Coconino National Forest

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Coconino National Forest
San Francisco Peaks, winter.jpg
San Francisco Peaks, winter
USA Arizona relief location map.svg
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Location in the United States
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Coconino National Forest (the United States)
Location Coconino, Yavapai, and Gila counties, Arizona, US
Nearest city Flagstaff, Arizona
Coordinates 34°45′27″N111°45′52″W / 34.75750°N 111.76444°W / 34.75750; -111.76444 (Red Rock Ranger District & Visitor Center)
Area1,856,038 acres (7,511.12 km2)
EstablishedJuly 2, 1908
Visitorsroughly 1,890,000(in 2004)
Governing body U.S. Forest Service
Website www.fs.usda.gov/coconino

The Coconino National Forest is a 1.856-million acre (751,000 ha) United States National Forest located in northern Arizona in the vicinity of Flagstaff, with elevations ranging from 2,600 feet to the highest point in Arizona at 12,633 feet (Humphrey's Peak). Originally established in 1898 as the "San Francisco Mountains National Forest Reserve", the area was designated a U.S. National Forest by Pres. Theodore Roosevelt on July 2, 1908, when the San Francisco Mountains National Forest Reserve was merged with lands from other surrounding forest reserves to create the Coconino National Forest. [1] Today, the Coconino National Forest contains diverse landscapes, including deserts, ponderosa pine forests, flatlands, mesas, alpine tundra, and ancient volcanic peaks. The forest surrounds the towns of Sedona and Flagstaff and borders four other national forests; the Kaibab National Forest to the west and northwest, the Prescott National Forest to the southwest, the Tonto National Forest to the south, and the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest to the southeast. The forest contains all or parts of nine designated wilderness areas, including the Kachina Peaks Wilderness, which includes the summit of the San Francisco Peaks. [2] The headquarters are in Flagstaff. The Coconino National Forest consists of three districts: Flagstaff Ranger District, Mogollon Rim Ranger District, and Red Rock Ranger District, which have local ranger district offices in Flagstaff, Happy Jack, and Sedona. [3]

Contents

Etymology

Coconino is the word the Hopi use for Havasupai and Yavapai Indians. The Coconino National Forest was so named because it is located in the central portion of Coconino County. [4]

Geography

The elevation in the forest ranges from 2,600 feet (790 m) in the southern part of the forest near the Verde River to 12,633 feet (3,851 m) at the summit of Humphreys Peak, the highest point in the state of Arizona. [5] Much of the forest is a high altitude plateau (average elevation is roughly 7,000 feet (2,100 m) on the plateau) that is located in the midst of the largest contiguous ponderosa pine forest in North America. The southern border of this plateau is the Mogollon Rim, a nearly 400 miles (640 km) long escarpment running across central Arizona that also marks the southern boundary of the Colorado Plateau. The Coconino National Forest is divided into three districts that each possess their distinct geography and environments.

Inner Basin of San Francisco Peaks in the summer. Agassiz Peak at the center, and Fremont Peak at left. Peaks-Inner Basin.JPG
Inner Basin of San Francisco Peaks in the summer. Agassiz Peak at the center, and Fremont Peak at left.

The northernmost district, known as the Flagstaff District, is home to the San Francisco Peaks, an ancient group of volcanic summits. The highest peak, Humphreys Peak, is the highest point in Arizona at 12,633 feet (3,851 m). The second, third, and fourth highest peaks in Arizona are found nearby. The San Francisco Peaks are the dominant structure of the San Francisco Volcanic Field, an 1,800 square miles (4,700 km2) volcanic field that contains more than 600 volcanic features. The Coconino National Forest encompasses a large portion of the volcanic field and so the forest landscape around Flagstaff is dotted with tree-covered cinder cones, lava flows, and lava tubes (such as Lava River Cave). The Flagstaff District surrounds two United States National Monuments near Flagstaff, Walnut Canyon National Monument and Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument the latter of which preserves the youngest cinder cone in the San Francisco Volcanic Field, Sunset Crater. The forest borders another National Monument, Wupatki National Monument on its northeast corner.

