About Us
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Photo of Rogue River from Lower Rogue Trail |
CLIMATE
Climate on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest changes
with elevation and as you move inland from the coast. The Coast Range is a
temperate rain forest where rainfall ranges from 60 inches to over 100 inches
at higher elevations. Rainfall occurs mostly from October through June. Further
inland, annual precipitation drops to about 30 inches at the lower elevations
of the Siskiyou Mountains. Much of the precipitation comes from October to
April in the form of rain at the low elevations and as snow in the higher elevations
where very cold temperatures are possible. Although snow is possible in the
lowest elevations, it is infrequent. Late spring, summer and early autumn tend
to bring clear, sunny days with moderate temperatures. Temperatures near the
coast seldom exceed 75 degrees in the summer and snow is
rare in the winter. Inland, the ocean influence diminishes
and summer temperatures frequently reach the 80s
and 90s, and snowfall is common in the higher elevations
in the winter. Inland, the ocean influence diminishes and summer temperatures
frequently reach the 80s and 90s, and snowfall of over ten feet is common in
the higher elevations of the Cascades in the winter.
LOCATION & DRIVING DIRECTIONS
The southern portion of the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest area encompasses much of the Rogue
River basin in Southwestern Oregon. Forest headquarters, located in Medford,
Oregon and the nearby communities of Grants Pass and Ashland are situated along
Interstate 5.
The northern portion of the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest is accessible via Oregon
State Highways 62 and 140. The western portion of the Forest can be reached
via U.S. Highway 199 between Grants Pass and Crescent City, CA and from U.S.
Highway 101 along the coast.
CASCADE MOUNTAINS
East of Interstate 5, the Forest contains the upper
reaches of the Rogue River, located along the slopes
of the volcanic Cascade Range. Although the southern Cascades tend to have
fairly gentle relief, several deep canyons, such
as the Middle Fork of the Rogue and the South Fork
of Little Butte Creek, are located in this part of
the Forest. The highest point (9,495) is the top
of Mount McLoughlin, one of the major volcanic cones
in the Oregon Cascades. The area's extensive forest
of Douglas-fir, ponderosa pine and other conifers
is enlivened by occasional meadows, lakes and meandering
streams.
SISKIYOU MOUNTAINS
West of Interstate 5, the Forest resides within the ancient and complex
geology of the Siskiyou Mountains.
This is a country of narrow canyons and high, steep
ridges. Elevations range from almost sea level near
the coast, to 1,600 feet above sea level on the Applegate
River, to 7,533 feet at the summit of Mount Ashland
(the highest point in Oregon west of the Cascades).
The variety of environments includes open oak woodlands,
dense conifer forests, and barren, rocky ridge tops.
BOTANICAL RESOURCES
During his studies here in 1950, Dr. Robert Whittaker
found that only the Great Smokey Mountains rival
the Siskiyou Mountains in plant diversity. The old
and complex geology, the global position and transverse
orientation of the Siskiyou Mountain Range, which
connects the Cascade and Coast Ranges, are responsible
for creating this myriad of species. Geologic parent
rocks range in age from 200 million years old to
the recent ice-age alluviums that are about 50,000
years old. The rocks vary in composition from granitics
to the metamorphosed peridotites (serpentine) that
support the habitat for many of the sensitive species
of plants. By contrast, much of the Cascade Range
(a mere 60 million years old) is composed of relatively
recent igneous rocks, and the Coastal Ranges are
dominated by sedimentary rocks.
Together the varied geological substrate and the
climatic extremes of the Siskiyou Mountains provide
a range of niches for a rich reservoir of genetic
material. There are 28 different coniferous species,
20 of which are used commercially. Of the approximately
400 sensitive plants in the region, about 100 are
found in the Siskiyou's. The area has been sectioned
into 15 plant series that can be divided into 92
plant associations, each of which vary in potential
and react to management activities differently. The
Siskiyou Mountains biologically challenging to manage.
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