The Ouachita National Forest is a vast congressionally-designated National Forest that lies in the western portion of Arkansas and portions of extreme-eastern Oklahoma , USA.
93-600: The Ouachita National Forest is the oldest National Forest in the southern United States. The forest encompasses 1,784,457 acres (7,221 km), including most of the scenic Ouachita Mountain Range . Six locations in the forest, comprising 65,000 acres (263 km), have been congressionally-designated as wilderness areas. Ouachita is the French spelling of the Indian word Washita , which means "good hunting grounds". The forest
186-602: A Trump administration decision to lift restrictions on logging and road-building, the Biden administration announced on 15 July 2021 that it would end large-scale, old-growth timber sales in the Tongass National Forest. Forest restoration , recreation and other non-commercial uses will instead be the focus. The new rules would still allow for smaller timber sales, including some old-growth trees, for cultural uses by local communities. The most contested logging in
279-639: A dining hall, a recreation hall and accessible flush toilets and showers. In the Oklahoma section of the forest, the 26,445-acre (107 km) Winding Stair Mountain National Recreation Area and six other designated areas offer visitors a full range of activities with more than 150 campsites, a 90-acre (36 ha) lake and an equestrian camp. Southeast of Idabel, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation manages
372-637: A few broad valleys. Logging is not nearly as intensive as in the commercial pine plantations of the less rugged Athens Plateau. Nutrient, mineral, and biochemical water quality parameter concentrations are low in the surface waters of the Fourche range, but turbidity can be higher than in other mountainous parts of the Ouachitas. Although most streams stop flowing during the driest part of the summer, enduring deep pools, high quality habitat, and good water quality allow sensitive aquatic species to survive through
465-664: A for profit corporation, created a huge controversy in South East Alaska. A study released by Audubon Alaska on 22 February 2012 showed that the Sealaska selection of the largest trees in areas designated in S 730 and HR 1408 is 1200 percent greater than the occurrence of these trees in the Tongass as a whole. There is strong opposition to passage of S 881 coming from seven communities in the Tongass, most on Prince of Wales Island. In addition, there are fears expressed by
558-735: A general sense, the Ouachitas are considered an anticlinorium because the oldest known rocks are located towards the center of the outcrop area. The Ouachitas continue in the subsurface to the Black Warrior Basin of Alabama and Mississippi where they plunge towards the Appalachian Mountains . To the southwest, the Ouachitas join with the Marathon area of west Texas where rocks of the Ouachita Fold and Thrust Belt are briefly exposed. Unlike many ranges in
651-718: A major physiographic province of Arkansas and Oklahoma and are generally grouped with the Arkansas River Valley . Together with the Ozark Plateaus , the Ouachitas form the U.S. Interior Highlands , one of few mountainous regions between the Appalachians and Rockies . The Ouachitas are dominated by pine, oak, and hickory. The shortleaf pine ( Pinus echinata ) and post oak ( Quercus stellata ) thrive in dry, nutrient-poor soil and are common in upland areas. The maple-leaf oak ( Quercus acerifolia )
744-488: A number of hiking , mountain biking and horseback riding trails. The most extensive hiking trail is the Ouachita National Recreation Trail , which traverses 223 miles (359 km) across the region. This is a well-maintained backpacking, hiking trail with overnight shelters in several portions of the trail. Mountain biking is also allowed for some sections of the trail. Camp Clearfork
837-528: A phase-out of old-growth harvesting, to be replaced by rotation harvesting of managed second-growth forests . The World Wildlife Fund locates it in their Pacific temperate rain forest 'WWF ecoregion', a geographical area. There are 19 designated wilderness areas within the Tongass National Forest, more than in any other national forest. They contain over 5,750,000 acres (23,300 km ) of territory, also more than any other. From largest to smallest, they are: There are three other wilderness areas within
930-625: A series of low relief ridges, none exceeding 1,000 feet (300 m). It is located south of the Ouachitas and extends to the Arkansas-Oklahoma border. The Athens Piedmont runs from Arkadelphia, Arkansas into Oklahoma through Clark , Howard , Pike , and Sevier counties in Arkansas and McCurtain County in Oklahoma. The ecoregion's low ridges and hills are widely underlain by Mississippian Stanley Shale in contrast to other parts of
1023-720: A slightly modified version of the Sealaska Bill and Representative Don Young introduced a companion bill (S 730 and HR 1408). While HR 1408 was passed out of the Natural Resources Committee, S 730 remains in the Natural Resources Committee of the Senate. Known as the Sealaska Lands Bill, the removal of 91,000 acres from the regulatory protections of the USFS and transfer of the land to Sealaska,
SECTION 10
