George Washington and Jefferson National Forests

George Washington and Jefferson National Forests
U.S. National Forests
White Rocks on Little Sluice Mountain in George Washington National Forest.
Country	United States
States	Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia
Ranger Districts	Clinch, Eastern Divide, Glenwood-Pedlar, James River, Lee, Mount Rogers, North River, Warm Springs
Coordinates	38°30′0″N 79°0′0″W / 38.50000°N 79.00000°WCoordinates: 38°30′0″N 79°0′0″W / 38.50000°N 79.00000°W
Highest point	Mount Rogers
- location	Grayson and Smyth Counties, VA
- elevation	5,729 ft (1,746.2 m)
- coordinates	36°39′35″N 81°3′41″W / 36.65972°N 81.06139°W
Lowest point	South Fork Shenandoah River
- location	southwest of Front Royal, VA
- elevation	513 ft (156.4 m)
- coordinates	38°52′31″N 78°18′34″W / 38.87528°N 78.30944°W
Area	1,790,933 acres (724,764.9 ha)
Established	1995 [1]
- George Washington NF	1918-05-16 [2]
- Jefferson NF	1936-04-21 [2]
Owner	US Forest Service
IUCN category	VI - Managed Resource Protected Area
Headquarters	Roanoke, Virginia
Location of George Washington and Jefferson National Forests
Wikimedia Commons: George Washington and Jefferson National Forests
Website: George Washington and Jefferson National Forests

The George Washington and Jefferson National Forests are U.S. National Forests that combine to form one of the largest areas of public land in the Eastern United States. They cover 1.8 million acres (7,300 km²) of land in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky. Approximately 1 million acres (4,000 km²) of the forest are remote and undeveloped and 139,461 acres (564 km²)^[3] have been designated as wilderness areas, which eliminates future development.

History

George Washington National Forest was established on May 16, 1918 as the Shenandoah National Forest. The forest was renamed after the first President on June 28, 1932. Natural Bridge National Forest was added on July 22, 1933.^[2]

Jefferson National Forest was formed on April 21, 1936 by combining portions of the Unaka and George Washington National Forests with other land.^[2] In 1995, the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests were administratively combined.^[1] The border between the two forests roughly follows the James River. The combined forest is administered from its headquarters in Roanoke, Virginia.^[1]

Notable features

• The northern portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is separately administered by the National Park Service, runs through the Forest.
• Over 2,000 miles (3,000 km) of hiking trails go through the forest.
• Virginia's highest point, Mount Rogers, is located in the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area that is part of the forest. Other notable mountains include Elliott Knob, which has one of the last remaining fire lookout towers in the eastern U.S., and Whitetop Mountain.
• Approximately 230,000 acres (930 km²) of old-growth forests.
• The deepest gorge east of the Mississippi River, Breaks Interstate Park, is located in the forest.
• Roaring Run Furnace is the only site on the National Register of Historic Places owned by the Jefferson National Forest.^[4]

Flora and fauna

A split rail fence at the entrance to Sherando Lake

The Forests' vast and mountainous terrain harbors a great variety of plant life—over 50 species of trees and over 2,000 species of shrubs and herbaceous plants.^[5]

The Forests contain some 230,000 acres (930 km²) of old growth forests, representing all of the major forest communities found within them.^[6][7] Locations of old growth include Peters Mountain, Mount Pleasant National Scenic Area, Rich Hole Wilderness, Flannery Ridge, Pick Breeches Ridge, and Laurel Fork Gorge, Pickem Mountain, and Mount Rogers National Recreation Area.^[8] The Ramsey's Draft and Kimberling Creek Wildernesses in particular are mostly old-growth.^[8][9][10]

The black bear is relatively common, enough so that there is a short hunting season to prevent overpopulation. White-tailed deer, bobcat, bald eagles, weasel, otter, and marten are also known to inhabit the Forests.

Activities

The forests are popular hiking, mountain biking, and hunting destinations. The Appalachian Trail extends for 330 miles (530 km) from the southern end of Shenandoah National Park through the forest and along the Blue Ridge Parkway. The forest is within a two-hour drive for over ten million people and thus receives large numbers of visitors, especially in the region closest to Shenandoah National Park.

