N Clovis Ave, Fresno, California 93727) at Fresno Yosemite International Airport. In addition, the forest has a close relationship with the Teakettle Experimental Forest which is deep inside the forest and the San Joaquin Experimental Range which is just outside the forest boundaries. They both fall in the Pacific Southwest Research Station which is based in Berkeley, California. Ecology The ecology of the National Forest is typical for the western side of the southern Sierra Nevada: distributions of species are largely governed by climate, which is strongly dependent on altitude. The ecology can be described by biotic zones, which are marked by either a tree indicator species, or by a lack of trees. The biotic zones include the foothill woodland zone from (interior live oak), the lower montane zone from (Ponderosa pine), the upper montane zone from (lodgepole pine/red fir), the subalpine zone from (whitebark pine), and the alpine zone from (above the tree line). Some of the forest are old growth, containing lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) and red fir (Abies magnifica). National monument proposal A campaign to designate the national forest as a national monument was begun in 2015. The proposal for the Range of Light National Monument would prevent new mining operations and phase out logging and grazing, resulting in a continuous protected area linking Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon national parks. Former Sequoia National Park ranger Deanna Lynn Wulff founded the organization Unite the Parks to campaign for the monument's establishment. The proposal has been endorsed by numerous local businesses and organizations, a group of 200 scientists, the California Democratic Party, Democratic National Committee, Sierra Club, and the Coalition to Protect America's National Parks. The protection of old-growth trees would contribute to the 30 by 30 initiative. It is opposed by Congressman Tom McClintock and the logging industry. In December 2022, Congressmembers Jackie Speier and Jerry McNerney introduced a bill that would establish Range of Light National Monument comprising the entirety of Sierra National Forest and the San Joaquin Gorge managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The new national monument would be administered by the National Park Service, which would manage land for conservation rather than multiple-use. Unite the Parks has also led a lawsuit to prevent logging in fisher habitat. See also Railroad Fire Ferguson Fire Creek Fire References External links USDA Forest Service: Sierra National Forest website Protected areas of the Sierra Nevada (United