#17327728299201116-505: A statement, Forest Service officials said the new plan would be subject to public comment for 60 days. The Forest Service removed most of the Tongass National Forest from roadless area designation in October 2020, allowing road construction and logging in more than 9.3 million acres of rainforest. Clear-cut lands lose the carbon sink of old-growth forest , habitat for wildlife, and soil stability, causing landslides. In June 2021,
1209-569: Is Mount Magazine at 2,753 feet (839 m). The Ouachita Mountains is a Level III ecoregion designated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The region has been subdivided into six Level IV ecoregions . Louis R. Harlan claimed that "Ouachita" is composed of the Choctaw words ouac for "bison" and chito for "large", together meaning "country of large bison". At one time, herds of bison inhabited
1302-403: Is Rich Mountain at 2,681 feet (817 m), which intersects the Arkansas-Oklahoma border near Mena, Arkansas . The Fourche Mountains are the archetypal Ouachita Mountains. Forested ridges are heavily forested with oak–hickory–pine forest; intervening valleys are cut into shale. Ridges are longer, habitat continuity is greater, the lithologic mosaic is different, and the topographic orientation
1395-688: Is temperate rain forest and is remote enough to be home to many species of endangered and rare flora and fauna. The Tongass, which is managed by the United States Forest Service , encompasses islands of the Alexander Archipelago , fjords and glaciers , and peaks of the Coast Mountains . An international border with Canada ( British Columbia ) runs along the crest of the Boundary Ranges of
1488-508: Is Alaska's largest National Forest. Alaska Wilderness League describes the Tongass as "one of the last remaining intact temperate rainforests in the world". 70,000 people inhabit the region. While the timber industry dominated the economy for a long time, the region has transitioned into "non-timber... [sources of revenue] such as recreation, subsistence food, salmon, scientific use, and carbon sequestration [which] contributes more than $ 2 billion" annually. Tourism supports over 10,000 jobs in
1581-545: Is Earth's largest remaining temperate rainforest. The terrain underlying the forest is divided between karst ( limestone rock, well-drained soil, and many caves) and granite (poorly drained soil). Unique and protected creatures seldom found anywhere else in North America inhabit the thousands of islands along the Alaska coast. Five species of salmon , brown and black bears , and bald eagles abound throughout
1674-633: Is Raspberry Mountain at 2,358 feet (719 m). The headwaters of multiple rivers are found in this area, including the Caddo , Cossatot , and Little Missouri rivers. The Cross Mountains are located in Polk and Sevier counties, Arkansas and McCurtain County, Oklahoma . The highest natural point is Whiskey Peak at 1,670 feet (510 m). The Crystal Mountains are located primarily in Montgomery County, Arkansas . They are so named because of
1767-593: Is also the highest natural point of the Ouachitas and U.S. Interior Highlands . The Frontal Ouachita Mountains are structurally quite different from the rest of the Ouachitas and are sometimes considered a separate range. The Trap Mountains are located primarily in Garland and Hot Spring counties, Arkansas . The highest natural point is Trap Mountain at 1,310 feet (400 m). The Zig Zag Mountains are located in Garland County, Arkansas , and are home to
1860-553: Is found at only four sites worldwide, all of which are in the Ouachitas. Some native tree species, such as the eastern red-cedar ( Juniperus virginiana ), are colonizers of human-disturbed sites. The Ouachita National Forest covers approximately 1.8 million acres of the Ouachitas. It is one of the largest and oldest national forests in the Southern U.S. , created through an executive order by President Theodore Roosevelt on December 18, 1907. There are six wilderness areas within
1953-494: Is huge, about 40% of the Tongass is composed of wetlands, snow, ice, rock, and non-forest vegetation, while the remaining 10 million acres (40,000 km ) are forested. About 5 million acres (20,000 km ) are considered "productive old-growth", and 4,500,000 acres (18,000 km ) of those are preserved as wilderness areas. Historically, logging operations tended to concentrate on lower-elevation, bigger-tree ecosystems for harvesting; at present, approximately 78% of
SECTION 20
#17327728299202046-467: Is located solely in Oklahoma. The 14,290-acre (57.8 km) Caney Creek Wilderness is located in the southwestern part of the forest in Arkansas. It is known for its rare Appalachian mixed mesophytic forest biome and high levels of biodiversity, as well as rare reserves of moist-hardwood old growth forest. The 11,141-acre (45.1 km) Poteau Mountain Wilderness is located in the north-central range of
2139-498: Is more consistent than in other parts of the Ouachitas. Differences in moisture and temperature between north- and south-facing slopes significantly influence native plant communities; they are products of the prevailing topographic trend. Forests on steep, north-facing slopes are more mesic than on southern aspects; the steepest, south-facing slopes contain shallow, moisture deficient soils supporting shrubs and rocky glades or grassy woodlands. Pastureland and hayland are restricted to