The George Washington National Forest is a popular destination for trail runners. It is the location for several Ultramarathons, including the Massanutten Mountain Trails 100 miler, the Old Dominion 100 miler, and the Old Dominion Memorial 100 miler.^[11]

George Washington Forest is also the venue for Nature Camp, a natural science education-oriented summer camp for youth.^[12] The camp is located on national forest land near the town of Vesuvius, Virginia. It has operated at this location since the summer of 1953.^[13]

Counties

Note that Jefferson National Forest is located in 22 separate counties, more than any other National Forest except Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri, which lies in 29 counties. Note also that Botetourt, Monroe, and Rockbridge counties, at the dividing line between the two forests, include parts of both forests. Thirdly, note that the state of Kentucky actually has very little area, with its two counties bringing up the tail end of Jefferson National Forest.

George Washington National Forest	Jefferson National Forest
Total area of 1,064,176 acres (4,307 km^2).[14]	Total area of 726,757 acres (2,941 km^2).
County Area acres Percentage Alleghany County, Virginia 140,361 13.19% Amherst County, Virginia 57,236 5.38% Augusta County, Virginia 193,011 18.14% Bath County, Virginia 173,379 16.29% Botetourt County, Virginia 13,411 1.26% Frederick County, Virginia 5,054 0.47% Hampshire County, West Virginia 3,402 0.32% Hardy County, West Virginia 51,629 4.85% Highland County, Virginia 59,283 5.57% Monroe County, West Virginia 576 0.05% Nelson County, Virginia 20,015 1.88% Page County, Virginia 27,852 2.62% Pendleton County, West Virginia 50,757 4.77% Rockbridge County, Virginia 46,794 4.40% Rockingham County, Virginia 140,330 13.19% Shenandoah County, Virginia 75,349 7.08% Warren County, Virginia 5,737 0.54%	County Area acres Percentage Bedford County, Virginia 20,757 2.86% Bland County, Virginia 76,556 10.53% Botetourt County, Virginia 69,038 9.50% Carroll County, Virginia 7,145 0.98% Craig County, Virginia 117,336 16.15% Dickenson County, Virginia 8,836 1.22% Giles County, Virginia 64,656 8.90% Grayson County, Virginia 33,339 4.59% Lee County, Virginia 11,268 1.55% Letcher County, Kentucky 751 0.10% Monroe County, West Virginia 19,187 2.64% Montgomery County, Virginia 19,454 2.68% Pike County, Kentucky 127 0.02% Pulaski County, Virginia 19,239 2.65% Roanoke County, Virginia 3,290 0.45% Rockbridge County, Virginia 18,426 2.54% Scott County, Virginia 34,093 4.69% Smyth County, Virginia 75,259 10.36% Tazewell County, Virginia 10,340 1.42% Washington County, Virginia 22,514 3.10% Wise County, Virginia 36,732 5.05% Wythe County, Virginia 58,414 8.04%

Ranger District Offices

Ranger offices are the Forest Service's public service offices. Maps and other information about the forests can be obtained at these locations. These offices are open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Supervisor's Office in Roanoke is not located in the forest and is primarily an administrative location.^[15]

District offices are listed from north to south. Counties are in Virginia unless otherwise indicated.

District	Office Location	Counties served
Lee Ranger District	Edinburg, Virginia	Frederick, Hampshire (WV), Hardy (WV), Page, Rockingham, Shenandoah, Warren
North River Ranger District	Harrisonburg, Virginia	Augusta, Highland, Pendleton (WV), Rockingham
Warm Springs Ranger District	Hot Springs, Virginia	Bath, Highland
James River Ranger District	Covington, Virginia	Alleghany
Glenwood-Pedlar Ranger District	Natural Bridge Station, Virginia	Amherst, Augusta, Bedford, Botetourt, Nelson, and Rockbridge
Eastern Divide Ranger District	Blacksburg, Virginia	Bland, Botetourt, Craig, Giles, Monroe (WV), Montgomery, Pulaski, Roanoke, Smyth, Tazewell, Wythe
Clinch Ranger District	Norton, Virginia	Dickenson, Lee, Letcher (KY), Pike (KY), Scott, Wise
Mount Rogers National Recreation Area	Marion, Virginia	Carroll, Grayson, Smyth, Washington, Wythe

Wilderness areas

There are 139,461 acres (564 km²)^[3] of federally designated wilderness areas in the two forests under the United States National Wilderness Preservation System. All are in the state of Virginia, except as indicated. The largest of these is the Mountain Lake Wilderness, at 16,511 acres (67 km²). There are 17 wildernesses in Jefferson National Forest, second only to Tongass National Forest, which has 19.

