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| − | {{Infobox_protected_area | name = Superior National Forest
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| − | | iucn_category = VI
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| − | | image = US_Locator_Blank.svg
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| − | | caption =
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| − | | locator_x = 165
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| − | | locator_y = 25
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| − | | location = [[St. Louis County, Minnesota|St. Louis]], [[Lake County, Minnesota|Lake]], and [[Cook County, Minnesota|Cook]] counties, [[Minnesota]], [[United States|USA]]
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| − | | nearest_city = Several
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| − | | lat_degrees = 47
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| − | | lat_minutes = 54
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| − | | lat_seconds = 10
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| − | | lat_direction = N
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| − | | long_degrees = 91
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| − | | long_minutes = 51
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| − | | long_seconds = 12
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| − | | long_direction = W
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| − | | area = 3,900,000 acres (6,100 mi² or 16,000 km²)
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| − | | established = 1909
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| − | | visitation_num =
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| − | | visitation_year =
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| − | | governing_body = [[United States Forest Service|U.S. Forest Service]]
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| − | }}
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| − | [[Image:Northern Minnesota Parks map.gif|right|thumb|Location of the forest]]
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| − | '''Superior National Forest''', part of the [[United States National Forest]] system, is located in the [[Arrowhead Region]] of the [[U.S. State|state]] of [[Minnesota]] between the [[Canada – United States border]] and the [[North Shore (Lake Superior)|north shore]] of [[Lake Superior]]. The area is part of the greater [[Boundary Waters]] region along the border of Minnesota and the [[Canadian province]] of [[Ontario]], a historic and important thoroughfare in the [[fur trade|fur trading]] and exploring days of [[British North America]].
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| − | Under the administration of the [[United States Forest Service]], the Superior National Forest comprises over 3,900,000 acres (6,100 mi² or 16,000 km²) of woods and waters. The majority of the forest is multiple-use, including both logging and recreational activities such as camping, boating, and fishing. Slightly over a quarter of the forest however is set aside as a wilderness reserve known as the [[Boundary Waters Canoe Area]] (BWCA), where [[canoe]]rs can travel along interconnected lakes and rivers and over historic [[portage]]s once used by the [[First Nations]] and later by European explorers and traders.
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| − | ==Location==
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| − | The National Forest is headquartered in [[Duluth, Minnesota|Duluth]], which is approximately 150 miles from the [[Minneapolis-St. Paul|Twin Cities]] of [[Minneapolis, MN|Minneapolis]] and [[St. Paul, Minnesota|St. Paul]], but the forest actually begins about 50 miles (80 km) north of Duluth. The forest service office at [[Ely, Minnesota|Ely]] is the most centrally located station within the forest; Ely is about 240 miles (385 km) from the [[Minneapolis-St. Paul|Twin Cities]] and 110 miles (175 km) from [[Duluth, Minnesota|Duluth]].
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| − | ==Landforms==
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| − | The forest covers 3.9 million acres (6,100 mi² or 16,000 km²), and has over 445,000 acres (1,800 km²) of water.<ref name = 10most>{{cite web
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| − | | title = America's 10 Most Endangered National Forests
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| − | | work = Report
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| − | | publisher = National Forest Protection Alliance
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| − | | date =
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| − | | url = http://www.forestadvocate.org/pdf/10_most_endangered1.pdf
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| − | | accessdate = 2007-03-07}}</ref> Its waters include some 2000 lakes and rivers,<ref name = recreation/> more than 1,300 miles (2,100 km) of cold water streams, and 950 miles (1,530 km) of warm water streams.<ref name = about>{{cite web
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| − | | title = Superior National Forest: About Us
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| − | | work =
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| − | | publisher = USDA Forest Service
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| − | | date = 2007-02-20
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| − | | url = http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/superior/about/
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| − | | accessdate = 2007-03-07}}</ref> Many of the lakes are located in depressions formed by the diffential erosion of tilted layers of bedded rock; these depressions were given their final form by [[Glacier#Glacial_erosion|glacial scouring]] during recent [[ice age]]s.<ref name = MnGeol>{{Citation
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| − | | last = Ojakangas
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| − | | first = Richard
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| − | | last2 = Matsch
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| − | | first2 = Charles
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| − | | title = Minnesota's Geology
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| − | | place= Minneapolis
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| − | | publisher = University of Minnesota Press
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| − | | year = 1982
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| − | | id = ISBN 0-8166-0953-5}}</ref>
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| − | [[Image:View from Eagle Mountain Minnesota.jpg|thumb|left|This view from [[Eagle Mountain (Minnesota)|Eagle Mountain]], the state's highest point, shows features of a [[peneplain]]; even in this area of significant local relief, the distant horizon is relatively flat.<ref name = MnGeol/>]]
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| − | The forest is located on part of the [[Canadian Shield]]. The area is on a low plateau which is part of the [[Superior Upland]]. High points include the [[Sawtooth Mountains (Minnesota)|Sawtooth Mountains]], a range of hills along the shore of [[Lake Superior]], the [[Misquah Hills]] including [[Eagle Mountain (Minnesota)|Eagle Mountain]], the state's highest point, and other uplands along the [[Laurentian Divide]] separating the [[Drainage basin|watershed]] of the [[Great Lakes]] and [[Atlantic Ocean]] from that of [[Hudson Bay]] and the [[Arctic Ocean]]. Despite the presence of dramatic cliffs and other local differences in elevation, the area is essentially flat, as it is part of an old [[peneplain]] eroded by weathering, water, and especially glaciers.