2232-635: Is now the city of Ketchikan . The Tongass includes parts of the Northern Pacific coastal forests and Pacific Coastal Mountain icefields and tundra ecoregions. Along with the Central and North Coast regions of British Columbia designated as the Great Bear Rainforest , the Tongass is part of the "perhumid rainforest zone", and the forest is primarily made up of western red cedar , sitka spruce , and western hemlock . The Tongass
2325-577: The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (ANCSA). This Act conveyed approximately 44,000,000 acres (180,000 km ) of federal land in Alaska to private native corporations which were created under the ANCSA. 632,000 acres (2,560 km ) of those lands were hand-picked old growth areas of the Tongass National Forest and are still surrounded by public National Forest land. These lands are now privately held and under
2418-606: The Alaska Treaty of Cessation between Russia and the United States did not extinguish aboriginal title to the land, and that the creation of the Tongass National Forest constituted a taking of land from the Tlingit and Haida. The case was finally settled in 1968 with a $ 7.5 million payment that valued the Tongass at about 43 cents an acre. The value was based on land value at the time of the taking in 1902, without
2511-734: The Glacier Bay Wilderness and a small part of the Wrangell-Saint Elias Wilderness , which are both administered by the National Park Service . The Tongass National Forest offers recreation opportunities, some of which are found only in Alaska. The forest has close to one million visitors each year. Most come by cruise ships arriving through the Inside Passage of Southeast Alaska. The Forest Service provides visitor programs at
2604-675: The Joe Biden administration revealed its intent to "repeal or replace" Trump's removal of roadless designation. According to Matt Herrick, spokesman for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) under Biden, "We [the USDA] recognize the vital role the forest and its inventoried roadless areas play in communities, and in the economy and culture of southeast Alaska, as well as for climate resilience ." The Biden administration planned to formally publish its intent to revise
2697-723: The Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center in Juneau and the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center in Ketchikan. The Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center, built in 1962, was the first Forest Service visitor center in the nation. The forest interpretive program on the state ferries began in the summer of 1968, and was the longest-running naturalist program in the agency until ending in 2013. Native corporation lands are those designated by
2790-537: The National Forest Management Act . Over half the old growth timber was removed there by the mid 1990s. The battle for buffer strips, to protect salmon streams from logging, which began in the Zieske v Butz lawsuit, continued through comments submitted to the major US Forest Service Environmental Impact Statements issued in subsequent five-year intervals starting in 1979, and continuing in
2883-788: The Ouachita National Forest , which are protected areas designed to minimize the impacts of human activities. Several plants are endemic to the Ouachitas, including: Agalinis nuttallii , Cardamine angustata var. ouachitana , Carex latebracteata , Galium arkansanum var. pubifolium , Houstonia ouachitana , Hydrophyllum brownei , Liatris compacta , Quercus acerifolia , Polymnia cossatotensis , Solidago ouachitensis , Spiranthes niklasii (near endemic, also found on Crowley's Ridge ), Streptanthus maculatus subsp. obtusifolius , Streptanthus squamiformis , Valerianella palmerii , and Vernonia lettermanii . Bison and elk once found habitat in
Ouachita National Forest - Misplaced Pages Continue
2976-669: The Ouachita National Recreation Trail , a 223-mile-long (359 km) hiking trail through the heart of the mountains. The trail runs from Talimena State Park in Oklahoma to Pinnacle Mountain State Park near Little Rock . It is a well maintained, premier trail for hikers, backpackers, and mountain bikers (for only selected parts of the trail). The Talimena Scenic Drive begins at Mena , and traverses 54 miles (87 km) of Winding Stair and Rich Mountains, long narrow east-west ridges which extend into Oklahoma. Rich Mountain reaches an elevation of 2,681 feet (817 m) in Arkansas near
3069-602: The Point Baker Association led by Alan Stein, Chuck Zieske and Herb Zieske. Federal District Court judge James von der Heydt ruled in their favor in December 1975 and March 1976, enjoining clearcutting of over 150 square miles (390 km ) of the north end of Prince of Wales Island. The suit threatened to halt clearcutting in the United States. In 1976, Congress removed the Zieske injunction in passing
3162-491: The United States , the Ouachitas are mostly east-west trending. They are unique because metamorphism and volcanism , features that are common in orogenic belts, are notably absent (with the exception of some low-grade metamorphism ). Due to the high degree of folding and faulting, the Ouachitas are clustered into distinct subranges, with ridges separated by relatively broad valleys. The Ouachitas are known for some of
