Part 3: Parcels near the Oregon border

Some areas being proposed for sale by the U.S. Forest Service are isolated and virtually barren. Others appear tailored to suit developers and sportsmen. This final part of a series reviewing some of the California parcels covers Klamath and Shasta-Trinity national forests, where development is sparse and much land is owned by the logging industry. The nearest city is Yreka, population 6,948.

National forests in California

The Forest Service proposal is open to public comment through May 1, after which some parcels may be dropped. It will then be subject to congressional approval.

Total Forest Service land in U.S.: 193 million acres

Forest Service land in California: 20.7 million acres (11% of total)

Proportion of proposal’s land that is in California: More than 25%

The parcels in this series are based on March 28 Forest Service data.

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Klamath and Shasta-Trinity national forests

Proposed acres for sale: Klamath 29,920, Shasta-Trinity 5,906

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Near Fort Jones

Scott Valley foothills have very thin soil, frequent fire, little rain and some Ponderosa pines. Deer and elk winter there; there are no roads or utility access.

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Near Hornbrook

Fairly steep parcels with thin soil, little rain and no access roads are mainly used for transitory cattle grazing. Area has relatively young white fir, oak and chaparral.

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Near Shasta Valley

Three parcels are believed to have Indian caves in this ancient lava field, of interest at least to the unrecognized Shasta Nation. One cave is also a bat habitat.

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Near Dorris

Flat grassland is important for elk and deer forage and also supports birds. It is surrounded by strawberry and grazing fields.

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Sources: U.S. Forest Service, DigitalGlobe, Google Earth, ESRI, TeleAtlas, USGS. Graphics reporting by Doug Smith, Cheryl Brownstein-Santiago, Thomas Lauder