Bitterroot National Forest
| Bitterroot National Forest | |
|---|---|
| IUCN Category VI (Managed Resource Protected Area) | |
  | |
| Location: | Ravalli and Missoula counties in Montana; Idaho County in Idaho, USA |
| Nearest city: | Missoula, MT |
| Area: | 1.6 million acres (6,500 km²) |
| Established: | 1907 |
| Governing body: | U.S. Forest Service |
Bitterroot National Forest comprises 1.6 million acres (6,500 km²) in west-central Montana and eastern Idaho, of the United States.
Founded in 1898, the forest is located in the Bitterroot and the Sapphire mountain ranges with elevations ranging from 2,200 feet (650 m) along the Salmon River in Idaho to 10,157-foot (3,100-m) Trapper Peak. Roughly half the forest (743,000 acres, 3,000 km²) make up part or all of three distinct wilderness areas. These areas include the Anaconda-Pintler, Selway-Bitterroot, and Frank Church River of No Return Wildernesses. The distinction is that in wilderness areas, no roads, logging, mining, or other construction is permitted and all access must be done either on foot or horseback; even bicycles are not permitted. Hunting, however, is allowed forest-wide, including wilderness areas.
Composition
The forest is a combination of both grasslands and forested zones. Grazing rights are leased to private landowners in the lower altitudes where grasses and shrublands are dominant. Higher up, Douglas fir, larch, and lodgepole pine slowly give way to Engelmann Spruce and whitebark pine as the altitude increases. Above the treeline at 8,000 feet (2,400 m) the trees abruptly end and alpine flowers and grasses are found. A small grizzly bear population is located in the wilderness zones of the forest with black bear, mountain goat, bighorn sheep, elk and moose found forestwide. An active effort to reintroduce the grizzly bear to the region concluded in 2000 with a plan to release 25 bears into the wilderness zones over a five year period beginning in 2003.[1]
There are 1,600 mi (2,500 km) of trails and 18 improved campgrounds within the forest. Outstanding fishing is found in the dozens of rivers and streams and lakes. The forest headquarters is located in Hamilton, Montana. The largest nearby city is Missoula, Montana. The scenic Blodgett Canyon is but one of many steep canyons located in the forest. U.S. Highway 93 passes through portions of the forest.
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- ↑ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Record of Decision and Final Rule for Grizzly Bear Recovery in the Bitterroot. Retrieved 2006-07-08.
External links
- Bitterroot National Forest - U.S. Forest Service
- USGS Gird Point (MT) Topo Map - TopoQuest.com
- Bitterroot National Forest Recreation
Credits
New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:
The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:
Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.
