Colville National Forest covers 1.5 million acres in northeastern Washington across the Kettle River and Selkirk ranges and the upper Columbia River country. Expanded in October 2020 to include the Tonasket Ranger District, it forms a large protected landscape with headquarters in Colville and offices across several communities. Its ecological importance includes extensive old growth identified in a 1993 Forest Service study, major backcountry areas such as most of the Salmo-Priest Wilderness and parts of the Pasayten Wilderness, and a wide range of wildlife including bears, wolves, lynx, moose, bald eagles, and bighorn sheep. Trails and heritage sites further shape its character.