3255-423: The "Takus" can affect the structure of some stands and often cause single-tree blow-downs. Of all the old growth in the forest, no more than 11% of the remaining area will ever be harvested. Of the 5,700,000 acres (23,000 km ) of "productive old-growth" in the forest, 676,000 acres (2,740 km ), or 12% of the total old-growth, are slated for harvest over the next 10 years. Current harvesting plans call for
3348-700: The 1988 EIS. In 1990, a Federal District Court in Alaska, in a case called Stein v Barton , held the US Forest Service had to protect all salmon streams in the Tongass with buffer strips. One of the claims in Stein v Barton for protection of the Salmon Bay Watershed was partially enacted into law when Congress Passed the Tongass Timber Reform Act; environmental lobbyists had compromised with Senator Ted Stevens leaving
3441-943: The Alaska Panhandle region that are not part of the Tongass National Forest, but are administered by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge . From largest to smallest they are the Forrester Island Wilderness , the Saint Lazaria Wilderness , and the Hazy Islands Wilderness . Also in Southeast Alaska, but not in the Tongass National Forest, are
3534-641: The Coast Mountains. The forest is administered from Forest Service offices in Ketchikan . There are local ranger district offices located in Craig , Hoonah , Juneau , Ketchikan , Petersburg , Sitka , Thorne Bay , Wrangell , and Yakutat . The Alexander Archipelago Forest Reserve was established by Theodore Roosevelt in a presidential proclamation of 20 August 1902. Another presidential proclamation made by Roosevelt, on 10 September 1907, created
3627-502: The Forest Service also conducts NEPA analyses, layout, and administrative operations to support these sales, and as such, the government does not make a profit overall. Given the guaranteed low prices during contract days and the continued high cost of logging in Southeast Alaska today, one analysis concludes that, since 1980, the Forest Service has lost over one billion dollars in Tongass timber sales . Logging operations are not
3720-403: The Forest Service then cancelled the remainders of the two 50-year timber contracts. In 2003, an appropriations bill rider required that all timber sales in the Tongass must be positive sales, meaning no sales could be sold that undervalued the "stumpage" rate, or the value of the trees as established by the marketplace (2008 Appropriations Bill P.L. 110–161, H. Rept. 110–497, Sec. 411). However,
3813-561: The Forest Service.'" While the Forest Service may reevaluate its approach to roadless area management in the Tongass, it must comply with the requirements of the APA [the federal Administrative Procedures Act] in doing so. In October 2019, the Trump administration instructed federal officials to reverse the limits of tree cutting at the request of Alaska's top elected officials, including Senator Lisa Murkowski and Governor Michael J. Dunleavy. In
Ouachita National Forest - Misplaced Pages Continue
3906-595: The National Forest system. The giant Tongass National Forest in Alaska is second with nine ranger district divisions. Ouachita Mountains The Ouachita Mountains ( / ˈ w ɒ ʃ ɪ t ɔː / ), simply referred to as the Ouachitas , are a mountain range in western Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma . They are formed by a thick succession of highly deformed Paleozoic strata constituting
3999-556: The Oklahoma border. The two lane winding road is similar in routing, construction, and scenery to the Blue Ridge Parkway of the Appalachian Mountains . Tongass National Forest The Tongass National Forest ( / ˈ t ɒ ŋ ɡ ə s / ) in Southeast Alaska is the largest U.S. National Forest at 16.7 million acres (26,100 sq mi; 6,800,000 ha; 68,000 km ). Most of its area
4092-479: The Ouachita Fold and Thrust Belt, one of the important orogenic belts of North America . The Ouachitas continue in the subsurface to the northeast, where they make a poorly understood connection with the Appalachians and to the southwest, where they join with the Marathon uplift area of West Texas . Together with the Ozark Plateaus , the Ouachitas form the U.S. Interior Highlands . The highest natural point
4185-508: The Ouachita Mountains, but have since been extirpated. Today, there are large populations of white-tailed deer , coyote , and other common temperate forest animals. Though elusive, hundreds of black bear roam the Ouachitas. Several cryptic species of salamander are endemic to the Ouachitas and have traits that vary from one locale to another. The Athens Plateau or Athens Piedmont (EPA Level IV ecoregion 36a) consists of
4278-627: The Ouachita mountains in Arkansas. The 6,301-acre (25.5 km) Dry Creek Wilderness is located in the north-central ranges of the Ouachita Mountains near Magazine Mountain . It is the state's second-smallest wilderness is known for scenic overlooks and high, secluded sandstone bluffs. The 10,181-acre (41.2 km) Flatside Wilderness is located in the extreme-eastern segment of the Ouachita National Forest, near Lake Maumelle and Little Rock. This rarely-visited wilderness has some of
4371-560: The Ouachitas are as follows (in order of ascending age). The mountains were home to the Ouachita tribe , for which they were named. Later French explorers translated the name to its present spelling. The first recorded exploration was in 1541 by Hernando de Soto . Later, in 1804, President Jefferson sent William Dunbar and Dr. George Hunter to the area after the Louisiana Purchase . Hot Springs National Park became one of
