The Kaibab Plateau

Old Growth Stand on the Kaibab Plateau

The Kaibab Plateau.... a unique environment.

The Kaibab Plateau covers approximately 850,000 acres of forested land directly north of the Grand Canyon (view map). Roughly 500,000 of these acres are made up of old growth ponderosa pine and mixed conifer forests. Old growth is protected within the boundaries of Grand Canyon National Park. However, eighty percent of the old growth ecosystem on the Kaibab Plateau is on National Forest lands called the North Kaibab National Forest.

As the gateway to Grand Canyon National Park, the North Kaibab has long been recognized for its unique ecological values. Almost a hundred years ago in 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt created the Grand Canyon Game Preserve to protect the native fauna and flora of the area. Today, the Kaibab Plateau contains the most intact and extensive remaining old growth forest in the southwest.

Because of this, the Plateau is home to a diverse population of wildlife species dependent upon dense old growth forests. One of these species, the Kaibab Squirrel, is found nowhere else in the world. The Kaibab Squirrel is a classic example of evolution through geographic isolation. In 1965, 200,000 acres of the ponderosa pine forest type included within the Kaibab National Forest was designated as a National Natural Landmark for Kaibab Squirrel Habitat.

The Kaibab Plateau also contains the largest population of imperiled goshawks in the Southwest. The goshawk's short powerful wings and long rudder like tail are designed for hunting in an old growth forest. Goshawks nest high in the canopy of old growth ponderosa pines where they are shaded from the sun and protected from larger predators. Goshawk populations are in decline through out the Southwest due to the loss of old growth habitat.

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