Talladega National Forest

Talladega National Forest
IUCN category VI (protected area with sustainable use of natural resources)

Cheaha Mountain, Alabama's highest point, is located in Talladega National Forest.
Map showing the location of Talladega National Forest
Location Alabama, USA
Nearest city Talladega, AL
Coordinates 33°11′46″N 86°27′45″W / 33.19611°N 86.46250°WCoordinates: 33°11′46″N 86°27′45″W / 33.19611°N 86.46250°W
Area 392,567 acres (1,588.66 km2)
Established July 17, 1936
Governing body U.S. Forest Service
http://www.fs.usda.gov/alabama

The Talladega National Forest is located in the U.S. state of Alabama and covers 392,567 acres (613.39 sq mi, or 1,588.66 km2) at the southern edge of the Appalachian Mountains.[1]

Before it was bought by the federal government in the 1930s, the area that comprises the Talladega was extensively logged and represented some of the most abused, eroded wastelands in all of Alabama. Pine forest regrowth now hosts a diverse eco-system.

The tiny 7,400 acre (30 km2) Cheaha Wilderness preserves a portion of this natural wealth on Talledega Mountain. The forest's second wilderness area, the Dugger Mountain Wilderness protects the area around Alabama's second-highest mountain peak.

The forest is headquartered in Montgomery, as are all four of Alabama's National Forests. The other National Forests in the state are Conecuh, Tuskegee, and William B. Bankhead. The Talladega National Forest is physically separated into two areas, and divided into three Ranger Districts:

Alabama Gentians in Talladega National Forest

The forest covers parts of eleven counties in Alabama. In descending order of forest land area they are Cleburne, Clay, Bibb, Talladega, Perry, Hale, Calhoun, Chilton, Tuscaloosa, Cherokee, and Dallas counties.

References

  1. "National Forests in Alabama". USDA Forest Service. United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2008-10-05.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Olson, D. M, E. Dinerstein et al. (2001). "Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World: A New Map of Life on Earth". BioScience 51 (11): 933–938. doi:10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051[0933:TEOTWA]2.0.CO;2.

External links