Tahoe National Forest (original) (raw)

U.S. National Forest in California

Tahoe National Forest
Castle Valley near Lake Tahoe
Map of the United States
Location	Northwest of Lake Tahoe, California, U.S.
Nearest city	Truckee, California
Coordinates	39°33′45″N 120°33′45″W / 39.56250°N 120.56250°W / 39.56250; -120.56250
Area	871,495 acres (3,526.82 km2)
Established	1905
Governing body	U.S. Forest Service
Website	www.fs.usda.gov/tahoe

Tahoe National Forest is a United States National Forest located in California, northwest of Lake Tahoe. It includes the 8,587-foot (2,617 m) peak of Sierra Buttes, near Sierra City, which has views of Mount Lassen and Mount Shasta. It is located in parts of six counties: Sierra, Placer, Nevada, Yuba, Plumas and El Dorado. The forest has a total area of 871,495 acres (1,362 sq mi; 3,527 km2). Its headquarters is in Nevada City, California. There are local ranger district offices in Camptonville, Foresthill, Sierraville and Truckee.[1]

Tahoe National Forest has many natural and man-made resources for the enjoyment of its visitors, including hundreds of lakes and reservoirs (most notably Boca Reservoir), river canyons carving through granite bedrock, and many miles of trails including a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail. The National Wilderness Preservation System's Granite Chief Wilderness is close by to Tahoe City, where many trails branch out into the Wilderness.

The forest also serves as the water supply headwaters for the towns of Lincoln, Auburn and Rocklin. Reno, Nevada and Sparks, Nevada also receive their water from the Truckee River which runs through both cities on its way to its terminus at Pyramid Lake. It is also home to three wolverines.[2]

Entrance sign

Winter season

Tracked from as far as 2 thousand years ago, the Washoe tribe were the native indigenous who located in Tahoe National Forest before discovery and colonization of America.[3] The Washoe used Lake Tahoe as a main source for food and hunting focusing on fishing and milling sites. Their camps were made along lush meadows and streams that parted from the lake. Here they lived peacefully and undisturbed until the Gold Rush in 1849 when people all over the world traveled to California where the Washoe where their territory was encroached and overthrown by miners.[4]

The Forest Reserves were established in 1893 to halt uncontrolled exploitation of its resources. In California, the Sierra Forest Reserve consisted of over 4,000,000 acres (1,600,000 ha).[5] Tahoe was originally established as the Lake Tahoe Forest Reserve on April 13, 1899. The name was changed to Tahoe on October 3, 1905.[6]

President Theodore Roosevelt supported the transfer of forest reserves from the U.S. Department of the Interiorto the Department of Agriculture's Forest Service in 1905, with Gifford Pinchot as Chief Forester. Thus began the United States National Forest System. In 1908, the Sierra National Forest was divided into five units and as time went on, more divisions, additions, and combinations were worked out so that presently, Tahoe is one of eight national forests along the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. They are, from north to south, Plumas, Tahoe, Eldorado, Toiyabe, Stanislaus, Inyo, Sierra, and Sequoia.

The charter given by James Wilson, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, states: The National Forests are for the purpose of preserving a perpetual supply of timber for home industries, preventing a destruction of forest cover which regulates the flow of streams, and protecting local residents from unfair competition in the use of forest and range. The timber, water, pasture and mineral resources of the national forests are for the use of the people.[7]

Nearly all of the forest is publicly accessible under normal circumstances, subject to temporary closures for fire or weather reasons. There are many miles of roads and trails, most of which are regularly maintained. Being fairly close to both the Sacramento and Reno metropolitan areas, the forest is somewhat less remote than other national forests in the Sierra Nevada, and sees more use even in its deepest reaches. Two major roads, Foresthill Road and Mosquito Ridge Road are accessible to regular vehicles, which means many visitors can easily access areas that would be considered far flung in other nearby national forests.

