| Siuslaw National Forest | |
|---|---|
 Cape Perpetua on the Lincoln County coast | |
  | |
| Location | Oregon, United States |
| Nearest city | Corvallis, Oregon |
| Coordinates | 44°20′00″N123°55′00″W / 44.33333°N 123.91667°W /44.33333; -123.91667 |
| Area | 634,207 acres (2,566.54 km2)[1] |
| Established | July 1, 1908[2] |
| Visitors | 1,017,000[3] (in 2016) |
| Governing body | United States Forest Service |
| Website | Siuslaw National Forest |
TheSiuslaw National Forest (/saɪˈjuːslɔː/sy-YOO-slaw)[4] is anational forest in westernOregon in the United States. Established in 1908, the Siuslaw is made up of a wide variety ofecosystems, ranging from coastal forests to sand dunes.
The Siuslaw National Forest encompasses more than 630,000 acres (2,500 km2) along the centralOregon Coast betweenCoos Bay andTillamook, and in some places extends east from the ocean, beyond the crest of theOregon Coast Range, almost reaching theWillamette Valley. The forest lies primarily inLane County (39% of the forest) andLincoln County (27% of the forest); the rest in descending order of land area areTillamook,Douglas,Yamhill,Benton,Coos, andPolk counties. It includes theSand Lake Recreation Area and theOregon Dunes National Recreation Area. The Forest Supervisor's office is located inCorvallis, and the Siuslaw is broken up into two ranger districts—the Hebo Ranger District, with approximately 151,000 acres (610 km2), and the Central Coast Ranger District, with approximately 479,000 acres (1,940 km2).[5]
The forest containsMarys Peak, the highest point in the Oregon Coast Range at 4,097 feet (1,249 m). Numerous aquatic habitats are found in the forest: marine shore, rivers and streams—1,200 miles (1,900 km), including theAlsea,Nestucca,Siuslaw, andUmpqua rivers—and 30 lakes. The terrestrial environment can be regarded as two major vegetation zones, one near the coast dominated bySitka spruce (Picea sitchensis), and the other dominated bywestern hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) andDouglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). Western hemlock often grows in the shade under Douglas fir. Other major tree species in the forest arewestern red cedar (Thuja plicata),red alder (Alnus rubra), andbigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum).[5] A 1993 Forest Service study estimated that the extent ofold growth in the forest was 33,800 acres (13,700 ha).[6] TheCummins Creek Wilderness and theRock Creek Wilderness preserve some of this old growth.
Recreational activities in the Siuslaw National Forest include fishing, camping, hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, exploringtide pools, and ridingoff highway vehicles.
There are three officially designatedwilderness areas within the Siuslaw National Forest that are part of theNational Wilderness Preservation System, all established in 1984:
Media related toSiuslaw National Forest at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
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| National | |
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