USFS: ‘Partners make progress in restoring Grandfather Ranger District’
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[Photo: Lisa Jennings, program coordinator of the Grandfather Restoration Project, assists in conducting a prescribed burn on the Grandfather Ranger District. (photo courtesy Adam Warwick, The Nature Conservancy)]
U.S.F.S. proposes opening most of Pisgah-Nantahala National Forest to logging
12/13/2014: “WNC’s National Forests at crossroads” — Editorial by Public Lands Field Biologist Josh Kelly in the Asheville Citizen-Times. (May require login).
Press Release from the Southern Environmental Law Center
For Release: Nov. 12, 2014
Contact: Kathleen Sullivan, SELC, 919-945-7106 or ksullivan@selcnc.org
Forest Service proposes massive logging program in an area bigger than the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—In what conservation groups flag as a dramatic shift, the U.S. Forest Service is proposing industrial-scale logging in the vast majority of the Pisgah-Nantahala National Forest in western North Carolina – about 700,000 acres, or an area bigger than the Great Smoky Mountain National Park – instead of protecting popular backcountry recreation destinations and conserving the Blue Ridge landscapes treasured by residents and tourists from across the United States.
“Under the law and for everyone who enjoys America’s forests, the Forest Service’s first priority should be fixing the mistakes of the past – restoring the parts of the forest already damaged by prior logging,” said DJ Gerken, senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center. “But the misguided logging plan proposed by the agency will repeat those old mistakes, causing more damage and putting the healthiest forests we have left on the chopping block. The people who use and love these forests won’t stand for cutting them down.”
The Forest’s new proposal would inevitably increase logging over the levels of recent years, though the precise amount has not been disclosed. “This increase would come from ramping up logging all over the forest, including backcountry areas like the South Mills River area, home to the popular Black Mountain Trail,” said Hugh Irwin, conservation planner for The Wilderness Society. According to Forest Service documents, such areas would be managed for “timber production,” which it interprets as “the purposeful growing and harvesting of crops of trees to be cut into logs.”
This industrial-style logging would also require cutting new roads for trucks and equipment into sensitive, unspoiled backcountry areas. “Not only is that destructive and disruptive, it’s also fiscally irresponsible,” added Irwin. “The agency shouldn’t be expanding its road system when it can’t even afford to maintain the roads it already has.” Agency reports confirm that the Forest has less than 13 percent of the funds needed to maintain its existing roads, leading to safety and water quality problems. Several popular roads remain closed due to unrepaired washouts.
“This proposal is absolutely the wrong direction for the forest,” said Ben Prater, director of conservation for Wild South. “Times have changed, and our mountain economy doesn’t depend just on logging anymore. We should be capitalizing on our wonderful Blue Ridge forests, not cutting them down. Treating practically the entire Pisgah-Nantahala as a ‘crop’ is simply irresponsible.”
The Pisgah-Nantahala National Forest has become a tourism and recreation destination, and revenue generated by visitors is a major driver of the western North Carolina economy. The National Forests of North Carolina are the third most visited national forest in the country. Industrial logging not only damages scenery and natural features, which are the key draw for half of those visits, but also requires popular areas to be closed to the public for months at a time while trees are being cut. “They’re our public lands,” says Prater. “Where is the balance?”
Josh Kelly, public lands biologist for the Western North Carolina Alliance, calls the proposal a “missed opportunity.” According to Kelly, “the Forest Service could sell more timber, meet game wildlife goals for hunters, and fulfill its ecological responsibilities by focusing its limited budget on restoring degraded areas with existing road access. We have a historic opportunity to care for this forest like it deserves – a real win-win solution – but if the Plan is mired in conflict, none of that work will get done.”
Public participation is important to the planning process underway, in which the U.S. Forest Service will decide how to manage the Pisgah and National Forests for the next 15 years.
TAKE ACTION TO STOP THIS PROPOSAL BY CLICKING HERE NOW!
The public can also comment by email at NCplanrevision@fs.fed.us.
