Green Mountain National Forest | |
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Location | Vermont, United States |
Nearest city | Rutland |
Coordinates | 43°57′N73°04′W / 43.950°N 73.067°W |
Area | 399,151 acres (1,615.31 km2) federal 421,889 acres (1,707.32 km2) other [1] |
Established | April 25, 1932 [2] |
Governing body | U.S. Forest Service |
Website | Green Mountain & Finger Lakes National Forests |
Green Mountain National Forest is a national forest located in Vermont, a temperate broadleaf and mixed forest typical of the New England/Acadian forests ecoregion. The forest supports a variety of wildlife, including beaver, moose, coyote, black bear, white-tailed deer, wild turkey, and ruffed grouse. The forest, being situated in Vermont's Green Mountains, has been referred to as the granite backbone of the state.
Established in 1932 due to uncontrolled overlogging, fire and flooding, the forest originally consisted of 102,100 acres (413 km2); however, only 1,842 acres (7.45 km2) were federally owned, while the remaining 100,258 acres (405.73 km2) within the national forest boundary were not federally owned or administered. [3] As of 2011 [update] , the forest boundaries included 821,040 acres (3,322.6 km2), of which 399,151 acres (1,615.31 km2) were federally owned and administered. [1] GMNF is one of only two national forest areas in New England, the other area being the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire.
In descending order of land area, GMNF is located in parts of Bennington, Addison, Rutland, Windham, Windsor, and Washington counties. [1] The forest headquarters are in Mendon, Vermont, alongside those of Finger Lakes National Forest though that forest is in New York state. [4]
The forest contains three nationally designated trails, including parts of the Appalachian Trail and the Long Trail, as well as the Robert Frost National Recreation Trail. The forest also includes three alpine ski areas, seven Nordic ski areas, and approximately 900 mi (1,400 km) of multiple-use trails for hiking, cross country skiing, snowmobiling, horseback riding, and bicycling. [5]
The forest benefited from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009. Forest revenue is generated by recreation fees (such as at Mount Snow, Stratton Mountain and Bromley Mountain ski areas) and timber sales. About 42 acres (17 ha) were set aside for forest regeneration in 2009. Planned expenditures include road construction, recreation and heritage, and wildlife management. Projects in the latter category include: land/water modification in support of ruffed grouse, wild turkeys, bear, trout, salmon, Bicknell's thrush, and the plant Jacob's ladder. The emerald ash borer is a threat to Vermont's trees.
There are eight officially designated wilderness areas in the Green Mountain National Forest (from north to south):
Approximate area | Created by | ||
---|---|---|---|
acres | ha | ||
Bristol Cliffs Wilderness | 3,750 | 1,520 | Eastern Wilderness Areas Act of 1975 |
Breadloaf Wilderness | 24,986 | 10,111 | Vermont Wilderness Act of 1984 |
Joseph Battell Wilderness | 12,336 | 4,992 | New England Wilderness Act of 2006 |
Big Branch Wilderness | 6,725 | 2,722 | Vermont Wilderness Act of 1984 |
Peru Peak Wilderness | 7,825 | 3,167 | Vermont Wilderness Act of 1984 |
Lye Brook Wilderness | 18,122 | 7,334 | Eastern Wilderness Areas Act of 1975 |
Glastenbury Wilderness | 22,400 | 9,100 | New England Wilderness Act of 2006 |
George D. Aiken Wilderness | 4,800 | 1,900 | Vermont Wilderness Act of 1984 |
Each of these wilderness areas is wholly located in Vermont and is managed by the United States Forest Service as part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. As such, these areas are off-limits to all motorized and mechanical vehicles, including bicycles.
There are two officially designated recreation areas in the Green Mountain National Forest (from north to south):
Approximate area | Created by | ||
---|---|---|---|
acres | ha | ||
Moosalamoo National Recreation Area | 15,857 | 6,417 | New England Wilderness Act of 2006 |
White Rocks National Recreation Area | 36,400 | 14,700 | Vermont Wilderness Act of 1984 |
The latter includes both the Big Branch Wilderness and Peru Peak Wilderness within its boundaries.
