific Ocean...
of northwestern Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, between Hillsboro
Hillsboro, Oregon
Hillsboro is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the county seat of Washington County. Lying in the Tualatin Valley on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city is home to many high-technology companies, such as Intel, that compose what has become known as the...
and Tillamook
Tillamook, Oregon
The city of Tillamook is the county seat of Tillamook County, Oregon, United States. The city is located on the southeast end of Tillamook Bay on the Pacific Ocean. The population was 4,352 at the 2000 census...
in Washington
Washington County, Oregon
- Major highways :* Interstate 5* Interstate 205* U.S. Route 26* Oregon Route 6* Oregon Route 8* Oregon Route 10* Oregon Route 47* Oregon Route 99W* Oregon Route 210* Oregon Route 217* Oregon Route 219-Demographics:...
and Tillamook
Tillamook County, Oregon
Tillamook County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The county is named for the Tillamook, a Native American tribe who were living in the area in the early 19th century at the time of European American settlement. In 2010, the county's population was 25,250...
counties. Part of the forest is administered as part of the Tillamook State Forest.
The Tillamook Rainforest is one of the wettest areas of the United States, with parts getting more than 100 inches (2,540 mm) of rain. The higher elevations also receive a lot of snow.
The western part of the forest has coastal varieties of trees, while the east is dominated by Douglas-fir
Douglas-fir
Douglas-fir is one of the English common names for evergreen coniferous trees of the genus Pseudotsuga in the family Pinaceae. Other common names include Douglas tree, and Oregon pine. There are five species, two in western North America, one in Mexico, and two in eastern Asia...
. Much of the forest is young, as early deforestation was rampant and the Tillamook Burn
Tillamook Burn
The Tillamook Burn was a series of forest fires in the Northern Oregon Coast Rangeof Oregon in the United States that destroyed a total area of 355,000 acres of old growth timber in what is now known as the Tillamook State Forest. The fires spanned the years of 1933–1951. By association, the name...
, a large wildfire
Wildfire
A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...
, passed through the area in 1933.
See also
- List of Oregon state forests
- South Saddle MountainSouth Saddle MountainSouth Saddle Mountain is the tallest mountain in Washington County, Oregon.Part of the Oregon Coast Range, the peak is located in the Tillamook State Forest in the northwest section of the state of Oregon. It is the eighth highest peak of the Oregon Coast Range.- History :South Saddle Mountain is...
- Rogers PeakRogers PeakRogers Peak is the highest mountain in Tillamook County, Oregon. Located in the Tillamook State Forest, the peak is also the highest peak in the Northern Oregon Coast Range, which is the northern section of the Oregon Coast Range.- Geology :...
- Ki-a-Kuts FallsKi-a-Kuts FallsKi-a-Kuts Falls is a tall waterfall on the Tualatin River in Washington County, Oregon, United States. Discovered in 1993 in the more remote upper stretch of the river, the falls were named after the last chief of the local band of Native Americans, Chief Ki-a-Kuts of the Atfalati...