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The Southern Environmental Law Center is a regional nonprofit using the power of the law to protect the health and environment of the Southeast (Virginia, Tennessee, North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama). Founded in 1986, SELC’s team of more than 60 legal and policy experts represent more than 100 partner groups on issues of climate change and energy, air and water quality, forests, the coast and wetlands, transportation, and land use.
www.SouthernEnvironment.org
Volunteers needed for U.S. Forest Service photo data project
A black bear is caught on a candid camera in the Grandfather District of Pisgah National Forest this past summer.
Over the summer, the U.S. Forest Service in the Grandfather District of Pisgah National Forest deployed 50 motion-triggered trail cameras in the forest to determine how animals use a prescribed burn area compared to a non-burned area.
The composition and function of plant communities has been changed, inadvertently, from fire suppression. This biological shift also affects animals’ foraging strategies, and the USFS is interested in quantifying how animal communities are changed in response to the lack of fire.
WHAT: We many still images as data and we need volunteers to help us look through and count the animals that the cameras photographed in the forests.
WHEN: Between now and Nov. 1. The USFS must present phase one of the results in mid-November. They want to know which species were in which locations and how many times they were photographed. After Nov. 1, there is opportunity to continue working with the data using more refined biostats analysis to get an even better sense of how animals perceive habitat.
WHERE: 29 N. Market St., Suite 610 (WNCA’s office). Volunteers will look over the data sheets and collect some memory cards. Volunteers can work with our Forest Keepers Coordinator Alexandra Guest, or on their own, depending on schedule flexibility and their confidence level in managing data.
WHO: Anyone, particularly those interested in wildlife ecology and data management. This is a great resume builder for students, lifelong learners, etc. Volunteer collaborators’ names will be listed with the project when it’s presented by the USFS.
ITEMS NEEDED: Volunteers need a computer with photo software so that they can pull images off of an SD card. Nothing fancy (We use iPhoto). Also required: Excel and some proficiency using it.
Interested volunteers should contact WNCA Forest Keepers Coordinator Alex Guest at Alexandra@WNCA.org
Have your say about the future of the Nantahala-Pisgah National Forests!
Next round of public meetings set
The Forest Service will hold the next round of public meetings this October and November to share information about the proposed Nantahala and Pisgah National Forest Plan, including potential management areas and desired conditions.
The plan will guide management of the Nantahala-Pisgah National Forests for the next 15-20 years.
The meeting will open with a presentation on significant issues, management areas, and the development of plan components. The Forest Service planning team will share some proposed desired condition statements and information about watersheds and recreation settings during an open poster session.
Each of the scheduled meetings will be from 4:30-7:30 p.m., will follow the same agenda and present the same information and opportunity for review and comment.
Meeting dates and locations:
- Pisgah Ranger District: Oct. 21 at the Forge Valley Event Center in Mills River;
- Nantahala Ranger District: Oct. 28 at the Tartan Hall in Franklin;
- Appalachian Ranger District: Nov. 3 at Mars Hill College, Broyhill Chapel in Mars Hill;
- Tusquitee Ranger District: Oct. 30 at the Tri-County Comm. College, Enloe Building in Murphy;
- Cheoah Ranger District: Nov. 6 at the Graham County Community Center in Robbinsville;
- Grandfather Ranger District: Nov. 13 at McDowell Tech. Comm. College, Room 113 in Marion
Or click here to quickly and easily send your comments now!
The Western North Carolina Alliance will be informing citizens and facilitating their participation in the plan revision process, which will occur over a three-to-four year period. It begins with the Assessment Phase, which will take about a year to complete. During this phase, the Forest Service will collect and compile data and other information on the current state of the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests. The Planning Phase, which follows the Assessment Phase, will take two to three years to complete. After the plan is completed, the Monitoring Phase will begin and continue until the next plan revision.
In the coming months, the Forest Service will provide details on meetings and other information that foster public participation in the plan revision process. Information about the plan revision process is available online here.
Originally published in 1987, the plan received a significant amendment in 1994. Each national forest and grassland is governed by a management plan in accordance with the National Forest Management Act. These plans set management, protection and use goals and guidelines.
