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.
“The Future of WNC’s National Forests,” hosted by Carolina Public Press, will be held tomorrow morning, featuring a live interview followed by a public Q&A period with panelists from National Forests of North Carolina, American Whitewater, The Wilderness Society and the NC Wildlife Resources Commission.
With wild ginseng root fetching upward of $800 a pound, untold numbers of poachers have taken to local forests, overwhelming meager law enforcement resources and leaving the plant’s survival in doubt.