Tahoe National Forest is one of the most popular recreation forests visited in the U.S with tons of fun activities and adventures to do throughout your visit.[8] At the Tahoe National Forest there are 63 campgrounds to pick from with lots of different price options perfect for all interests.[9] If visiting during the winter one can enjoy pretty much every winter sport as well as getting a permit that allows people to cut their own Christmas tree. In warmer months one can enjoy activities like hiking, fishing, biking and many other outdoor activities. However, for those planning a trip to Tahoe National Park, the park has stated to check fire restrictions and closures beforehand.

Tahoe National Forest Fires

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Caldor Fire Map

Similar to many other forests and lands throughout California, Tahoe national forest has had several devastating fires and has many restrictions and guidelines for visitors to follow in order to prevent spread of wildfires. Most recently Bear fire has burnt through 3,327 acres of Tahoe National Forest specifically in Sierra county.[10] Bear fire, similar to most wildfires, was caused due to hot and dry windy conditions. However, one of the worst wildfires Tahoe National Forest has faced was the Caldor fire in 2021 that burned thousands of acres.[11]

Ecology and Vegetation

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Tahoe National Forest’s elevation ranges from 1,500 ft in the American River canyon to over 9,000 ft on top of mt. Lola along the Sierra Crest.[12] The vegetation zones include mountain chaparral, mixed conifer, red fir, and eastside sage-pine/brush.[13] Over 290 animal species inhabit Tahoe national forest along with over 1,000 plant species. Some of the most prominent animals found in Tahoe national forest include Lahontan Cutthroat Trout, Sierra Red Fox, and the Mountain Beaver.[14]

Sierra Red Fox

A 2002 report estimated nearly 84,000 acres (340 km2) of old growth in the Forest. The old growth includes coast Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii), Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), white fir (Abies concolor), sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana), California incense cedar (Calocedrus decurrens), California black oak (Quercus kelloggii), lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) and red fir (Abies magnifica).[15] A number of species of invasive weeds have been recorded in the Forest, including thistles, knapweeds, mustards, toadflaxes, daisies, brooms, and aquatic.[16]

Placer County Big Trees Grove

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Placer County Big Trees Grove

Placer County Big Trees Grove is a giant sequoia grove located in the American River watershed of Tahoe National Forest. It is known as a "tiny" giant sequoia grove, and is the northernmost grove of giant sequoias. The grove contains six old growth giant sequoias, two of which are considered "giant" size.[17]

^ USFS Ranger Districts by State
^ Wolverines in California – California Department of Fish and Game
^ "History & Culture". USDA: Forest Service; Caring For the Land and Serving People.
^ "The Washoe: First People of the Lake". USDA Forest Service.
^ _History of the Sierra Nevada_by Francis Farquhar University of California Press, 1965 p. 213.
^ Davis, Richard C. (September 29, 2005), National Forests of the United States (PDF), The Forest History Society, archived from the original (PDF) on October 28, 2012
^ _History of the Sierra Nevada_by Francis Farquhar University of California Press, 1965 p. 214.
^ "Recreation". fs.usda.gov.
^ "Tahoe National Forest". recreation.gov.
^ "Bear Fire". fire.cal.gov.
^ "Caldor Fire: Defending Lake Tahoe Basin". fs.usda.gov.
^ "Tahoe National Forest". nationalforests.org.
^ "Wildlife: Tahoe National Forest" (PDF). United States Department of Agriculture: 1–2.
^ "Environment Tahoe Forest and Wildlife". gotahoenorth.com.
^ Warbington, Ralph; Beardsley, Debby (2002), 2002 Estimates of Old Growth Forests on the 18 National Forests of the Pacific Southwest Region, United States Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region
^ Invasive Weeds of the Tahoe National Forest: A Comparison Guide to Non-native Invasive Plants and Common Look-alikes. Nevada City, CA: United States Forest Service, Tahoe National Forest, 2013.
^ Schaffer, Jeffrey P. 1998. The Tahoe Sierra: a natural history guide to 112 hikes in the northern Sierra. Berkeley, California: Wilderness Press, pp. 138-142.