The 2012 Planning Rule guides the planning process. The rule includes stronger protections for forests, water and wildlife, while supporting the economic vitality of rural communities. It requires the use of the best available scientific information to inform decisions. The 2012 rule strengthens the role of public involvement and dialogue throughout the planning process.
Forest Service sets meeting on wildlife habitat, wild and scenic rivers, and ecological integrity
Join WNCA and others who love our public lands from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. July 10 at the Crowne Plaza Resort in downtown Asheville. The meeting is part of the ongoing Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests Plan Revision and will focus on the areas outlined below.
In each section, we have also listed the concerns that WNCA’s Public Lands program staff would like to see addressed during each session.
We hope you’ll join us on July 10 and have your say about the future of these precious National Forests!
Wildlife Session (9-11:30 a.m.)
· The Forest Service has been narrowly focused on wildlife species that benefit from human disturbance, such as logging;
· A more inclusive consideration of wildlife and wildlife needs is needed to have a balanced plan;
· There are many rare species that prefer mature forest – these species are just as important as those that prefer young forests;
· Aquatic species need the same level of attention as terrestrial species;
· Of particular concern are species, like salamanders, that can’t move long distances.
Wild and Scenic River Session (11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.)
· Wild and Scenic Designation protects the water quality and scenery of rivers and streams;
· Eligible Rivers, such as the Nolichucky, should be recommended for designation;
· Other streams, like Santeetlah Creek, that meet Wild and Scenic criteria should be added to the list of eligible streams;
Ecological Integrity Session (1 – 3:30 p.m.)
· Ecological integrity is a key component of the 2012 Forest Service Planning Rule;
· Ecological integrity is defined as “the ability of an ecological system to support and maintain a community of organisms that has species composition, diversity, and functional organization comparable to those of natural habitats within a region.” [The Nature Conservancy 2003];
· “Plans will include plan components to maintain or restore ecological integrity, so that ecosystems can resist change, are resilient under changing conditions, and are able to recover from disturbance.” [2012 Planning Rule];
· Providing for connectivity of natural habitats by preventing or reducing fragmentation caused by roads and development is an important concept of ecological integrity, as is protecting core forest areas, like roadless portions of our National Forest;
· Protecting riparian forests and wetlands and eliminating artificial barriers, like culverts and dams, is important to the ecological integrity of aquatic systems;
· The strongest tool for protecting ecological integrity in the Forest Service planning rule is requiring the Forest Service to define the Natural Range of Variation of ecosystems on each forest;
· The Natural Range of Variation describes the range of conditions expected from natural ecosystems and is a dynamic concept that allows ecosystem changes that are not artificial.
For more information, contact
Public Lands Biologist Josh Kelly at Josh@WNCA.org
You can also learn more about the Forest Plan Revision process and get further details about the July 10 meeting here.
Have your say on the future of the Nantahala-Pisgah National Forests
(US Forest Service)
Asheville Citizen-Times: April 6, 2014
“The public can give input on their favorite forest views, as well as how the U.S. Forest Service manages wilderness, specially designated areas and scenic views at an April 17 meeting at Crowne Plaza Resort. This public session is the latest in the three-phase, multiyear process of revising the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests Management Plan.
Forest Service planner Ruth Berner said the plan, expected to be completed by 2016, will guide management of Nantahala and Pisgah forests on how to manage for timber, wildlife, water, recreation and other uses, for the next 15 years.
Nantahala and Pisgah are two of four national forests in North Carolina, covering more than 1 million acres of the Western North Carolina mountains. Pisgah and Nantahala are among the most visited national forests in the nation, with more than 6 million visitors a year.”
MEETING DETAILS:
The U.S. Forest Service will hold a discussion on wilderness and special designated areas from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. April 17, with a drop-in session on the Scenery Management System following, at the Crowne Plaza Resort, 1 Resort Drive, Asheville.
To participate in the wilderness and/or designated areas discussion, RSVP to NCPlanRevision@fs.fed.us by Thursday. For more information on the plan, or to comment, click here.
To send comments, use the comment link on the above website, or click here.