4464-431: The Ouachitas were deposited in a narrow, two-sided basin called the Ouachita Trough, which formed as part of a Cambrian failed rift system. Succeeding Pennsylvanian strata of the Ouachitas were deposited in a foreland basin during the early stages of the Ouachita Orogeny . Subduction of the South American Plate beneath the North American Plate resulted in this mountain-building event. Compressional forces caused
4557-482: The Ouachitas. Today, pine plantations are widespread; they are far more extensive than in the more rugged parts of the Arkansas Ouachitas. Pastureland and hayland also occur. Cattle and broiler chickens are important farm products. The Caddo , Cossatot , and Missouri mountains are a high, compact group of mountains composed of the weather-resistant Arkansas Novaculite. They are located primarily in Montgomery and Polk counties, Arkansas. The highest natural point
4650-413: The Red Slough Wildlife Management Area, a 5,814 acres (23.53 km) wetland area donated to the USFS by The Conservation Fund in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Hunting (no lead shot) and fishing are allowed there. The area is also a destination for birdwatchers. Canoeing and fishing are popular activities on the Mountain Fork River , Caddo River , Little Missouri River and Ouachita River within
4743-479: The Tongass National Forest, killing all 111 people on board. After the creation of the Tongass National Forest, the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska formed to challenge the federal government's rights to the land in 1935. In Tlingit and Haida Indians of Alaska v. United States , the court found Alaskan natives held established aboriginal title by their "exclusive use and occupancy of that territory from time immemorial". The court found
SECTION 50
#17327728299204836-440: The Tongass National Forest, with about 10% being related to fishing activities. Three Alaska Native nations live in Southeast Alaska: the Tlingit , Haida , and Tsimshian . Thirty-one communities are located within the forest; the largest is Juneau , the state capital, with a population of 31,000. The forest is named for the Tongass group of the Tlingit people, who inhabited the southernmost areas of Southeast Alaska, near what
4929-454: The Tongass National Forest. On 1 July 1908, the two forests were joined, and the combined forest area encompassed most of Southeast Alaska . Further presidential proclamations of 16 February 1909 (in the last months of the Roosevelt administration) and 10 June, and in 1925 (by Calvin Coolidge ) expanded the Tongass. An early supervisor of the forest was William Alexander Langille. On September 4th, 1971, Alaska Airlines Flight 1866 crashed in
5022-501: The Tongass National Forest. The law's provisions cancelled a $ 40 million annual subsidy for timber harvest; established several new wilderness areas and closed others to logging; and required that future cutting under the 50-year pulp contracts be subject to environmental review and limitations on old-growth harvest. Alaska Pulp Corporation and Ketchikan Pulp Corporation claimed that the new restrictions made them uncompetitive and closed down their mills in 1993 and 1997, respectively, and
5115-549: The Tongass has involved the roadless areas . Southeast Alaska is an extensive landscape, with communities scattered across the archipelago on different islands, isolated from each other and the mainland road system. The road system that exists in the region is in place because of the resource extraction history in the region, primarily established by the Forest Service to enable timber harvest. Once in place, these roads serve to connect local communities and visitors to recreation, hunting, fishing, and subsistence opportunities long into
5208-427: The Trump-era rule by August 2021, with details of the plan being finalized in the following two years. In November 2021, the administration officially published a rule to restore roadless protections in the Tongass National Forest; The rule took effect in January 2023, restoring the 2001 roadless rule. Known by the U.S. Forest Service as the "crown jewel", the Tongass stretches across 17 million acres of land and
5301-441: The United States where the Haida ermine , a rare and endangered species of weasel , can be found; aside from here, the only other place on Earth where it is found is the Haida Gwaii archipelago in Canada . Of the three subspecies of the Haida ermine, one is found on Prince of Wales Island and the other is found on Suemez Island (both located within the Tongass), with the third being found on Haida Gwaii. Though its land area
5394-433: The amendment, said, "I am not opposed to logging when it's done on the timber company's dime… But in this case, they are using the American taxpayer to subsidize these 200 jobs at the tune of $ 200,000 per job. That just makes no sense." In July 2009, the Obama Administration approved clearcut logging on 381 acres (1.54 km ) in the remaining old growth forests of a Tongass National Forest roadless area. The timber sale
