| Humboldt–Toiyabe National Forest | |
|---|---|
The Humboldt–Toiyabe National Forest in theSpring Mountains | |
| Location | California andNevada,United States |
| Nearest city | Reno, Nevada |
| Coordinates | 39°15′15″N117°07′40″W / 39.254041°N 117.127767°W /39.254041; -117.127767 |
| Area | 6,289,821 acres (25,454.00 km2)[1] |
| Established | Humboldt: July 1, 1908; 117 years ago (1908-07-01); Toiyabe: March 2, 1907; 118 years ago (1907-03-02)[2] |
| Governing body | U.S. Forest Service |
| Website | Humboldt–Toiyabe National Forest |
TheHumboldt–Toiyabe National Forest (HTNF) is the principalU.S. National Forest in theU.S. state ofNevada, and has a smaller portion further west inEastern California in the state ofCalifornia. With an area of 6,289,821 acres (25,454.00 km2), it is thelargest U.S. National Forest reservation outside ofAlaska, further northwest on theNorth American continent.
The lands now part of Humboldt-Toiyabe have been administratively reorganized many times, and include parts of several defunct national forests. The oldest of these is theRuby Mountains National Forest, established on May 3, 1906 during thepresidential administration of the famed "conservationist president" of 26th PresidentTheodore Roosevelt (1858-1919, served 1901-1909). Two years later in 1908, it was combined with theIndependence National Forest to form Humboldt National Forest. Then the Toiyabe National Forest was established a year earlier on March 2, 1907. It ceased to exist a quarter-century later in 1932, when it was absorbed by theNevada National Forest, but was reestablished only six years afterwards in 1938 from parts of Humboldt and Nevada forest reserves. The last major reorganization of American government forest reserves in the state, occurred on October 1, 1957, during theDwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969)presidential administration of the formerUnited States Army commanding general fromWorld War II and 34th President. He served in theWhite House 1953-1961, when the older Nevada National Forest was dissolved and its lands divided between Humboldt and Toiyabe reserves.[3]
Humboldt and Toiyabe National Forests were administratively joined almost four decades later in 1995, duringBill Clinton's two terms as42nd President from 1993-2001. Although managed since as a single entity, the two forests remain legally and geographically separated and distinct.[4]
HTNF is unlike most other national forests as it contains numerous non-contiguous sections scattered across most of thestate of Nevada and a portion of adjacenteastern California to the west. Sevenpark ranger districts are located in the many mountain ranges in Nevada, from theSanta Rosa Range in the north to theSpring Mountains nearLas Vegas in the south. About 11% of the forest is ineastern California, in the areas aroundBridgeport andMarkleeville, and other areas west of theSierra Nevada mountain chain between the two states.
The national forest lies in 13counties in Nevada and 6 in California. The counties with the largest amount of federal forest land areNye,Elko, andWhite Pine in Nevada, andMono County in California, but there are also 15 other counties represented with land in this widely dispersed national forest reserve. Forest headquarters are located in the small city ofSparks, Nevada, nearReno, the largest city andcounty seat ofWashoe County in the northwestern corner of the state, along the Nevada-California state line.
The smaller and more northeasterly Humboldt National Forest is located in eastern and northern Nevada, in parts of Elko, White Pine, Humboldt, Nye, andLincoln counties. The section of the national forest is named afterAlexander von Humboldt (1769-1859), a famous early / mid-19th centuryPrussian /German multi-talentedscientist andphilosopher. Born and raised / educated inEurope, although he traveled extensively in theAmericas /Western Hemisphere in 1799-1804, exploring and doing various fields of scientific research.[5] and contains about 43.5% of the total area. Local ranger district offices are located in four towns:Ely,Elko,Wells, andWinnemucca of Nevada.
The larger and more southwesterly Toiyabe National Forest is located in central, western, and southern Nevada and eastern California, in parts ofNye,Lander,Mineral,Lyon,Eureka,Washoe,Douglas, andClark counties, and thestate capital ofCarson City in the "Battle Born State" ofNevada; as well as in the adjacent "Golden State" withMono,Alpine,Sierra,Nevada,Lassen, andEl Dorado counties in the state ofCalifornia.Toiyabe is aNative American name.[6] The section contains about 56.5% of the total area. Local ranger district offices are located in the towns / cities ofAustin,Bridgeport,Carson City,Las Vegas, andTonopah. Bridgeport is the only station that is in California.



In descending order of forest land area within the counties:[8]