Olympic National Forest
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| Olympic National Forest | |
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IUCN Category VI (Managed Resource Protected Area)
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| Location | Washington, USA |
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| Nearest city | Quinault, WA |
| Coordinates | 47°48′35.9″N 123°4′0.2″W / 47.809972°N 123.066722°WCoordinates: 47°48′35.9″N 123°4′0.2″W / 47.809972°N 123.066722°W |
| Area | 633,677 acres (2,564 km²) |
| Governing body | U.S. Forest Service |
Olympic National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in Washington, USA. With an area of 633,677 acres (2,564 km²), it nearly surrounds Olympic National Park and the Olympic Mountain range. Olympic National Forest contains parts of Clallam, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, and Mason counties. The landscape of the national forest varies, from the temperate Olympic rain forest to the salt water fjord of Hood Canal to the peaks of Mt. Washington.
Annual precipitation averages about 220 inches (5.6 m), giving rise to streams such as the Humptulips River.
Olympic National Forest was originally created as Olympic Forest Reserve in 1897, then renamed to Olympic National Forest in 1907. A 1993 Forest Service study estimated that the extent of old growth in the Forest was 266,800 acres (108,000 ha).[1] It is administered in two ranger districts: the Pacific Ranger District on the west side of the Olympic Peninsula, and the Hood Canal Ranger District on the east side.
Forest headquarters are located in Olympia, with ranger district offices in Forks, Quinault, and Quilcene. The former office in Hoodsport closed in 2005, and now houses a local Chamber of Commerce, which still sells Northwest Forest Passes.
Other Washington towns near entrances of the forest include Port Angeles, Sequim, and Amanda Park.
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[edit] Points of interest
[edit] Wilderness areas
- The Brothers Wilderness
- Buckhorn Wilderness
- Colonel Bob Wilderness
- Mt. Skokomish Wilderness
- Wonder Mountain Wilderness
[edit] References
- ^ 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
[edit] External links
Media related to Olympic National Forest at Wikimedia Commons- Official web site
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