5487-508: The appropriations bill to block federally funded road building in Tongass National Forest. Proponents of the amendment said that the federal timber program in Tongass is a dead loss for taxpayers, costing some $ 30 million annually, and noted that the Forest Service faces an estimated $ 900 million road maintenance backlog in the forest. Supporters of the bipartisan amendment included the Republicans for Environmental Protection . Representative Steve Chabot , an Ohio Republican who sponsored
5580-412: The bounds of the forest. The Cossatot River , said to be the most difficult whitewater river between the Smoky and Rocky Mountains, also passes through the forest. Rockhounds frequent a geologic belt several miles wide containing high concentrations of very pure quartz crystals. Visitors and rock collectors are free to pick up loose crystals within the belt for personal use and may dig for quartz with
5673-402: The business interests of Native Regional Corporations and the personal interests of local Native and non-Native residents of Southeastern Alaska. Currently Sealaska, a native regional corporation created under the ANCSA is asking for an amendment to the Act that would distribute additional land to Alaskan Natives. When Sealaska was created, it was promised additional land that was unavailable at
SECTION 60
#17327728299205766-431: The crust to buckle, producing complex folds at all scale levels and several overturned sequences. The area of greatest deformation occurred in the Benton-Broken Bow Uplift, which extends from Benton, Arkansas to Broken Bow, Oklahoma . The total height of the Ouachitas is not known, though they may have exceeded 10,000 feet (3,000 m) (based loosely on geologic cross-sections). The terrain has been deeply eroded since
5859-439: The forest nearly became a 165,000-acre (670 km) national park during the 1920s, but a last-minute pocket veto by President Calvin Coolidge ended the effort. The bill had been pushed by U.S. Senator Joseph T. Robinson and U.S. Representative Otis Wingo , both Democrats , and State Representative Osro Cobb , then the only Republican in the Arkansas legislature. Cobb had been invited to meet with Coolidge before
5952-406: The forest type with the largest concentration of big trees—volume class 7—originally comprised only 4% of the forested portion of the Tongass, and over two-thirds of it has been logged. Other high-grading has concentrated on stands of Alaska cedar and red cedar. The karst terrain often produces large trees and has fewer muskeg bogs, and has also been preferentially logged. In a move that reverses
6045-550: The forest, which also contains extensive woodlands of stunted Northern Red Oak , White Oak , post oak , and Blackjack Oak at elevations over 2,500 feet (760 m) and on steep, dry slopes. Much of these woodlands, being of little commercial value, were never logged and the extent of old growth forest within them may total nearly 800,000 acres (3,200 km). There are also old-growth woodlands of Eastern Redcedar , Gum Bumelia , Winged Elm , and Yaupon along some streams. These vast unbroken reserves of old-growth forest make up
6138-414: The forest. Other terrestrial animals include wolves , mountain goats , ravens , and sitka black-tailed deer . Many migratory birds spend summer months nesting among the archipelago, notably the Arctic tern . Orca and humpback whales , sea lions , seals , sea otters , river otters , and porpoises swim offshore. The Tongass is also home to steelhead and salmon. The Tongass is also the only place in
6231-412: The future. Installing roads in the vast wilderness areas of the Tongass has been opposed by the roadless area conservation movement, which claims that it would promote habitat fragmentation , diminish wildlife populations and damage salmon spawning streams. They argue that existing roads are sufficient. The Tongass National Forest was included in the Roadless Initiative passed on 5 January 2001, during
6324-418: The highest and most panoramic views in Arkansas and winding, tumbling clear mountain streams and waterfalls. Ouachita National Forest is located in 13 counties in western and central Arkansas and two counties in southeastern Oklahoma. They are listed here in descending order of forestland within the county. Also given is their area as of 30 September 2007. Roughly 80% of the forest's area is in Arkansas, with
6417-533: The inflation or interest accrued in the past 66 years. Timber harvest in Southeast Alaska consisted of individual handlogging operations up until the 1950s, focusing on lowlying areas and beach fringe areas. In the 1950s, in part to aid in Japanese recovery from World War II , the Forest Service set up long-term contracts with two pulp mills: the Ketchikan Pulp Company (KPC) and the Alaska Pulp Company. These contracts were scheduled to last 50 years, and originally intended to complement independent sawlog operations in
6510-434: The land remains intact, i.e. 383,000 acres (1,550 km ) out of 491,000 acres (1,990 km ) original big-tree, low-elevation forest area. Given the high value of these areas for wildlife species, close to 70% of this old growth forest is protected in reserves and will never be eligible for harvest. Major disturbances in the Tongass National Forest include windfall and landslides. Local winter windstorms referred to as