The Daniel Boone National Forest is a national forest in Kentucky. Established in 1937, it includes 708,000 acres (287,000 ha) of federally owned land within a 2,100,000-acre (850,000 ha) proclamation boundary. The name of the forest was changed in 1966 in honor of the explorer Daniel Boone.
The Monongahela National Forest is a national forest located in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, US. It protects over 921,000 acres of federally managed land within a 1,700,000 acres proclamation boundary that includes much of the Potomac Highlands Region and portions of 10 counties.
Kisatchie National Forest, the only National forest in Louisiana, United States, is located in the forested piney hills and hardwood bottoms of seven central and northern parishes. It is part of the Cenozoic uplands and has large areas of longleaf pine forests. It is one of the largest pieces of natural landscape in Louisiana, with some 604,000 acres (2,440 km2) of public land, more than half of which is vital longleaf pine and flatwoods vegetation. These support many rare plant and animal species. There are also rare habitats, such as hillside seepage bogs and calcareous prairies. The forest also contains and provides a buffer for the Kisatchie Hills Wilderness, a nationally designated wilderness area that contributes to protecting biodiversity of the coastal plain region of the United States.
The George Washington and Jefferson National Forests is an administrative entity combining two U.S. National Forests into one of the largest areas of public land in the Eastern United States. The forests cover 1.8 million acres (2,800 sq mi) of land in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky. Approximately 1 million acres (1,600 sq mi) of the forest are remote and undeveloped and 139,461 acres (218 sq mi) have been designated as wilderness areas, which prohibits future development.
The protected areas of Michigan come in an array of different types and levels of protection. Michigan has five units of the National Park Service system. There are 14 federal wilderness areas; the majority of these are also tribal-designated wildernesses. It has one of the largest state forest systems as well having four national forests. The state maintains a large state park system and there are also regional parks, and county, township and city parks. Still other parks on land and in the Great Lakes are maintained by other governmental bodies. Private protected areas also exist in the state, mainly lands owned by land conservancies.
The Finger Lakes National Forest is a United States National Forest that encompasses 16,259 acres (65.80 km2) of Seneca and Schuyler counties, nestled between Seneca Lake and Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes Region of the State of New York. It has over 30 miles (50 km) of interconnecting trails that traverse gorges, ravines, pastures, and woodlands.
The Chattahoochee–Oconee National Forest in northern Georgia comprises two United States National Forests, the Oconee National Forest in eastern Georgia and the Chattahoochee National Forest located in the North Georgia Mountains. The Chattahoochee National Forest is composed of an eastern and western forest. The western forest contains Johns Mountain, Little Sand Mountain, and Taylor Ridge (Georgia). The combined total area of the Chattahoochee–Oconee National Forest is 867,265 acres (3,510 km2), of which the Chattahoochee National Forest comprises 751,069 acres (3,039 km2) and the Oconee National Forest comprises 116,196 acres (470 km2). The county with the largest portion of the eastern forest is Rabun County, Georgia, which has 148,684 acres (601.7 km2) within its boundaries.
Ashley National Forest is a National Forest located in northeastern Utah and southwestern Wyoming. Within the Forest's bounds are 1,382,346 acres (5,594 km2) of vast forests, lakes, and mountains, with elevations ranging from 6,000 to 13,500 feet. The forest covers portions of Daggett, Duchesne, Summit, Uintah, and Utah counties in Utah and Sweetwater County in Wyoming. Some of the most popular landmarks located in the forest include the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area and the Uinta Mountains, which contains the highest mountain peak in Utah. The forest also includes 276,175 acres (1,117.64 km2), or about 60.5%, of the High Uintas Wilderness. The headquarters for the Ashley National Forest are located in Vernal, Utah with ranger district offices in Vernal; Duchesne, Utah; Roosevelt, Utah; Manila, Utah; and Green River, Wyoming.
