The Wallowa-Whitman National Forest encompasses 2,392,508 acres, four ranger districts, one national recreation area, and four wilderness areas. The Forest varies in elevation from 9,845 to 875 feet. It lies in three states and 10 counties and is bordered in Oregon by the Umatilla and Malheur National Forests. The three forests work as a "province" sharing resources and employees.
The Wallowa-Whitman maintains 2,653 miles of trail, 9,920 miles of roads, 102 trail bridges, 65 road bridges, and nine airfields. The Forest has three major public Forest Service Roads, three scenic byways, two wildernesses, and nine Wild and Scenic Rivers with over 50 miles of navigable waterway. Travel Management Planning is underway and the final EIS is scheduled to be signed in the spring 2011.
The Forest has approximately 262 permanent employees and 250 temporary employees during the field season. Each year the forest hosts over 100 volunteers who provide visitor information and maintain trails.
The Wallowa-Whitman has a large planning, litigation, appeals, and FOIA workload (about 40 FOIA annually). The Wallowa-Whitman and the other Blue Mountain Forests began the forest plan revision process in 2004.
The Blue Mountains Pest Management Service Center is stationed at the Forestry and Range Sciences Lab in La Grande. The center serves all federal clients in northeastern Oregon and southeastern Washington.
The forest has six federally listed species of fish (including anadromous species), three wildlife species, and five plant species. The forest has over 40 watersheds and 5,800 miles of stream with 2,300 fish bearing miles. The Forest is widely recognized for cooperative management programs for bighorn sheep and elk.
The Blue Mountain Interagency Fire Center, located in La Grande, is the home for the Blue Mountain Interagency Dispatch Center, the La Grande Air Tanker Base and the La Grande Fire Cache. The dispatch center dispatches resources for the Oregon Department of Forestry and Washington Department of Natural Resources, and the Umatilla and Wallowa-Whitman National Forests. The Forest has successfully used wildland fire use in the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area and the Eagle Cap Wilderness. The Forest has a history of large fires and typically has one large project fire per season. The Forest has met or exceeded its annual prescribed burning acres for the past 3 years.
The Forest awarded 22 million board feet of timber for sale during 2010. Fuelwood sales average between 6-7 million board feet per year and continues to be an active program.
The Forest completed a noxious weeds EIS and utilized the new available resources in the fall program.
The Forest works with several partners, including Grande Ronde Model Watershed, Wallowa Resources, and County Commissioners to coordinate and enhance watershed projects. The Forest has a good working relationship with a local environmental group, Hells Canyon Preservation Council. The W-W also works closely with two local tribes, the Nez Perce and the Umatilla.
The Forest has 1,329,870 acres identified within grazing allotments, with 113 active and 21 vacant allotments for a total of 25,637 cattle, 63 horses, and 800 sheep.
The forest promotes and supports a strong safety program. An annual award is also given to a unit or individual that has excelled in safety.
The Wallowa-Whitman has a large number of facilities that include about 700 buildings and has recently completed a facilities master plan that begins the process of reducing the number of facilities and prioritizing maintenance of those remaining.
