Monument Rock in Malheur NF
The Malheur National Forest is a National Forest in the U.S. state of Oregon. It contains 1.7 million acres (6900 km²) in the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon. The forest include high desert grasslands, sage, juniper, pine, fir, and other tree species. Elevations vary from about 4000 feet (1200 m) to the 9038 foot (2754 m) peak of Strawberry Mountain. The Strawberry Mountains extend east to west through the center of the forest. U.S. Route 395 runs south to north through the forest, while U.S. Route 26 runs east-west.
The forest is managed for timber extraction, cattle grazing, gold mining and wilderness use by the Forest Service, a division of the US Department of Agriculture. A 1993 Forest Service study estimated that the extent of old growth in the forest was 312,000 acres (126,000 ha)[3].
The forest was established by President Taft on June 13, 1908 and is named after the Malheur River, from the French, meaning literally "misfortune".
In descending order of land area the forest is located in parts of Grant, Harney, Baker, and Malheur counties. There are three ranger districts in the forest, with offices in John Day, Prairie City, and Hines, Oregon.
The Malheur National Forest contains the largest known organism (by area) in the world: an Armillaria ostoyae that spans 2200 acres (8.9 km²).[4]
[edit] Wilderness
There are two wilderness areas in Malheur National Forest.
[edit] References
- ^ "Malheur National Forest". Geographic Names Information System. U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:1155108. Retrieved 2009-04-11.
- ^ "Revised Visitation Estimates". National Forest Service. http://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/programs/nvum/revised_vis_est.pdf.
- ^ Bolsinger, Charles L.; Waddell, Karen L. (1993), Area of old-growth forests in California, Oregon, and Washington, United States Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Resource Bulletin PNW-RB-197, http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/pnw_rb197.pdf
- ^ Beale, Bob. 10 April 2003. Humungous fungus: world's largest organism? at Environment & Nature News, ABC Online. Accessed 25 June 2008.
[edit] See also
[edit] External link and source