The Idaho Panhandle National Forests are a jointly administered set of three national forests located mostly in the U.S. state of Idaho. In 1973, major portions of the Kaniksu, Coeur d'Alene, and St. Joe National Forests were combined to be administratively managed as the Idaho Panhandle National Forests (IPNF). The IPNF consists of more than 2.5 million acres (10,000 km2) of public lands in the panhandle of north Idaho, with small areas extending into eastern Washington (4.7%) and western Montana (1.2%). The northernmost portion of the IPNF share a boundary with Canada. The Forest Supervisor's office is located in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho with district office's in Bonners Ferry, Sandpoint, Priest River, Fernan and Smelterville, and St. Maries and Avery.
Carson National Forest is a national forest in northern New Mexico, United States. It encompasses 6,070 square kilometers and is administered by the United States Forest Service. The Forest Service's "mixed use" policy allows for its use for recreation, grazing, and resource extraction.
The Sam Houston National Forest, one of four National Forests in Texas, is located 50 miles north of Houston. The forest is administered together with the other three United States National Forests and two National Grasslands located entirely in Texas, from common offices in Lufkin, Texas. The units include Angelina, Davy Crockett, Sabine, and Sam Houston National Forests, plus Caddo National Grassland and Lyndon B. Johnson National Grassland. There are local ranger district offices located in New Waverly. It is located in portions of three Texas counties including Montgomery, San Jacinto, and Walker.
The Umatilla National Forest, in the Blue Mountains of northeast Oregon and southeast Washington, covers an area of 1.4 million acres (5,700 km2). In descending order of land area the forest is located in parts of Umatilla, Grant, Columbia, Morrow, Wallowa, Union, Garfield, Asotin, Wheeler, and Walla Walla counties. More than three-quarters of the forest lies in the state of Oregon. Forest headquarters are located in Pendleton, Oregon. There are local ranger district offices in Heppner and Ukiah in Oregon, and in Pomeroy and Walla Walla in Washington.
According to the California Protected Areas Database (CPAD), in the state of California, United States, there are over 14,000 inventoried protected areas administered by public agencies and non-profits. In addition, there are private conservation areas and other easements. They include almost one-third of California's scenic coastline, including coastal wetlands, estuaries, beaches, and dune systems. The California State Parks system alone has 270 units and covers 1.3 million acres (5,300 km2), with over 280 miles (450 km) of coastline, 625 miles (1,006 km) of lake and river frontage, nearly 18,000 campsites, and 3,000 miles (5,000 km) of hiking, biking, and equestrian trails.
The Snow Mountain Wilderness is a 60,076-acre (243.12 km2) federally designated wilderness area located 65 miles (105 km) north of Santa Rosa, California, USA in the Mendocino National Forest. The U.S. Congress passed the California Wilderness Act of 1984 which created 23 new wilderness areas including Snow Mountain. It lies within the North Coast Range of mountains.
The Mokelumne Wilderness is a 105,165-acre federally designated wilderness area located 70 miles (110 km) east of Sacramento, California. It is within the boundaries of three national forests: Stanislaus, Eldorado and Toiyabe. First protected under the Wilderness Act of 1964, the Mokelumne's borders were expanded under the California Wilderness Act of 1984 with the addition of 55,000 acres. The wilderness takes its name from the Mokelumne River, which was named after a Mi-wok Indian village located on the riverbank in California's Central Valley.
Ramsey's Draft Wilderness is a designated wilderness area in the North River Ranger District of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests of Virginia in the United States. The wilderness area was established in 1984 and comprises 6,518 acres (26.38 km2). It is administered by the US Forest Service.
Calvin Coolidge State Forest, also known as Coolidge State Forest, covers 22,564 acres (91.31 km2) in two parts in Rutland and Windsor counties in Vermont. The West portion cover 17,259 acres (69.84 km2) in Killington, Mendon, Plymouth and Shrewsbury in both counties. The East portion cover 5,305 acres (21.47 km2) in Bridgewater, Plymouth, Reading, and Woodstock in Windsor County.
Mount Mansfield State Forest covers 44,444 acres (179.86 km2) in seven towns in Chittenden, Lamoille and Washington counties in Vermont. The towns are Bolton and Underhill in Chittenden County, Cambridge, Johnson, Morristown and Stowe in Lamoille County, and Waterbury in Washington County. Mt. Mansfield State Forest is the largest contiguous landholding owned by the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation.