Malheur National Forest

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The Monument Rock Wilderness has open sage and grasslands.
The Monument Rock Wilderness has open sage and grasslands.
Strawberry Lake.
Strawberry Lake.

The Malheur National Forest is a forest in the U.S. state of Oregon. It contains 1.7 million acres (6900 km²) in the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon. The forest include high desert grasslands, sage, juniper, pine, fir, and other tree species. Elevations vary from about 4000 feet (1200 m) to the 9038 foot (2754 m) peak of Strawberry Mountain. The Strawberry Mountains extend east to west through the center of the forest. U.S. Route 395 runs south to north through the forest, while U.S. Route 26 runs east-west.

The forest is managed for timber extraction, cattle grazing, gold mining and wilderness use by the Forest Service, a division of the US Department of Agriculture. The Strawberry and Monument Rock Wildernesses lie within the forest.

The forest was established by President Taft on June 13, 1908. The forest was named after the Malheur River, from the French, meaning literally "misfortune".

In descending order of land area the forest is located in parts of Grant, Harney, Baker, and Malheur counties. There are three ranger districts in the forest, with offices in John Day, Prairie City, and Hines, Oregon.

The Malheur NF contains the largest fungal organism (by area) known in the world: an Armillaria ostoyae that spans 2200 acres (8.9 km²).[1]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Beale, Bob. 10 April 2003. Humungous fungus: world's largest organism? at Environment & Nature News, ABC Online. Accessed 20 August 2005.

[edit] External link and source

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Coordinates: 44°20′25″N 118°50′57″W / 44.34028, -118.84917

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