Map of North Pacific Province States including:
Northern California
Western Oregon
Western Washington
Coastal Alaska
OVERVIEW: CHARACTER OF THE NORTH
PACIFIC PROVINCE BUILT AND NATURAL
ENVIRONMENTS
North Pacific Province PACIFIC
The North Pacific Province includes the national
forests and scenic areas in northern
California, Northwestern Oregon, Washington,
and the coastal region of Alaska. This is a land of
dramatic landscapes and climate and diverse
cultural influences. These elements are frequently
celebrated through a regional architectural style
called Cascadian.
The landscape has been altered
but not nearly tamed by human settlement. It is still
being shaped by volcanoes, glaciers, seismic
movement, and tidal surges. Climate, maritime
forces, and landscape are inseparable elements.
Some areas receive more than 100 inches of rain
annually; others up to 26 feet of snow. The
intense precipitation fosters lush, dense plant
life, including a rare temperate-zone rainforest
and some of the world’s largest trees.
Vivid contrasts are everywhere. The province’s
rainiest point in the Olympic Range
(240 inches per year) is a day’s hike from its
driest coastal spot, Dungeness Spit (15 inches).
Forest Service design in the North Pacific includes
a richness worthy of this landscape. The bridges,
parkways, and buildings of the Columbia River
Gorge, the Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood, and
the Visitor Center at Mendenhall Glacier are
only three examples of Forest Service structures
that match the grandeur of their settings.