6603-454: The largest virgin forest in the United States, barring only the vast timber reserves in Alaska's Tongass Forest . The Talimena Scenic Drive , which is Highway 1 in Oklahoma and Highway 88 in Arkansas, is a National Scenic Byway which meanders through the forest. The Scenic Drive passes through old-growth oak woodlands on Winding Stair and Rich Mountains. Forest headquarters are located in Hot Springs, Arkansas . The forest contains
6696-588: The last days of the Bill Clinton Administration, and the initiative prevented the construction of new roads in roadless areas of United States national forests. In September 2006, a landmark court decision overturned Bush's repeal of the Roadless Rule, reverting to the 2001 roadless area protections established under president Clinton. The Tongass remained exempt from that ruling. In June 2007, U.S. House members added an amendment to
6789-673: The late Paleozoic . The Ouachitas are composed of Cambrian through Pennsylvanian sedimentary rocks . The Collier Shale, located at the core of the Benton-Broken Bow Uplift, is the oldest exposed formation of the Ouachitas. The Atoka Formation , which was deposited much later during the Pennsylvanian , has the largest areal extent of any of the Paleozoic formations in Arkansas . The geologic formations of
6882-484: The lowland areas of the Ouachitas. Historian Muriel H. Wright wrote that "Ouachita" is composed of the Choctaw words owa for "hunt" and chito for "big", together meaning "big hunt far from home". According to the article Ouachita in the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture , "Ouachita" comes from the French spelling of the Caddo word washita , meaning "good hunting grounds". The Ouachitas are
6975-420: The management of Sealaska Corporation , one of the native regional corporations created under the ANCSA. Transference of public National Forest land to a privately owned corporation removes it from protection by Federal law and allows the owners to use the land in whatever way they see fit without regard to the effects of the use on surrounding lands and ecosystems. This fact has caused much controversy involving
7068-433: The most valuable forest available to logging in the headwaters of the salmon streams therein. Much of the power of these companies lay in the long-term contracts. The contracts guaranteed low prices to the pulp companies—in some cases resulting in trees being given away for "less than the price of a hamburger". The Tongass Timber Reform Act , enacted in 1990, significantly reshaped the logging industry's relationship with
7161-555: The mountain climber is rewarded by an inspiring view of countless and nameless peaks, mountain groups, dense forests, and inviting valleys, all merging into the distant horizon. ... there are many mountain streams, now moving slowly in narrow but deep pools, then churning with savage ferocity down some water-worn precipice, leaving in its wake snow-white sprays ... Fed by crystal springs and like so much molten silver these streams flow their turbulent courses unappreciated and rarely visited. ... The endangered and rare maple-leaf oak occurs in
7254-525: The nation's first parks in 1832. The Battle of Devil's Backbone was fought here at the ridge of the same name in 1863. In August 1990, the U.S. Forest Service discontinued clearcutting as the primary tool for harvesting and regenerating short leaf, pine and hardwood forests in the Ouachita National Forest. The Ouachita Mountains contain the Ouachita National Forest , Hot Springs National Park and Lake Ouachita , as well as numerous state parks and scenic byways mostly throughout Arkansas. They also contain
7347-501: The national parks in the western states. He compared flora and fauna in the Ouachita forest to those of the southern Alleghenies , a division of the Appalachian Mountains . Cobb continued: A visitor standing upon one of the many majestic peaks in the area of the proposed park is thrilled by a panoramic view that cannot be had elsewhere in the South Central States. With cheeks flushed by the invigorating mountain breezes,
7440-566: The occurrence of some of the world's finest quartz . The Crystal Mountains are generally taller than the nearby Zig Zag Mountains, achieving elevations over 1,800 feet (550 m). The Fourche Mountains (EPA Level IV ecoregion 36d) are a long, continuous chain of east-west mountains composed of the weather-resistant Jackfork Sandstone . They extend from Pulaski County, Arkansas to Atoka County, Oklahoma and are home to several popular sites of interest, including Pinnacle Mountain State Park near Little Rock, Arkansas . The highest natural point
7533-443: The only deficit-run programs, however. The Forest Service likens the overall deficit of the timber harvest program to the many other programs the agency operates at a deficit, including trail, cabin, and campground maintenance and subsistence programs. High-grading (preferentially targeting for logging the most profitable forest types) has been prevalent in the Tongass throughout the era of industrial-scale logging there. For example,
7626-635: The permission of the district ranger. A network of wilderness areas are found in the national forest, protecting the sections of the forest that have had the least amount of human intervention. These areas harbor some of the most rugged, scenic and secluded places in all of Arkansas and the South. The 13,139-acre (53.2 km) Black Fork Mountain Wilderness is located in both Arkansas and Oklahoma and contains significant old-growth forests. It protects beautiful, rugged vistas and clear mountain springs. The 9,754-acre (39.5 km) Upper Kiamichi River Wilderness
