| Plumas National Forest | |
|---|---|
Bucks Lake in Plumas National Forest | |
| Nearest city | Quincy, California |
| Coordinates | 40°00′01″N120°40′05″W / 40.00028°N 120.66806°W /40.00028; -120.66806 |
| Area | 1,146,000 acres (4,640 km2) |
| Established | 1907 |
| Governing body | U.S. Forest Service |
| Website | Plumas National Forest |
Plumas National Forest is a 1,146,000-acre (464,000 ha)United States national forest located in northernCalifornia at the northern terminus of theSierra Nevada mountain range. The Forest was named after its primary watershed, the Rio de las Plumas, orFeather River.
About 85% of Plumas National Forest lies inPlumas County, portions extend into easternButte, northernSierra, southernLassen, and northeasternYuba counties.[1]
The land is managed by the United States Forest Service under the Department of Agriculture with local management stationed at the Plumas National Forest Supervisor's office inQuincy, California. The forest is also subdivided into three Ranger Districts, the Beckwourth Ranger District, the Feather River Ranger District and the Mt. Hough Ranger District, with local management inBlairsden,Oroville, and Quincy, respectively.[2]
Plumas was established as the Plumas Forest Reserve by theUnited States General Land Office on March 27, 1905. In 1906 the forest was transferred to theUnited States Forest Service, and on March 4, 1907, it became a National Forest. On July 1, 1908, a portion ofDiamond Mountain National Forest was added.[3] TheBucks Lake Wilderness was officially designated in 1984 as a part of theNational Wilderness Preservation System.
A 2002 study by the Forest Service identified 127,000 acres (51,000 ha) of the forest asold-growth, using an economic type definition.[4] The most common old-growth forest types are mixed conifer forests of:
Virtually no virgin timberland exists, as the area has been a logging epicenter starting with the gold rush continuing into the modern era.