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.

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.