| Sequoia National Forest | |
|---|---|
_in_Sequoia_National_Park_(July_2023).jpg) Gothic Arch aka Alta Twin Sequoia Trees in Sequoia National Park | |
 Interactive map of Sequoia National Forest | |
| Location | Tulare /Kern /Fresno counties,California, US |
| Nearest city | Bakersfield, CA /Porterville, CA |
| Coordinates | 36°2′24″N118°30′16″W / 36.04000°N 118.50444°W /36.04000; -118.50444 |
| Area | 1,193,315 acres (4,829.17 km2)[1] |
| Established | 1908 |
| Governing body | U.S. Forest Service |
| Website | Sequoia National Forest |
Sequoia National Forest is aU.S. national forest located in the southernSierra Nevada mountains ofCalifornia. It is named for the majesticGiant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) trees which populate 38 distinctgroves within its boundaries.
TheGiant Sequoia National Monument is located in the national forest. Other notable features includeglacier-carved landscapes and impressivegranitemonoliths.The Needles are a series of granite spires atop a narrow ridge above the Kern River. Forest Service headquarters are located inPorterville, California. There are local ranger district offices inDunlap,Kernville,Lake Isabella, andSpringville.[2]
The Sequoia National Forest covers 1,193,315 acres (1,864.555 sq mi; 4,829.17 km2), and ranges in elevation from 1,000 feet (300 m) in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada to over 12,000 feet (3,700 m). Its giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) groves are part of its 196,000 acres (790 km2) ofold growth forests. Other tree species include:
The National Forest contains over 2,500 miles (4,000 km) of road and 850 miles (1,370 km) of trails, and hosts a number of camping and recreational facilities. The forest is adjacent toSequoia andKings CanyonNational Parks.
There are sixwilderness areas within Sequoia NF that are part of theNational Wilderness Preservation System. Some of these extend into neighboring National Forests, as indicated. Two of them also extend into land that is managed by theBureau of Land Management.
On April 15, 2000, PresidentBill Clinton proclaimed 328,000-acre (1,330 km2) of the Sequoia National Forest as theGiant Sequoia National Monument by Presidential Proclamation 7295, published in the Federal Register, Tuesday, April 25, 2000, Vol. 65, No. 80.
The monument is in two sections. The northern section surroundsGeneral Grant Grove and other parts ofKings Canyon National Park and is administered by the Hume Lake Ranger District. The southern section is directly south ofSequoia National Park and is administered by the Western Divide Ranger District, surrounding the eastern half of theTule River Indian Reservation.
The Needles are a series of granite spires atop a narrow ridge above theKern River.(36.1214°N 118.5044°W) The Needles Lookout trail, which takes you up to the rock formation, is 2.5 miles long. The Needles Fire Lookout Tower, which sat on top of a spire referred to as “The Magician” was destroyed in a structure fire on July 28, 2011.
According to theKöppen climate classification system, Sequoia National Forest encompasses five climate types listed here from highest to lowest elevation;Tundra (ET), Mediterranean-influencedSubarctic climate (Dsc), Mediterranean-influenced warm-summerHumid continental climate (Dsb),Warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Csb), andHot-summer Mediterranean climate (Csa). Precipitation also decreases with elevation. According to theUnited States Department of Agriculture, the PlantHardiness zone at Giant Forest Visitor Center (6,444 ft (1,964 m)) is 8a with an average annual extreme minimum temperature of 12.0 °F (−11.1 °C).
While the Sequoia National Forest contains many overlapping species between itself andSequoia National Park, the geographical differences make more species abundant in either territory.
The Sequoia National Forest contains four distinct ecological zones, each of which are found at different elevations and support different species. The lowest points in the Forest consist ofChaparral andOak woodland, containing several species of wildflower, shrubs, and oak trees. This zone creeps into theMontane forest, which supports the white fir, red fir, sugar pine, incense-cedar, and ponderosa pine. The giant sequoias can also been found within this zone. Above this zone is the subalpine and alpine forests, which supports varied sorts of alpine tundra flora, notably lodgepole pine and red fir. The Sequoia National Forest also contains scattered wetland niches.
The Sequoia National Forest is home to a variety of wildlife, including mammals like black bears, mule deer, mountain lions, and squirrels; birds like theCalifornia quail and scrub jay; reptiles like gopher snakes and the Western fence lizard; and amphibians like theCalifornia newt. The forest also supports several species of fish, including the threatenedLittle Kern golden trout.
Sequoia National Forest was established on July 1, 1908, from a portion ofSierra Forest Reserve. On March 2, 1909, Theodore Roosevelt added land by Presidential Proclamation.[3]On July 1, 1910 1,951,191 acres (7,896.19 km2) was removed from the forest to create theKern National Forest.[4]This land was returned to Sequoia National Forest on July 1, 1915.
TheCastle Fire in 2020 burned 131,087 acres (53,049 ha) in the forest, with 13,600 acres (5,500 ha) of giant sequoia groves burned[5][6] The fire swept through portions of the Dillonwood,Mountain Home,Alder Creek,Freeman Creek,McIntyre, and Wheel Meadow,Belknap, Burro Creek, Silver Creek, Middle Tule, Upper Tule, and Wishon Groves.[6] The fire burned at high intensity in 6,000 acres (2,400 ha) of sequoia groves:[6] high-intensity fire kills more than 90% of the giant sequoias in the area.[7] The number of mature Sequoia Trees that died overall is estimated at over 7500–10,600 mature trees, or over 10-14% of the species' population.[7][8]
The most intense previous fire in this area is dated to 1297 based on tree ring data. The McIntrye Grove, a short distance to the south fromCedar Slope, was heavily damaged. NearSequoia Crest, one-third of the Alder Creek Grove of Giant Sequoia was severely damaged.[9] The large Stagg Tree in Alder Creek Grove was not impacted.[10] Other areas experienced "light fire" which is expected to be ecologically beneficial in the long run.
The following individual large Giant Sequoias in the forest have been reported to be damaged or destroyed in the Castle Fire:
TheWindy Fire in 2021 burned over 97,528 acres (39,468 ha), including a large area in the forest.[14] A number of groves were completely within the fire perimeter, including the Cunningham,Deer Creek,Long Meadow,Packsaddle, Peyrone, Redhill, South Peyrone, and Starvation Creek Groves.[15] Over 3,000 acres (1,200 ha) of groves were within the fire perimeter.[15] Satellite image analysis showed that 50% of that area was burned at moderate or high intensity: over 1,000 giant sequoia were estimated to be destroyed in the forest.[15] Only four mature giant sequoia survived the fire in the Starvation Creek Grove.[16]
The Sequoia National Forest has 34giant sequoia groves.
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