“This forest management plan was supposed to be a framework for long-term sustainability of our national forests and carbon storage but instead puts wildlife habitats and old-growth areas at an increased risk, catering to new roads that will increase water pollution and habitat fragmentation.”
“Instead of leveling the woods in a property planned for development, a percentage of trees could be saved, especially mature trees that would help newly planted trees and others thrive.”
“We were willing to match any price bid on the value of the cut timber in exchange for what would amount to a 100-year carbon lease on those acres.”
“It’s inspiring to see so many objections to the disappointing Pisgah-Nantahala forest plan, which wants to maximize logging and minimize protections for the forest.”
“These forests belong to all of us. Cutting them down benefits only a few, while protecting them improves everyone’s health and well-being.”
“Suzanne Simard and countless other scientists have enumerated the many environmental benefits of old-growth forest.”
“The U.S. Forest Service should reconsider its mission and focus less on ‘productivity’ for tree-harvesting and more on sustaining the health and diversity of our national forest lands, streams and rivers.”
“Gifford Pinchot himself pinned it many decades ago in declaring that he doubted that future foresters would truly understand the diverse ecosystems of the Southern Appalachian Mountains in their management decisions.”
“Amid constant change, our forests desperately need intentional manipulations and disturbances. Sure, left alone, Mother Nature will reset these lands for us: But it will be done through ice storms, wildfires and catastrophic, random events.”
“For eight years, the public has consistently and overwhelmingly supported more protections for Pisgah. I hope that the Forest Service finally decides to listen.”
“The Forest Service needs to go back to the drawing board and write a plan that protects our forests — and the health of everyone who lives in these mountains.”
The pending approval of a U.S. Forest Service plan for the roughly 1 million acres that the Nantahala and Pisgah national forests cover in Western North Carolina is likely to influence whether a large swath of the Craggy Mountains should be open for timber harvesting or managed for recreation.
The U.S. Forest Service offered four alternative management plans for the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests in 2020. It has decided to go with a fifth alternative.
Groups in Western North Carolina are continuing their projects while the U.S. Forest Service finalizes its choices for the comprehensive 20-year plan.
Swings in supply and demand, a shortage of truckers and other issues create challenges for companies supplying the lumber industry in North Carolina.
The U.S. Forest Service plans to harvest the majority of trees at 16 sites in Nantahala National Forest beginning next year as part of its Southside Project. Story by Jack Igelman, originally published by Carolina Public Press.
“Let’s keep Big Ivy just the way it is — wild, scenic, adventurous and uncut.”
“Sourcing this energy from the Southeast is putting some of the world’s most biodiverse and precious forests at severe risk.”
An informational meeting regarding the U.S. Forest Service’s long term plans for the Big Ivy section of the Pisgah National Forest drew about 200 people in Barnardsville Feb. 5, with another 100 waiting outside to get in. The crowd voiced strong anti-logging opinions to forest rangers, who are in the process of drafting a new long-term plan for the forest.
A tentative plan by the Forest Service calls for designating most of the Big Ivy area near Barnardsville as a timber production management area. Before finalizing the change, the Forest Service is accepting public feedback and is holding a Feb. 5 meeting at 7 p.m. at the Big Ivy Community Center.
