Lost Forest Research Natural Area

Lakeview District , BLM

Northern Basin and Range Ecoregion

Cell(s):

• Ponderosa pine/big sagebrush-bitterbrush (isolated stand within steppe)
• Ponderosa pine-western juniper/big sagebrush/needle and thread grass

Access by gravel and low standard dirt roads

The 3,627 ha Lost Forest RNA is located in Lake County, Oregon, approximately 35 km northeast of Christmas Valley. The forested area consists of relict ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) separated 65 km from the nearest forest outliers in the sagebrush shrub steppe region. The Lost Forest lies on the northeastern side of Christmas Lake Basin, which has numerous Pleistocene shorelines, dunes and lacustrine features. The relief is gentle with an elevation of 1,340 m. Occasional bluffs and basaltic outcrops rise 30 to 70 m above the surrounding terrain. The moving sand dunes are lacustrine sediments, aeolian deposits and alluvial materials with large amounts of pumice, sand, and ash. Between 1900 and 1960, annual precipitation in this cold desert climate averaged 22 cm; however, tree ring records indicate mean precipitation of 24 cm. In addition to ponderosa pine, the primary species are western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis), big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata), antelope bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata), and Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis). Past disturbance in the area includes early homesteading and grazing from 1906 to 1920, heavy military tank use from 1943 to 1945, timber sales in 1949 and 1955, wild horses, and limited recent livestock grazing. Recreational use, especially by off-highway vehicles, is the primary current disturbance. Research includes monitoring of ORV use (Steve Shelly, BLM, 1975), genetic studies (Olivia Henry SOU, 1993), Holocene climate (Peter J. Mehringer, WSU), and An Ecological Study of Disjunct Ponderosa Pine Forest in the Northern Great Basin in Oregon (Dick W. Berry, PhD 1963). Currently, intensive research is being carried out by the BLM and USFS to determine current conditions of ponderosa pine in the forest, potential future vegetative trends and possible management actions such as prescription fires. A reference is Lost Forest Research Natural Area Supplement 3 by William Moir, Gerry F. Franklin, and Chris Maser (1973). The Lost Forest RNA was withdrawn from mineral entry in 1972 and is completely within an Instant Wilderness Study Area.