Located in the southern portion of the Flagstaff District is Mormon Lake, the largest natural lake in the state of Arizona. Several other natural lakes, including Ashurst Lake and Marshall Lake, dot the top of Anderson Mesa, an approximately 20-mile (32 km) long ridge that rises 200 to 400 feet (60−120 m) above the surrounding landscape. Anderson Mesa is best known for the branch of Lowell Observatory located along the edge of the mesa. At the base of the southwest side of Anderson Mesa are two narrow, manmade reservoirs constructed in the early 1900s, Upper Lake Mary and Lower Lake Mary. Upper Lake Mary contains water year round in all but the very driest years while Lower Lake Mary, located just to the northwest of Upper Lake Mary, usually resembles a wet meadow rather than a lake.

Cathedral Rock at Red Rock Crossing Cathedral Rock at Red Rock Crossing.jpg
Cathedral Rock at Red Rock Crossing

The Red Rock district, centered on the town of Sedona, encompasses many of the famous red rock buttes and mesas, and canyons that have made Sedona famous as a resort town. Just north of Sedona is Oak Creek Canyon, one of the many large canyons located along the Mogollon Rim. Oak Creek Canyon is one of the most popular recreation destinations in the Coconino National Forest and along with Sedona is Arizona's second most popular tourist attraction, second only to the Grand Canyon. Oak Creek Canyon is also a popular leaf peeping area in the fall as it is one of the few areas in the forest where deciduous trees are the dominant vegetation type. This region is also home to Sycamore Canyon, the second largest canyon in Arizona. Elevations in this part of the forest are substantially lower (Sedona is at 4,500 feet (1,400 m) above sea level) than the rest of the forest resulting in higher temperatures year round.

The Third district is the Mogollon Rim District, located along the Mogollon Rim south of the Mormon Lake District and east of the Red Rock District. The landscape here resembles the Mormon Lake District with a number of small lakes and perennial streams scattered among a dense ponderosa pine forest. The southern boundary of the district is the edge of the Mogollon Rim where the Coconino National Forest borders the Tonto National Forest and Coconino County borders Gila County.

Flora

Conifers and other evergreen plants are the dominant type of vegetation in the Coconino National Forest. Due in part to the dry climate, deciduous trees are rare except for in some moist areas along creeks and streams. While the ponderosa pine is by far the most common tree species in the Coconino National Forest, vegetation type varies depending on the elevation of a certain area.

At the lowest elevations, in the extreme southwestern portion of the forest, actual trees are scarce and the landscape is dominated by various small shrubs and sagebrushes. At elevations between 4,500 feet and 6,500 feet (1,400−2,000 m), which includes the area surrounding Sedona, various species of juniper including the alligator juniper and the Utah juniper are predominant. Other common tree and shrubs of this environment, often classified as the "juniper-pinyon woodlands", include Arizona cypress, manzanita, and pinyon pine. Hikers often encounter Parry's agave, yuccas, and prickly pear cacti in this region as well. [6]

The huge stands of ponderosa pine on the forest are found primarily at elevations between 6,500 feet and 8,000 feet (2,000−2,400 m). Other species scattered among this region include gambel oak, quaking aspen, and Rocky Mountain Juniper. [6]

The highest elevations in the forest are located in the San Francisco Peaks area north of Flagstaff. Here grow large conifers such as Engelmann spruce, blue spruce, subalpine fir, corkbark fir (a variety of subalpine fir found only in isolated areas of Arizona and New Mexico), Douglas-fir, bristlecone pine, and limber pine. Isolated stands of quaking aspen, usually the first tree to regenerate following a severe wildfire, are scattered across the mountain. [7]

