George Washington and Jefferson National Forests

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George Washington and Jefferson National Forests
U.S. National Forests
White Rocks Little Sluice Mountain GWNF.jpg
White Rocks on Little Sluice Mountain in George Washington National Forest.
Country United States
States Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia
Ranger Districts Clinch, Eastern Divide, Glenwood Pedlar, James River, Lee, Mount Rogers, North River, Warm Springs
Coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Highest point Mount Rogers
 - location Grayson and Smyth Counties, VA
 - elevation 5,729 ft (1,746.2 m)
 - coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Lowest point South Fork Shenandoah River
 - location southwest of Front Royal, VA
 - elevation 513 ft (156.4 m)
 - coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Area 1,788,900 acres (723,942.1 ha)
Established 1995 [1]
 - George Washington NF 1918-05-16 [2]
 - Jefferson NF 1936-04-21 [2]
Owner US Forest Service
IUCN category VI - Managed Resource Protected Area
Headquarters Roanoke, Virginia
Location of George Washington and Jefferson National Forests
Wikimedia Commons: George Washington and Jefferson National Forests
Website: George Washington and Jefferson National Forests

The George Washington and Jefferson National Forests are U.S. National Forests that combine to form one of the largest areas of public land in the Eastern United States. They cover 1.8 million acres (7,300 km2) of land in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky. Approximately 1 million acres (4,000 km2) of the forest are remote and undeveloped and 139,461 acres (564 km2)[3] have been designated as wilderness areas, which eliminates future development.

History

Washington National Forest was established on May 16, 1918 as the Shenandoah National Forest. The forest was renamed after the first President on June 28, 1932. Natural Bridge National Forest was added on July 22, 1933.[2]

Jefferson National Forest was formed on April 21, 1936 by combining portions of the Unaka and George Washington National Forests with other land.[2] In 1995, the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests were administratively combined.[1] The border between the two forests roughly follows the James River. The combined forest is administered from its headquarters in Roanoke, Virginia.[1]

Notable features

Flora and fauna

A split rail fence at the entrance to Sherando Lake

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Main article: Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests

The Forests' vast and mountainous terrain harbors a great variety of plant life—over 50 species of trees and over 2,000 species of shrubs and herbaceous plants.[5]

The Forests contain some 230,000 acres (930 km2) of old growth forests, representing all of the major forest communities found within them.[6][7] Locations of old growth include Peters Mountain, Mount Pleasant National Scenic Area, Rich Hole Wilderness, Flannery Ridge, Pick Breeches Ridge, and Laurel Fork Gorge, Pickem Mountain, and Mount Rogers National Recreation Area.[8] The Ramsey's Draft and Kimberling Creek Wildernesses in particular are mostly old-growth.[8][9][10]

The black bear is relatively common, enough so that there is a short hunting season to prevent overpopulation. White-tailed deer, bobcat, bald eagles, weasel, otter, and marten are also known to inhabit the Forests.

Activities

The forests are popular hiking, mountain biking, and hunting destinations. The Appalachian Trail extends for 330 miles (530 km) from the southern end of Shenandoah National Park through the forest and along the Blue Ridge Parkway. The forest is within a two-hour drive for over ten million people and thus receives large numbers of visitors, especially in the region closest to Shenandoah National Park.

The George Washington National Forest is a popular destination for trail runners. It is the location for several Ultramarathons, including the Massanutten Mountain Trails 100 miler, the Old Dominion 100 miler, and the Old Dominion Memorial 100 miler.[11]

George Washington Forest is also the venue for Nature Camp, a natural science education-oriented summer camp for youth.[12] The camp is located on national forest land near the town of Vesuvius, Virginia. It has operated at this location since the summer of 1953.[13]

Counties

Counties are listed in descending order of forestland area within county. Note that Jefferson National Forest is located in 22 separate counties, more than any other National Forest except Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri, which lies in 29 counties. Note also that Botetourt, Monroe, and Rockbridge counties, at the dividing line between the two forests, include parts of both forests. Thirdly, note that the state of Kentucky actually has very little area, with its two counties bringing up the tail end of Jefferson National Forest. As of September 30, 2007 George Washington National Forest has a total area of 1,065,389 acres (4,311 km2). Local ranger district offices are located in Bridgewater, Covington, Edinburg, Hot Springs, and Staunton. Jefferson National Forest has a total area of 723,350 acres (2,927 km2).[14] Local ranger district offices are located in Blacksburg, Marion, Natural Bridge, New Castle, and Wise.

