Modoc National Forest

The Modoc National Forest is a 1,654,392-acre (6,695 km2) national forest in northeastern California.

Modoc National Forest
Summit Trail in Modoc National Forest
Map of the United States
LocationModoc, Lassen and Siskiyou counties, California, United States
Nearest cityAlturas, California
Coordinates41°30′13″N 120°56′38″W
Area1,654,392 acres (6,695.09 km2)
Governing bodyU.S. Forest Service
WebsiteModoc National Forest

Geography

The Modoc National Forest protects parts of Modoc (82.9% of acreage), Lassen (9.4%), and Siskiyou (7.7%) counties. Most of the forest was covered by immense lava flows occurring over the last 500,000 years.

The eastern part of the forest east of Alturas contains the Warner Mountains. The Warner Mountains drop steeply on the eastern slopes, whereas the western flank has a more gentle topography.

Ecology
Map of the Modoc National Forest

Due to the elevation and precipitation differences, the forests hosts a large number of plant species. The western side of the brushy foothills consist mostly of bitterbrush and curl-leaf mahogany. As elevation increases, forests of ponderosa pine, white and red firs, incense cedar, and aspen give way to lodgepole and western white pines sprinkle towards the summit. Some 43,400 acres (176 km2) of the forest have been identified as old growth, with lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine, white fir, incense cedar, and red fir being common constituents.[1]

History

Modoc National Forest was established as the Modoc Forest Reserve on November 29, 1904 by the General Land Office. It was named for the Modoc people who traditionally had their territory in this area. In 1905 federal forests were transferred to the U.S. Forest Service, and on March 4, 1907 they became National Forests. On July 1, 1908 Warner Mountains National Forest was added to Modoc.[2] The South Warner Wilderness lies within the forest.

Management

Forest headquarters are located in Alturas, California. There are local ranger district offices located in Adin, Alturas, Cedarville, and Tulelake.

See also

References
  1. Warbington, Ralph; Beardsley, Debby (2002), 2002 Estimates of Old Growth Forests on the 18 National Forests of the Pacific Southwest Region, United States Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region
  2. Davis, Richard C. (September 29, 2005), National Forests of the United States (PDF), The Forest History Society, archived from the original (pdf) on October 28, 2012, retrieved August 13, 2011
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