NATURAL AREAS AND REGIONS 



205 



study of natural conditions, for scien- 

 tific research, and for biological purposes. 

 There are other mineral springs, natural 

 camp sites, recreation grounds, and 

 other localities that will undoubtedly 

 be set aside in the near future. This 

 selection of areas is distributed along 

 the Cascade Range and includes practi- 

 cally all of the types of vegetation of 

 the region. 



The sagebrush region in eastern 

 Oregon and Washington may not receive 

 attention, although no doubt there 

 always will be sections available for 

 study if left as it is. It includes the 

 region on the east side of the Cascade 

 Mountains. This is a border type 

 between the forest and desert and is an 

 interesting type from both ecological 

 and biological standpoints. 



Wild animal life abounds throughout 

 this northwestern region and varies 

 very little in the different sections. 

 The black bear and grizzly bear are 

 found throughout the region. Timber 

 wolf and coyote are found throughout 

 the region, especially on the east side 

 of the Cascades. Deer are plentiful 

 throughout the region, and elk are also 

 found. Bands of elk are known at 

 present around Mt. St. Helens in North- 

 ern Washington; on the Siskiyou Na- 

 tional Forest; in the Southern Cascades 

 of Oregon, and in the Olympic Peninsula. 

 Cougar, fox, marten, fisher, and numer- 

 ous smaller animals are found through- 

 out these forests. Good fishing is 

 found in all of the streams, many of 

 them being restocked periodically. 



NATIONAL FORESTS 



Cascade JSational Forest (Oregon). 

 The Cascade National Forest has an 

 area of 1,022.312 acres. It ranges in 

 elevation from 1000 ft. along the Mc- 

 Kenzie River to over 10,000 ft. where the 

 boundary reaches the Three Sisters 

 Mountains. These three peaks are 

 covered with perpetual snow, and the 

 melting snow from the Cascade Range 

 feeds the many scenic waterfalls and 

 cascades from which the forest derives 

 its name. Most noted among the falls 



are the Salt Creek Falls with a perpen- 

 dicular drop of over 275 ft., and the 

 McKenzie Falls. 



The forest consists of a dense stand of 

 Douglas fir estimated to contain 20 

 l)illion board feet of merchantable 

 timber. The higher ridges contain the 

 upper slope and the alpine species. 



The headquarters of the forest are at 

 Eugene on the Southern Pacific Railway. 

 The southern part of the forest is reached 

 on the branch to Oak Ridge, and the 

 northern part of the forest is reached 

 over the McKenzie Highway. 



Chelan National Forest (Washington). 

 The Chelan Forest covers an area of 

 1,997,988 acres and ranges in elevation 

 from about 3000 to nearly 7000 ft. This 

 forest includes the famous Lake Chelan 

 which is a rival of the world famed Lake 

 Brienz of Switzerland. This forest 

 contains western yellow pine on dry soil 

 at lower altitudes good stands of Doug- 

 las fir at the lower elevation, and has 

 the typical upper slope and subalpine 

 types at the higher, also the beautiful 

 mountain meadows near timber line. 



An area around Lake Chelan has been 

 set aside as a game preserve and this 

 area harbors the mountain goat and 

 sheep as well as deer, bear and other 

 game. 



The headquarters are at OkanoganJ 

 and the forest is accessible b.y stage and 

 boat on Lake Chelan. 



Columbia National Forest (Washing- 

 Ion). Includes an area of 785,224 acres. 

 It lies in the southcentral part of the 

 state and includes the Cascade Range. 

 The elevation varies from 100 to over 

 12,000 ft. at Mt. Adams. 



The forest includes Mt. Adams and 

 Mt. St. Helens; the latter is the youngest 

 of the glacier peaks of the Cascade 

 Range. The range in elevation makes it 

 possible for ail forest tj'pes to be found 

 on the Columbia Forest. In the low- 

 lands are the heavy, mature stands of 

 Douglas fir and associated species. 

 On the higher slopes is the upper slope 

 type of true firs, above which is the 

 true subalpine type which adjoins the 

 mountain meadows at timber line. 