7719-646: The proposal was killed because of opposition from the National Park Service and the United States Department of Agriculture , presumably because of the nearby location of Hot Springs National Park . Coolidge proposed expanding the forest into Oklahoma which would be realized in 1930 when the forest was extended into Le Flore County, Oklahoma. In a magazine article, Cobb described the area that he had sought to protect for future generations, located approximately midway between Little Rock and Shreveport , Louisiana , as within relatively easy driving distance of 45 million Americans, many of whom could not afford long trips to
7812-541: The reasons proffered by the Forest Service in support of the Tongass Exemption were implausible, contrary to the evidence in the record, and contrary to Ninth Circuit precedent, the court concludes that promulgation of the Tongass Exemption was arbitrary and capricious. With the passage of the Roadless Rule, inventoried roadless areas, 'for better or worse, [were] more committed to pristine wilderness, and less amendable to road development for purposes permitted by
7905-407: The region. However, the two companies conspired to drive log prices down, put smaller logging operations out of business, and were major and recalcitrant polluters in their local areas. Ultimately, virtually all timber sales in the Tongass were purchased by one of these two companies. In 1974, the exclusive KPC contract for 800,000 acres of old growth forest on Prince of Wales Island was challenged by
7998-518: The remaining 20% in Oklahoma. In Arkansas, there are local ranger district offices located in Booneville , Danville , Glenwood , Jessieville , Mena , Mount Ida , Oden , Perryville and Waldron . In Oklahoma, they are located in Hodgen , Talihina and north of Broken Bow. Even though the Ouachita National Forest is far from being the largest, its twelve ranger districts are the most of any in
8091-629: The summer. They are the only home and namesake of the Fourche Mountain salamander . The Fourche Mountains form a major watershed divide between the Arkansas River Basin to the north and the Red River Basin to the south. The Frontal Ouachita Mountains are located in the Arkansas River Valley and feature a number of isolated landforms. The highest natural point is Mount Magazine at 2,753 feet (839 m), which
8184-533: The thermal springs of Hot Springs National Park . They are so named because of their unique chevron shape when viewed from above, the result of plunging anticlines and synclines . The Zig Zag Mountains are not exceptionally tall, but do reach heights over 1,400 feet (430 m). The Ouachitas are formed by a thick succession of highly deformed Paleozoic strata constituting the Ouachita Fold and Thrust Belt, which crops out for approximately 220 miles (350 km) in western Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma . In
8277-458: The time due to contracts with pulp mills; much of this original land is now under water or in a watershed, and consequently Sealaska has requested different land. On 23 April 2009, Senator Murkowski and U.S. Rep. Don Young introduced a revised Sealaska bill (S. 881 and H.R 2099) that requests public lands that are both economically valuable and environmentally delicate. Starting with the next session of Congress in 2011, Senator Murkowski reintroduced
8370-594: The world's finest quartz , especially around Mount Ida, Arkansas , the quartz capital of the world. The quartz formed after the Ouachita Orogeny when fractures in rocks filled with silica-saturated fluids and, over millions of years, precipitated crystals up to several feet in length. The Ouachitas are also known for novaculite , a variety of chert that has undergone low-grade metamorphism ; particular grades found only in Arkansas are used for making whetstones . Cambrian through Mississippian strata of
8463-416: Was known as Arkansas National Forest on its establishment on December 18, 1907; the name was changed to Ouachita National Forest on April 29, 1926. Rich in history, the rugged and scenic Ouachita Mountains were explored by Europeans in 1541 by Hernando de Soto's party of Spaniards . French explorers followed, flavoring the region with names like Fourche La Fave River . The area including
8556-573: Was originally constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), it is on Clearfork Lake, about 20 miles (32 km) west of Hot Springs on U.S. 270 . Reservations are required for camping and may be made through the Womble USDA Office. The campground has six dorm/cabins which can hold up to 10 people each, three staff cabins that hold five to six people each,
8649-536: Was permanently stopped by a lawsuit. In March 2011, Judge John Sedwick from the Anchorage federal district court, in his ruling, reinstated the Roadless Rule on roadless areas in the Tongass, but with three of the Forest Service's recent timber projects excluded from that ruling "without prejudice." Those projects were Iyouktug Timber Sales ROD (record of decision), Scratchings Timber Sale ROD II, and Kuiu Timber Sale Area ROD. The Order concluded in part: Because
#919080