Often called"a hiker's paradise,"
the Chattahoochee National Forest includes a piece of the fabled Blue
Ridge Mountains and has over 430 miles of trails that wander through
mountains, wind along rolling hills, and traverse wild rivers. Hikers,
fishermen, hunters, and campers regularly visit this outdoor paradise.
Cities like Blue Ridge,
Helen and Dahlonega gear their tourism efforts and events to attract
these outdoors oriented tourists into the Georgia mountains.
Today's forest covers 18 north Georgia counties,
covering almost 750,000 acres, one of the larger national forests
east of the Mississippi River. Within its borders are Georgia's highest
point , Brasstown Bald,
the headwaters of every major North Georgia river, hundreds of waterfalls,
abundant plant species , hiking
trails, scenic overlooks, breathtaking beauty, Lake
Chatuge , Lake Blue Ridge, hundreds
of miles of trout streams, world-class whitewater rivers, camping,
the base of the Appalachian Trail. and some of the best outdoor recreation
in the United States. It proof that the federal government can do
somethimng right , which took an overlogged wasteland and turned into
Georgia's largest asset.
There are over 450 miles of trails, more
than 1,600 miles of "road," and 2,200 miles of rivers
and streams within the Chattahoochee National Forest. It is the
southern extreme for many northern species of plant and wildlife.
Much of the beauty of North Georgia is tucked away just a short
walk from a major road. Some of the more popular natural attractions
within its boundaries are: Anna Ruby
Falls, The
Appalachian Trail , Benton
MacKaye trail, Chattooga river to
name a few.
Broken down into 6 ranger districts for management.
Rabun County has the largest physical acreage, in the northeast, while
Catoosa has the least. Fannin County has the largest area designated
wilderness, where no management occurs. In theory, the forest will
never be harvested. This area includes the Cohutta
Mountains, the oldest mountains in the world and incorporates
the town of Blue Ridge.
When the Forest Service first purchased the land deer had become extinct,
and bear and turkey were following suit. So one of the first moves
of the Forest Service was the repopulation of the perishing wildlife.
With the Forest Service's efforts, these animal now have repopulated
throughout North Georgia. So the pristeen setting in which the Chattahoochee
National Forest still exists, however, is again being threatened.
One major threat is Atlanta's urban sprawl that is already reaching
the southern end of the forest. Other threats may not be obvious to
casual visitors, like the highly acidic rain that falls on the forest
during the summer thanks to polluted air blowing in from the cities.
Forest managers are facing a problem they themselves created: rampant
road-building that occurred to allow logging company access to the
forest has impacted sensitive areas. The southern pine beetle infestations
are on the rise, destroying habitat for the broad spectrum of wildlife
in the forest.
However daunting the tasks of forest management
in the 21st century may seem, the Forest Service is moving ahead.
Some land is being re-designated as roadless to protect and preserve
the environment, and state, county and local governments, along with
private citizens, are working to protect more land through purchases
and donations.
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