The Riceville forest and the trees

It seems likely that not many people are aware that the Pisgah National Forest dips down into the Riceville community in east Asheville. The Shope Creek section of the forest interfaces with suburban civilization at the end of Shope Creek Road. It is the only piece of national forest on the southern slope of the Black Mountains in Buncombe County other than a thin strip that crosses I-40 on the verge of its big drop to Old Fort and flatland. 

By some accounts, Shope Creek is a rich wildlife habitat for birds, salamanders, trout, bear, turkey, bobcat, fox and probably cougar.  There are diverse mature tree stands, verdant ridgeline vistas and cascading mountain creeks. Shope Creek trails meander up to the Blue Ridge Parkway and link to the Mountains to Sea Trail below Lane Pinnacle.  Altogether the area is one of the Asheville area’s great “secret” recreational sites. 

Managers of the National Forest are familiar with the Shope Creek forest and intend to log it. A timber proposal prepared by the forest’s Appalachian Ranger District includes two-age harvesting, which, the plan says, “removes most trees.” The plan calls for the removal of all white pines (which are said to be prey to insect infestations), the introduction of herbicide spraying and the reopening and repair of decrepit roads. It goes on to suggests that there is “a need to develop up to 10 percent early-successional wildlife habitat in the project area.” As defined by National Forest rules, “wildlife habitat” means “game habitat.” Old growth forests do not support designated target animals such as deer, bear and turkey.

National Forest managers have scheduled an open house meeting at the Riceville Community Center, April 26, from 4 to 7 p.m. to share information on the proposal, take comments, and respond to questions and concerns.

— Cecil Bothwell, staff writer

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Cecil Bothwell
A writer for Mountain Xpress since three years before there WAS an MX--back in the days of GreenLine. Former managing editor of the paper, founding editor of the Warren Wilson College environmental journal, Heartstone, member of the national editorial board of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, publisher of Brave Ulysses Books, radio host of "Blows Against the Empire" on WPVM-LP 103.5 FM, co-author of the best selling guide Finding your way in Asheville. Lives with three cats, macs and cacti. His other car is a canoe. Paints, plays music and for the past five years has been researching and soon to publish a critical biography--Billy Graham: Prince of War:

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

One thought on “The Riceville forest and the trees

  1. Leonard C. Harwood

    I expect there will be, as usual, a lot of outlandish statements, all untrue, but plaese don’t begain with statements like “probably cougar”. If there is a cougar, it will have it’s orgin in the Western US. If there were cougar, to facilitate their need of prey animals, much more timber harvest would be necessary to afford habitat for deer.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.