The Shasta-Trinity National Forest is located in north central California and encompasses over two million acres with hundreds of mountain lakes and over 6,278 miles of streams and rivers. The forest is situated within three major physiographic provinces the Klamath Mountains, the Cascade Range and the Modoc Plateau. The physical and natural environmental conditions in this area have remained essentially the same since the periods of Pleistocene glaciations. The area is one of the most culturally complex regions in California encompassing a varied and rich Native American cultural heritage. Cultural resources distributed throughout the forest, range from archaeological remains of past life ways to sacred sites utilized by contemporary Native American peoples.

The Shasta-Trinity National Forest has a large, complex Tribal Relations Program that requires support from a variety of Forest Service personnel in order to meet the agency’s government-to-government trust responsibilities to Indian tribes.  The forest also maintains relationship with non-federally and state recognized tribeswho hold many places on the Forest as sacred and continue to participate in a variety of traditional cultural practices on the forest today.  The six federally recognized tribes include the Redding Rancheria, Pit River Tribe, Hoopa Valley Tribe, The Klamath Tribes, Quartz Valley Indian Reservation and the Karuk Tribe. The seven non-federally recognized tribes include Winnemem Wintu, Tsnungwe Tribe, Nor-Rel-Muk Wintu Nation, Wintu Tribe of Northern California and Toyon-Wintu Center, United Tribes of Northern California, The Shasta Tribe Inc., and Shasta Indian Nation. The forest has been active with tribal groups since the early 1970s.