William B. Bankhead National Forest

	William B. Bankhead National Forest IUCN Category VI - Protected Area with Sustainable use of Natural Resources
	Upper Caney Falls
location	Alabama , USA
surface	733.4 km²
Geographical location	34 ° 14 ′ N , 87 ° 20 ′ W Coordinates: 34 ° 14 ′ 14 " N , 87 ° 20 ′ 4" W
Setup date	January 15, 1918

The William B. Bankhead National Forest is a national forest in the US state of Alabama with an area of 733 km². It is located in northwest Alabama and spans Lawrence , Winston, and Franklin Counties .

history

Originally the forest area was established in 1918 as the Alabama Purchase Unit under the name Alabama National Forest . In 1942 the name was changed in honor of William B. Bankhead , a US Congressman from 1917 to 1940 and a member of the influential Bankhead family in Walker County .

In 1975 the 100 km² Sipsey Wilderness was established in the national forest as the first wilderness area in Alabama. It is the result of many years of work by Mary Ivy Burks and the Alabama Conservancy (now Alabama Environmental Council), as well as other conservationists in the state.

geography

The forest area is naturally located in the Cumberland Plateau on the southwestern edge of the Appalachian Mountains . The terrain consists of high cliffs and sloping ridges that lead down to steep gorges , waterfalls and streams . Because of its large number of waterfalls, the national forest is also known as the “land of 1000 waterfalls”.

There are large, old stands of hardwood with oak , maple , beech and eucalyptus . In the vicinity of the bee branch there is an approx. 500 year old tulip tree with a height of approx. 46 meters. The mixed deciduous forests, pine forests and the numerous streams and rivers offer an excellent habitat for native animals and plants.

freetime and recreation

There are six designated recreation areas with opportunities for camping , picnicking , fishing and swimming , as well as around 130 kilometers of hiking trails and 65 kilometers of bridle paths . Canoeing and kayaking can paddle part of the 98-kilometer Sipsey Fork , which is the only National Wild and Scenic River in Alabama.

archeology

Archaeologists have found hundreds of cairns at Bankhead that are believed to be burial mounds of early humans dating back about 8,000 years to the Woodland Period (10,000 BC to 1000 AD). In the national forest there are still old settler roads, Indian paths and sites as well as ancient rock carvings .

Web links

Commons : William B. Bankhead National Forest - Collection of Images, Videos, and Audio Files

Literature by and about William B. Bankhead National Forest in the WorldCat bibliographic database

Bankhead National Forest on the website of the USDA (English)

Alice S. Christenson: National Forests of Alabama . In: Encyclopedia of Alabama . November 21, 2016.

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Alice S. Christenson: National Forests of Alabama . In: Encyclopedia of Alabama . November 21, 2016. Accessed March 16, 2021.
^ William B. Bankhead National Forest. Brochure. USDA , February 2020, accessed March 16, 2021 .
↑ Bankhead National Forest. USDA , accessed March 16, 2021 .

[EncAl-1] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Alice S. Christenson: National Forests of Alabama . In: Encyclopedia of Alabama . November 21, 2016. Accessed March 16, 2021.

[2] William B. Bankhead National Forest. Brochure. USDA , February 2020, accessed March 16, 2021 .

[3] Bankhead National Forest. USDA , accessed March 16, 2021 .