George Washington National Forest

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  1. Augusta County, Virginia
  2. Bath County, Virginia
  3. Alleghany County, Virginia
  4. Rockingham County, Virginia
  5. Shenandoah County, Virginia
  6. Highland County, Virginia
  7. Amherst County, Virginia
  8. Hardy County, West Virginia
  9. Pendleton County, West Virginia
  10. Rockbridge County, Virginia
  11. Page County, Virginia
  12. Nelson County, Virginia
  13. Botetourt County, Virginia
  14. Warren County, Virginia
  15. Frederick County, Virginia
  16. Hampshire County, West Virginia
  17. Monroe County, West Virginia

Jefferson National Forest

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  1. Craig County, Virginia
  2. Bland County, Virginia
  3. Smyth County, Virginia
  4. Botetourt County, Virginia
  5. Giles County, Virginia
  6. Wythe County, Virginia
  7. Wise County, Virginia
  8. Scott County, Virginia
  9. Grayson County, Virginia
  10. Washington County, Virginia
  11. Rockbridge County, Virginia
  12. Montgomery County, Virginia
  13. Pulaski County, Virginia
  14. Bedford County, Virginia
  15. Monroe County, West Virginia
  16. Lee County, Virginia
  17. Tazewell County, Virginia
  18. Dickenson County, Virginia
  19. Carroll County, Virginia
  20. Roanoke County, Virginia
  21. Letcher County, Kentucky
  22. Pike County, Kentucky

Wilderness areas

There are 139,461 acres (564 km2)[3] of federally designated wilderness areas in the two forests under the United States National Wilderness Preservation System. All are in the state of Virginia, except as indicated. The largest of these is the Mountain Lake Wilderness, at 16,511 acres (67 km2). There are 17 wildernesses in Jefferson National Forest, second only to Tongass National Forest, which has 19.

George Washington National Forest

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Jefferson National Forest

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History

The first camp of the Civilian Conservation Corps NF-1, Camp Roosevelt,[15] was established in the George Washington National Forest near Luray, Virginia. It is now the site of the Camp Roosevelt Recreation Area.[16]

See also

References

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  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Jefferson National Forest: An Appalachian Environmental History. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Pr., 2011.
  • Prehistoric Southwest Virginia: Aboriginal Occupation, Land Use, and Environmental Worldview, Smithfield Review 5 (April 2000): 125–151.
  • Turnpike Tourism in Western Virginia, Virginia Cavalcade 48:1 (Winter 1998): 14–23.
  • The Potts Valley Branch Railroad and Tri-State Incline Lumber Operation in West Virginia and Virginia, 1892–1932, West Virginia History 54 (1995): 42–58.
  • The Mount Rogers National Recreation Area and the Rise of Public Involvement in Forest Service Planning, Environmental History Review 28 (Summer 1994): 41–65.
  • An Appalachian Forest: Creation of the Jefferson National Forest and its effects on the local community, Forest and Conservation History 37:4 (October 1993): 169–178.
  • The Great Anti-Fire Campaign, American Forests, 99:5&6 (May/June 1993): 33–35, 58.
  • Green Cove Station: An Appalachian train depot and its community, Virginia Cavalcade, 42:2 (Autumn 1992): 52–61.
  • Fisheries and Wildlife Management: part of the history of the Jefferson National Forest, Virginia Forests, 48:2 (Summer 1992): 6–8.

External links

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Wilderness.net search page
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  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Run100s ("Run Hundreds") – A Not-For-Profit UltraRunning Corporation
  12. ↑ Nature Camp
  13. ↑ History of Nature Camp
  14. ↑ http://www.fs.fed.us/land/staff/lar/2007/TABLE_6.htm
  15. ↑ [1] Archived January 27, 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  16. ↑ George Washington 26 Jefferson National Forest – Camp Roosevelt Recreation Area. Fs.usda.gov. Retrieved on 2013-08-09.
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