George Washington National Forest

• Barbours Creek Wilderness (part)
• Priest Wilderness
• Ramseys Draft Wilderness
• Rich Hole Wilderness
• Rough Mountain Wilderness
• Saint Mary's Wilderness
• Shawvers Run Wilderness (part)
• Three Ridges Wilderness

Jefferson National Forest

• Barbours Creek Wilderness (most)
• Beartown Wilderness
• Brush Mountain East Wilderness
• Brush Mountain Wilderness
• Garden Mountain Wilderness
• Hunting Camp Creek Wilderness
• James River Face Wilderness
• Kimberling Creek Wilderness
• Lewis Fork Wilderness
• Little Dry Run Wilderness
• Little Wilson Creek Wilderness
• Mountain Lake Wilderness (Virginia / West Virginia)
• Peters Mountain Wilderness
• Raccoon Branch Wilderness
• Shawvers Run Wilderness (most)
• Stone Mountain Wilderness
• Thunder Ridge Wilderness

History

The first camp of the Civilian Conservation Corps NF-1, Camp Roosevelt,^[16] was established in the George Washington National Forest near Luray, Virginia. It is now the site of the Camp Roosevelt Recreation Area.^[17]

See also

• Great North Mountain
• Massanutten Mountain
• Shenandoah Mountain
• Monongahela National Forest—adjoining forest in West Virginia

References

1. "Forest Facts". George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. Archived from the original on 2009-01-18. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
2. Davis, Richard C. (2005-09-29). "The National Forests of the United States". The Forest History Society. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-01-17. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
3. Wilderness.net search page
4. Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission Staff (2014). "Roaring Run Furnace". Virginia Tourism Corporation.
5. "George Washington & Jefferson National Forest Trees & Shrubs". George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. Archived from the original on 2009-01-17. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
6. George Washington National Forest 1993 Revised Forest Plan. United States Forest Service. 1993.
7. Jefferson National Forest 2004 Revised Forest Plan. United States Forest Service. 2004.
8. Mary Byrd Davis (23 January 2008). "Old Growth in the East: A Survey. Virginia" (PDF).
9. Jefferson National Forest South Half. Old Growth Inventory Map. (PDF). United States Forest Service, Southern Region. 1997.
10. Jefferson National Forest South Half. Wilderness, Roadless, and Wild & Scenic Rivers Map. (PDF). United States Forest Service, Southern Region. 1997.
11. Run100s ("Run Hundreds") – A Not-For-Profit UltraRunning Corporation
12. Nature Camp
13. History of Nature Camp
14. "Table 6 - NFS Acreage by State, Congressional District and County" (PDF). Land Areas Report. US Forest Service. 18 October 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
15. "Districts". United States Forest Service. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
16. Archived January 27, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.
17. George Washington 26 Jefferson National Forest – Camp Roosevelt Recreation Area. Fs.usda.gov. Retrieved on 2013-08-09.

• Hall, William L. (July 1914). "To Remake The Appalachians: A New Order In The Mountains That is Founded On Forestry – What The Government's Appalachian Forests Mean To The People In The Mountains And To The Millions Who Want Recreation". The World's Work: A History of Our Time. Doubleday, Page & Co. XLIV (2): 321–338. Retrieved 2009-08-04.
• Jefferson National Forest: An Appalachian Environmental History. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Pr., 2011.
• Prehistoric Southwest Virginia: Aboriginal Occupation, Land Use, and Environmental Worldview, Smithfield Review 5 (April 2000): 125–151.
• Turnpike Tourism in Western Virginia, Virginia Cavalcade 48:1 (Winter 1998): 14–23.
• The Potts Valley Branch Railroad and Tri-State Incline Lumber Operation in West Virginia and Virginia, 1892–1932, West Virginia History 54 (1995): 42–58.
• The Mount Rogers National Recreation Area and the Rise of Public Involvement in Forest Service Planning, Environmental History Review 28 (Summer 1994): 41–65.
• An Appalachian Forest: Creation of the Jefferson National Forest and its effects on the local community, Forest and Conservation History 37:4 (October 1993): 169–178.
• The Great Anti-Fire Campaign, American Forests, 99:5&6 (May/June 1993): 33–35, 58.
• Green Cove Station: An Appalachian train depot and its community, Virginia Cavalcade, 42:2 (Autumn 1992): 52–61.
• Fisheries and Wildlife Management: part of the history of the Jefferson National Forest, Virginia Forests, 48:2 (Summer 1992): 6–8.

External links

• George Washington and Jefferson National Forests
• U.S. Forest Service, George Washington National Forest, Dry River District Collection at James Madison University's Special Collections.