| Olympic National Forest | |
|---|---|
 Panorama view fromMount Zion | |
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| Location | Washington, U.S. |
| Nearest city | Quinault, WA |
| Coordinates | 47°48′35.9″N123°4′0.2″W / 47.809972°N 123.066722°W /47.809972; -123.066722 |
| Area | 628,115 acres (2,541.89 km2)[1] |
| Established | February 22, 1897[2] |
| Governing body | U.S. Forest Service |
| Website | Olympic National Forest |
Olympic National Forest is aU.S. National Forest located inWashington. With an area of 628,115 acres (254,189 ha), it nearly surroundsOlympic National Park and theOlympic Mountain range. Olympic National Forest contains parts ofClallam,Grays Harbor,Jefferson, andMason counties. The landscape of the national forest varies, from the temperate Olympicrain forest to the salt water fjord ofHood Canal to the peaks ofMt. Washington.
Annual precipitation averages about 220 inches (5,600 mm), giving rise to streams such as theHumptulips River.
Olympic National Forest was originally created as Olympic Forest Reserve in 1897,[3] then renamed to Olympic National Forest in 1907.[4] A portion of the National Forest became the Mount Olympus National Monument in 1909, which was later designatedOlympic National Park.[5]
A 1993 Forest Service study estimated that the extent of old growth in the Forest was 266,800 acres (108,000 ha).[6] It is administered in two ranger districts: the Pacific Ranger District on the west side of theOlympic Peninsula, and the Hood Canal Ranger District on the east side.
Forest headquarters are located inOlympia, withranger district offices inForks,Quinault, andQuilcene. The former office inHoodsport closed in 2005, and now houses a localChamber of Commerce, which still sells Northwest Forest Passes.
Other Washington towns near entrances of the forest includePort Angeles,Sequim, andAmanda Park.
Geographic Features
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion with: missing info on topography, biologic diversity, and climate; while article is heavy on government regulatory designation of the forest preserve, and pressure group activities. You can help byadding to it.(August 2022) |
The "Wild Olympics" campaign is an effort to designate additional areas on theOlympic Peninsula as protected.[7]
Under a bill introduced by United States SenatorPatty Murray in January 2014 logging on an additional 126,554 acres (51,215 ha) (20%) of the Olympic National Forest's lands would be disallowed under the creation of nine newwilderness areas and expansion of the five existing ones.Wild and Scenic River designations would extend to 19 rivers, including those originating in the Olympic National Park, such as theQuinault River,Hoh River,Elwha River, andHamma Hamma River, and some that do not, like the middle fork of theSatsop River.[8][9] According toThe Oregonian, "the wilderness designation would permanently protect old growth and ancient forest habitat throughout the region. The wild and scenic rivers designation would add federal recognition to the outstanding river systems on the peninsula, protecting them as a source of clean drinking water and helping to keepPuget Sound clean for generations. This designation does not restrict private property rights."[10]
Like theNorthern Spotted Owl controversy two decades earlier,[11] the action has met opposition from some residents on and near the Olympic Peninsula who see it as a threat to their livelihoods. Handmade "Stop Wild Olympics" signs can be seen in the Aberdeen area and on the peninsula, expressing displeasure,[9][12] and an opposition group, Working Wild Olympics, was set up in 2011.[13] The effort has the support of dozens of "major hunting and fishing organizations" who see it as a way to sustain elk, salmon and other fish.[14][15][16] Debate on the topic in 2014 has included community meetings drawing hundreds of individuals on both sides, and full-page advertisements in local newspapers.[17]
An episode ofThis American Land concerning the Wild Olympics proposal showed nationally onPBS in 2014.[18]
The Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act was reintroduced in 2019 as H.R.2642 and received a hearing in the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands.[19]
The first part of the event featured 30-minute presentations from the Wild Olympics campaign and from the group opposed to it, Working Wild Olympics...a retired logger...said the proposal "totally ignores the last 20 years of what has happened here on the Harbor" after the federal 1994 Northwest Forest Plan curtailed logging in an attempt to preserve spotted owl habitat.
The Working Wild Olympics Coalition, made up of timber interests and supporters, was convened to directly oppose the Wild Olympics Campaign, made up of conservation and recreation groups who want to see more protections brought on areas surrounding Olympic National Park.
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