Modoc National Forest facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Modoc National Forest |
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Summit Trail in Modoc National Forest
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 Modoc National Forest
Location in the United States
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| Location | Modoc County, Lassen County and Siskiyou County, California, United States |
| Nearest city | Alturas, California |
| Area | 1,654,392 acres (6,695.09 km2) |
| Governing body | U.S. Forest Service |
| Website | Modoc National Forest |
The Modoc National Forest is a huge U.S. national forest located in the northeastern part of California. It covers about 1,654,392 acres, which is more than 6,700 square kilometers! This special forest is managed by the U.S. Forest Service and is a great place for nature lovers.
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Where is Modoc National Forest?
The Modoc National Forest stretches across parts of three different counties in California: Modoc County, Lassen County, and Siskiyou County. Most of the forest, about 83% of it, is in Modoc County.
A cool fact about this forest is that much of its land was shaped by massive lava flows. These lava flows happened over the last 500,000 years, creating unique landscapes.
Exploring the Warner Mountains
In the eastern part of the forest, near the city of Alturas, you'll find the Warner Mountains. These mountains have a dramatic look: their eastern side drops very steeply, while the western side slopes down more gently. It's like one side is a big cliff and the other is a soft hill!
Plants and Trees of Modoc Forest
The Modoc National Forest is home to many different kinds of plants. This is because the forest has varying elevations and different amounts of rain.
What Grows Here?
On the western side, in the brushy foothills, you'll mostly see plants like bitterbrush and curl-leaf mahogany. As you go higher up the mountains, the types of trees change. You'll find forests filled with ponderosa pines, white firs, red firs, incense cedars, and aspen trees.
Even higher up, closer to the mountain tops, you'll start to see lodgepole pines and western white pines.
Old-Growth Forests
Some parts of the Modoc National Forest are considered "old-growth forests." This means they are very old, natural forests that haven't been disturbed much by humans. About 43,400 acres of the forest are old-growth areas. The common trees in these ancient parts include lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine, white fir, incense cedar, and red fir.
History of Modoc National Forest
The Modoc National Forest was first created on November 29, 1904. It was originally called the Modoc Forest Reserve. It got its name from the Modoc people, a Native American tribe who traditionally lived in this area for a very long time.
In 1905, the federal forests, including Modoc, were put under the care of the U.S. Forest Service. Then, on March 4, 1907, these reserves officially became "National Forests." A year later, on July 1, 1908, another forest called the Warner Mountains National Forest was added to Modoc National Forest, making it even bigger.
Today, a special protected area called the South Warner Wilderness is also located within the Modoc National Forest.
Managing the Forest
The main office for the Modoc National Forest is in Alturas, California. This is where the forest is managed from.
There are also smaller local offices, called ranger district offices, in different towns around the forest. You can find these offices in Adin, Alturas, Cedarville, and Tulelake. These offices help manage different parts of the forest and assist visitors.
Images for kids
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Summit Trail in Modoc National Forest
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Map of the Modoc National Forest
See also
In Spanish: Bosque nacional de Modoc para niños