Above 11,000 feet (3,400 m) is found the only alpine tundra region in Arizona. Vegetation is scarce in this region. A few small bristlecone pines are found otherwise the area is above tree line and inhabited by small grasses, lichens, and alpine wildflowers. [8]

Wildfire

Wildfire is a major concern across the Coconino National Forest. Despite the abundance of green vegetation throughout the forest, the region is classified as a high desert. Flagstaff, located in the northern part of the forest, receives about 22 inches (560 mm) of precipitation annually—including an average annual snowfall of 100 inches (250 cm)—while other areas of the forest receive even less. [5] [9] The lack of any significant rainfall during the spring and early summer combined with the high temperatures and strong winds that are commonplace during that time of year results in fire danger that is usually defined as "very high" or "extreme" during the months of May through July. The danger of a major wildfire is increased by the fact that there are a number of cities and communities surrounded by forest land. Restrictions on campfires and smoking in the forest are common during peak fire season. Occasionally, the fire danger will become so great that the forest is closed to all public entry until substantial precipitation is received to minimize the danger of a stray spark setting off a destructive wildfire.

Over the past few years, the Coconino National Forest has increased its use of prescribed burns as a tool to prevent major wildfires. This strategy, along with forest thinning, has been especially widespread in areas of the forest that surround urban areas.

Wilderness areas

Wet Beaver Creek in Coconino National Forest WetBeaverCreek.JPG
Wet Beaver Creek in Coconino National Forest

There are ten federally designated U.S. Wilderness Areas within or partially within the Coconino National Forest:

History

"Entering Coconino National Forest", Route 66, 1939 Coconino National Forest Sign - 1939 (5375510149).jpg
"Entering Coconino National Forest", Route 66, 1939

When the United States acquired the territory comprising Arizona and New Mexico by treaty with Mexico in 1848, those lands not already privately owned, including Spanish and Mexican land grants, nor reserved by treaty for the various Indian tribes, became a part of the "public domain" and open under various laws to settlement, purchase, and use.

In 1898, President William McKinley established the San Francisco Mountain Forest Reserve, at the request of Gifford Pinchot, head of the US Division of Forestry. Local reaction was hostile—citizens of Williams, Arizona held a mass protest, and the Williams News editorialized that the reserve "virtually destroys Coconino County." [10]

In 1905, the Forest Reserves were transferred to the Department of Agriculture. Some 21 million acres (85,000 km2) of public lands, almost one-eighth of the area of Arizona and New Mexico, were now to be administered by the new Forest Service.

In 1908, the Coconino National Forest was established from parts of the Tonto, Black Mesa, Grand Canyon, and entire San Francisco Mountains National Forests. [11] [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flagstaff, Arizona</span> City in Arizona, United States

Flagstaff is a city in, and the county seat of Coconino County, Arizona, in the southwestern United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 76,831.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mogollon Rim</span> Escarpment of the Colorado Plateau in Arizona, US

The Mogollon Rim is a topographical and geological feature cutting across the northern half of the U.S. state of Arizona. It extends approximately 200 miles (320 km), starting in northern Yavapai County and running eastward, ending near the border with New Mexico. It forms the southern edge of the Colorado Plateau in Arizona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colorado Plateau</span> Plateau in the Four Corners region of the southwestern United States

The Colorado Plateau, also known as the Colorado Plateau Province, is a physiographic and desert region of the Intermontane Plateaus, roughly centered on the Four Corners region of the southwestern United States. This province covers an area of 336,700 km2 (130,000 mi2) within western Colorado, northwestern New Mexico, southern and eastern Utah, northern Arizona, and a tiny fraction in the extreme southeast of Nevada. About 90% of the area is drained by the Colorado River and its main tributaries: the Green, San Juan, and Little Colorado. Most of the remainder of the plateau is drained by the Rio Grande and its tributaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apache–Sitgreaves National Forests</span> Protected areas in Arizona and New Mexico

