The Forest Service manages a system of 155 national forests, 20 national grasslands, and 222 research and experimental forests, as well as other special areas, covering more than 192 million acres of public land. The Forest Service has evolved into a 30,000 employee agency that manages the national forests for a number of multiple uses, including recreation, timber, wilderness, minerals, water, grazing, fish, and wildlife. The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest encompasses more than 4-million acres in Washington state and stretches north to south from the Canadian border to the Goat Rocks Wilderness - a distance of about 180 miles. The eastern edge of the forest extends into the Okanogan highlands, then south along the Okanogan and Columbia Rivers, and then to the Yakima River valley. Because of this wide geographic range, the forest is very diverse - from the high, glaciated alpine peaks along the Cascade Crest and the numerous mountain ranges extending eastward from the crest, through deep, lush valleys of old growth forest, to the dry and rugged shrub-steppe country at its eastern edge. Elevations range from below 1,000 ft. to over 9,000 ft. Precipitation varies widely - from more than 70-inches along the crest to less than 10-inches at its eastern edge. This of course greatly affects the forest and vegetation types across the area. Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest resources provide significant public benefits in water, forage, wildlife, habitat, wood, recreation, and minerals. While these resources are managed under the multiple use concept to provide the public with a wide variety of benefits, an important emphasis of that management is to maintain and enhance sustainable ecosystems for future generations. Per our comment policy [https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/usda-comment-policy], we may hide comments that include any of the following:
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