National Parks in the US have to meet four specific criteria to be granted the designation:
1) It is an outstanding example of a particular type of resource.
2) It possesses exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the natural or cultural themes of our Nation's heritage.
3) It offers superlative opportunities for recreation, for public use and enjoyment, or for scientific study.
4) It retains a high degree of integrity as a true, accurate, and relatively unspoiled example of the resource.
In the whole USA there are 59 such sites. But there are also national forests, national monuments, national seashores, national reserves, national historic sites, national historic landmarks, and other similar designations.
Our state forests system sound similar to what you mentioned from Australia. We had a couple of pretty huge ones near where I grew up:
1) It is an outstanding example of a particular type of resource.
2) It possesses exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the natural or cultural themes of our Nation's heritage.
3) It offers superlative opportunities for recreation, for public use and enjoyment, or for scientific study.
4) It retains a high degree of integrity as a true, accurate, and relatively unspoiled example of the resource.
In the whole USA there are 59 such sites. But there are also national forests, national monuments, national seashores, national reserves, national historic sites, national historic landmarks, and other similar designations.
Our state forests system sound similar to what you mentioned from Australia. We had a couple of pretty huge ones near where I grew up:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rothrock_State_Forest, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bald_Eagle_State_Forest, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sproul_State_Forest
Reference for National Park requirements, I only found an old link: http://web.archive.org/web/20000301003832/http://www.nps.gov...)