The Apache–Sitgreaves National Forests is a 2.76-million-acre (11,169 km2) United States National Forest which runs along the Mogollon Rim and the White Mountains in east-central Arizona and into the U.S. state of New Mexico. Formerly two forests, it is currently managed as one unit by USDA Forest Service from the Forest Supervisors Office in Springerville, Arizona. Apache–Sitgreaves has over 400 species of wildlife. With its high elevation and cool summer breezes it is a popular weekend destination from the hot desert for Phoenix, Arizona, residents. The forest is divided into 5 Ranger Districts that span almost 300 miles (480 km) from Clifton, Arizona in the east-central portion of Arizona to the eastern boundary of the Coconino National Forest in north-central Arizona. The Apache–Sitgreaves National Forest borders the western and northern borders of the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. It is located in parts of Greenlee, Apache, Navajo, and Coconino counties in eastern and east-central Arizona, and Catron County in western New Mexico. The more northwesterly Sitgreaves National Forest portion lies adjacent to the north side of the Fort Apache Indian Reservation and is located entirely in Arizona, within Navajo, Apache, and Coconino counties. It has a total area of 818,651 acres (3,313 km2). The more southeasterly and much larger Apache National Forest portion lies adjacent to the east side of the Fort Apache and the San Carlos Indian Reservations. It lies on both sides of the border with New Mexico, in Greenlee, Catron, and Apache counties. It has a total area of 1,813,601 acres (7,339 km2).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaibab National Forest</span> Protected area in northern Arizona

Kaibab National Forest borders both the north and south rims of the Grand Canyon, in north-central Arizona. Its 1.6 million acres is divided into three sections: the North Kaibab Ranger District, the Tusayan Ranger District, and the Williams Ranger District. It is managed by the United States Forest Service. Grand Canyon National Park separates the North Kaibab and the South Kaibab. The South Kaibab covers 1,422 square miles (3,680 km2) and the North Kaibab stretches over 1,010 square miles (2,600 km2). Elevations vary on the forest from 5,500 feet in the southwest corner to 10,418 feet at the summit of Kendrick Peak on the Williams Ranger District. The forest as a whole is headquartered in Williams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tonto National Forest</span> Protected area in Arizona

The Tonto National Forest, encompassing 2,873,200 acres, is the largest of the six national forests in Arizona and is the ninth largest national forest in the United States. The forest has diverse scenery, with elevations ranging from 1,400 feet in the Sonoran Desert to 7,400 feet in the ponderosa pine forests of the Mogollon Rim. The Tonto National Forest is also the most visited "urban" forest in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francisco Peaks</span> Mountain range in Arizona, United States

The San Francisco Peaks are a volcanic mountain range in the San Francisco volcanic field in north central Arizona, just north of Flagstaff and a remnant of the former San Francisco Mountain. The highest summit in the range, Humphreys Peak, is the highest point in the state of Arizona at 12,637 feet (3,852 m) in elevation. The San Francisco Peaks are the remains of an eroded stratovolcano. An aquifer within the caldera supplies much of Flagstaff's water while the mountain itself is in the Coconino National Forest, a popular recreation site. The Arizona Snowbowl ski area is on the western slopes of Humphreys Peak, and has been the subject of major controversy involving several tribes and environmental groups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Arizona</span> Region of the US state of Arizona

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coconino Plateau</span> Geographic feature in Coconino County, Arizona, US

The Coconino Plateau is found south of the Grand Canyon and north-northwest of Flagstaff, in northern Arizona of the Southwestern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kendrick Peak</span> Mountain in Arizona

Kendrick Peak or Kendrick Mountain is one of the highest peaks in the San Francisco volcanic field north of the city of Flagstaff in the U.S. State of Arizona and is located on the Coconino Plateau in Coconino County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oak Creek Canyon</span> River gorge located in northern Arizona between the cities of Flagstaff and Sedona