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| − | The principal surficial result of recent glaciation is not the deposition of glacial drift (unlike most of the rest of the state), but the remodeling of the landscape by the scraping away of softer surfaces down to bare hard rock. The land therefore is raw, with many outcroppings of ancient bedrock, overlain in places by thin layers of gravelly soil and, in the west, silts deposited by [[Glacial Lake Agassiz]].<ref name = MnGeol/>
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| − | In June 2008, legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives to sell {{convert|6700|acre|km2}} of land in the forest to a mining company; the company wants the land to mine deposits of "copper, nickel, platinum and palladium".<ref name = mining>{{cite web
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| − | | title = Oberstar offers bill to sell Superior Nat'l Forest land to mining company
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| − | | work = Report
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| − | | publisher = The Associated Press
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| − | | date = 2008-06-06
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| − | | url = http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/06/06/superior_national_forest_mining_land/
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| − | | accessdate = 2008-06-06}}</ref> <br clear="all" />
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| − | ==Life forms==
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| − | ===Flora===
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| − | The forest contains both true boreal forest ([[taiga]]), and a mixed conifer-hardwood forest known as the [[North Woods]], a transition province between the northern boreal forest and deciduous forests to the south.<ref>{{cite web
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| − | | last = Gibbon
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| − | | first = Guy E.
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| − | | coauthors = Johnson, Craig M., and Hobbes, Elizabeth
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| − | | title = Chapter 3: Minnesota's Environment and Native American Culture History
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| − | | work = A Predictive Model of Precontact Archaeological Site Location for The State of Minnesota
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| − | | publisher = Minnesota Department of Transportation
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| − | | date = 2000
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| − | | url = http://www.mnmodel.dot.state.mn.us/chapters/chapter3.htm#ch321
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| − | | accessdate = 2007-07-08 }}</ref> [[coniferous|Conifers]] include several varieties of [[pine]], [[fir]], and [[spruce]] trees, principal [[deciduous]] species are [[Sorbus|mountain ash]], [[maple]], [[Populus tremuloides|aspen]], [[oak]], and [[paper birch]] are also common.<ref name = Heinselman>{{Citation
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| − | | last = Heinselman
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| − | | first = Miron
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| − | | title = The Boundary Waters Wilderness ecosystem
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| − | | place= Minneapolis
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| − | | publisher = University of Minnesota Press
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| − | | year = 1996
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| − | | page = 16-31
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| − | | id = ISBN 0-8166-2804-1}}.</ref> Characteristic aquatic plants include [[Nelumbo lutea|water lilies]] and [[wild rice]].
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| − | ===Fauna===
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| − | Fish species such as [[walleye]], [[northern pike]], [[smallmouth bass]], [[lake trout]], [[brook trout]], [[rainbow trout]], and [[brown trout]] can be found in abundance in the forest's waters. Larger wildlife species include [[White-tailed Deer|white-tailed deer]], [[moose]], [[Canadian Lynx]], [[American black bear]], and the gray or [[gray wolf|timber wolf]]. Northern Minnesota has the largest population of gray wolves in the lower 48 states, with approximately 300-400 wolves within the boundaries of the Superior National Forest.<ref name = wildlife>{{cite web
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| − | | title = Superior National Forest wildlife
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| − | | work =
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| − | | publisher = USDA Forest Service
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| − | | date = 2007-01-16
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| − | | url = http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/superior/about/wildlifeintro.htm
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| − | | accessdate = 2007-03-07}}</ref> Located at the northern edge of the range of the [[hummingbird]] and near the southern edge of the range of the [[Canada Jay]], the forest has 163 nesting species of birds, the largest number of any national forest.<ref name = recreation>{{cite web
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| − | | title = Superior National Forest recreation
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| − | | work =
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| − | | publisher = USDA Forest Service
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| − | | date = 2007-01-16
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| − | | url = http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/superior/recreation/
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| − | | accessdate = 2007-03-07}}</ref> Species include the [[Bald Eagle]] and other [[Bird of prey|raptors]], the ubiquitous [[common loon]], and northern [[waterfowl]].
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| − | ==See also==
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| − | * [[List of U.S. national forests]]
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| − | * [[Chippewa National Forest]]
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| − | * [[List of Minnesota trees]]
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| − | * [[List of U.S. Wilderness Areas]]
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| − | * [[International Boundary Waters Treaty]]
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| − | * [http://www.bwcawiki.org The BWCAWiki]
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| − |
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| − | == References ==
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| − | ===Cited references===
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| − | {{reflist}}
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| − | ===General references===
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| − | * [http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/superior Website of the Superior National Forest]
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| − | * [http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/superior/about/history/index.php History of the Superior National Forest]
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| − | * [http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/superior/maps/forest_map.pdf A map of The forest]
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| − | ''Parts of this article were taken from the [[United States Forest Service|Forest Service]] website. As a [[Work of the United States Government|work]] of the [[U.S. federal government]], the text is in the [[public domain]].''
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| − | [[Category:United States]]
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| − | [[Category:Geography]]
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| − | {{Credit|245051459}}
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