Ashley National Forest

	Ashley National Forest IUCN Category VI - Protected Area with Sustainable use of Natural Resources
	View of Kings Peak
location	Utah & Wyoming , USA
surface	5,594 km²
Geographical location	40 ° 20 ′ N , 110 ° 20 ′ W Coordinates: 40 ° 20 ′ 0 ″ N , 110 ° 20 ′ 0 ″ W
Setup date	July 1, 1908
administration	US Forest Service

The Ashley National Forest is a 5,601 km² national forest . Most of the federally owned forest is in northeastern Utah (5,212 km²) and a small portion in southwestern Wyoming (389 km²). Like all national forests, it is federally owned and is used intensively for forestry purposes.

Above all, the Flaming Gorge Reservoir and the Uinta Mountains , in which the Kings Peak (4,125 m) is the highest point in Utah, characterize the landscape of the area.

There are various leisure and recreational offers within the area. There are over 1,100 camping options. Fishing and hunting are also allowed and the Flaming Gorge Reservoir is a popular water sports area.

Flora and fauna

Most of them are forests in which the dominant tree species are coastal pines . Trees such as the Engelmann spruce or Douglas fir are also often found here . But also poplars and the striking American quivering aspen grow here. The tree population is therefore rather unusual for the forests in Utah, as otherwise juniper and pinyon pines usually dominate.

The native animal species there include otters , pumas , elk , black bears and ptarmigan .

Protected areas within the forest

With the High Uintas Wilderness there is a total reserve , which is designated as a Wilderness Area . Of this, 60.5% of the total area of the wilderness lies in the Ashley National Forest, while the rest is in the Wasatch-Cache National Forest .

There is also a National Recreation Area around the Flaming Gorge Reservoir, the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area .

history

The area was first entered by Europeans by Spanish explorers in 1776. However, it was not fully explored and mapped until 1825 on behalf of William Henry Ashley , after his fur hunters had preyed heavily on animal skins in this area the previous year.

He was also the namesake of the establishment of the National Forest on July 1, 1908 by President Theodore Roosevelt . Before that, the area had been partially administered as part of the Uinta Forest Reserve in 1905 .

On October 1, 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson expanded the area 485 km² by setting up and adding the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area .