Oak Creek Canyon is a river gorge located in northern Arizona between the cities of Flagstaff and Sedona. The canyon is often described as a smaller cousin of the Grand Canyon because of its scenic beauty. State Route 89A enters the canyon on its north end via a series of hairpin turns before traversing the bottom of the canyon for about 13 miles (21 km) until the highway enters the town of Sedona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sycamore Canyon Wilderness</span> Protected area in northern Arizona

Sycamore Canyon Wilderness is a 56,000-acre wilderness area in the Coconino, Kaibab and Prescott national forests in the U.S. state of Arizona. Encompassing Sycamore Canyon and its surrounds from south of Williams to the confluence of Sycamore Creek with the Verde River, the wilderness is about 40 miles (64 km) southwest of Flagstaff. The canyon is one of several in Arizona that cut through the Mogollon Rim. Relevant United States Geological Survey (USGS) map quadrangles are Davenport Hill, White Horse Lake, May Tank Pocket, Perkinsville, Sycamore Basin, and Clarkdale. Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness borders Sycamore Canyon Wilderness on the east.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness</span> Protected area in the Coconino National Forest

The Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness is a 47,195-acre wilderness area located within the Coconino National Forest in the U.S. state of Arizona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Arizona</span>

Arizona is a landlocked state situated in the southwestern region of the United States of America. It has a vast and diverse geography famous for its deep canyons, high- and low-elevation deserts, numerous natural rock formations, and volcanic mountain ranges. Arizona shares land borders with Utah to the north, the Mexican state of Sonora to the south, New Mexico to the east, and Nevada to the northwest, as well as water borders with California and the Mexican state of Baja California to the southwest along the Colorado River. Arizona is also one of the Four Corners states and is diagonally adjacent to Colorado.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haigler Creek, Arizona</span> CDP in Gila County, Arizona

Haigler Creek is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in northern Gila County, Arizona, United States. It lies at an elevation of 5,240 feet and is surrounded by the Tonto National Forest. As of the 2020 census, Haigler Creek had a population of 39 people.

References

  1. ↑ "Historical Establishment Dates Pertaining to the Coconino National Forest". U.S. Forest Service, Coconino National Forest. Archived from the original on 2011-11-11. Retrieved 2006-08-13.
  2. ↑ "About Us: Statistics". U.S. Forest Service, Coconino National Forest. Archived from the original on 2006-09-01. Retrieved 2006-08-13.
  3. ↑ "USFS Ranger Districts by State" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-01-19. Retrieved 2009-05-16.
  4. ↑ "Terrestrial Ecosystem Survey: Coconino National Forest". USDA Forest Service. Archived from the original on 2013-10-21. Retrieved 2013-10-19.
  5. 1 2 "Terrestrial Ecosystem Survey: Coconino National Forest". Arid Lands Information Center, University of Arizona. Archived from the original on 2006-08-20. Retrieved 2006-08-13.
  6. 1 2 "Native Plants of Arizona". Northern Arizona University, School of Forestry. Archived from the original on 2006-05-26. Retrieved 2006-08-13.
  7. ↑ "Recovering From Wildfire". College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, The University of Arizona. Archived from the original on 2006-09-16. Retrieved 2006-08-13.
  8. ↑ Epple, Anne Orth; Epple, Lewis E. (1995). A Field Guide to the Plants of Arizona. Falcon Publishing.
  9. ↑ "Flagstaff Community Profile: Weather". City of Flagstaff. Archived from the original on 2007-04-04. Retrieved 2006-08-13.
  10. ↑ Rose Houk, "San Francisco Peaks" in The Mountains Know Arizona, 2003, Arizona Highways Books
  11. ↑ "History of the Coconino National Forest". Archived from the original on 2011-11-11. Retrieved 2007-01-04.
  12. ↑ Davis, Richard C. (September 29, 2005). "National Forests of the United States" (PDF). The Forest History Society. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-10-28.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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