As a very dry fall moves toward winter, municipalities, officials, scientists, farmers and citizens all ponder the deepening effects of the drought in Western North Carolina.

As a very dry fall moves toward winter, municipalities, officials, scientists, farmers and citizens all ponder the deepening effects of the drought in Western North Carolina.
As Dogwood Alliance celebrates its 20th anniversary, the local organization reflects on its accomplishments influencing the wood sourcing practices of some of America’s largest corporations. Now the group is poised to take on an even larger challenge: fighting European environmental regulations that Dogwood Alliance says are paradoxically endangering Southern forests.
Press release from U.S. Forest Service and Southern Area Incident Management Team: Incident Resources: 17 crews, 6 helicopters, 1 fixed wing, 64 engines, 16 dozers, 4 water tenders, and 809 total personnel. Boteler Fire (Clay County): The fire continues to be active due to dry conditions and continually falling leaves. Light winds yesterday enabled crews […]
“Unfortunately, the evaluation released by the Forest Service reduces the total acreage eligible for wilderness recommendation in the new forest plan by more than 80 percent. “
While growing food and other crops beneath the forest canopy isn’t new — it’s been practiced by indigenous and traditional cultures around the world for centuries — a new focus on forest farming is highlighting the possibilities of forest-based production of non-timber crops in Western North Carolina.
“Let’s keep Big Ivy just the way it is — wild, scenic, adventurous and uncut.”
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners approved economic incentives, a resolution urging the federal government to designate Big Ivy as wilderness and set a public hearing for the proposed tax schedule during its meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 20.
Emerald ash borers have been detected in WNC, and that’s not good news for the region’s forests.
During an upcoming fundraiser, Wild South will celebrate its own conservation work in addition to awarding the efforts of activists across eight states. Headlining the evening is DeLene Beeland, a local author who will speak about her experiences with endangered red wolves. The Millroom hosts the event on Saturday, May 7.
The U.S. Forest Service sought further information on Monday, Nov. 16 in the early stages of its forest plan, which aims to classify select rivers and lands in the Nantahala and Pisgah forests as further protected under stricter levels of conservation.
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.
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.
I felt a little sick when I heard that dead trees along the Joyce Kilmer Forest trails would be “cut down.” But after visiting the forest last month, I believe the Forest Service did the right thing — both in what they did and how they did it. The point of preservation of the virgin […]
Backed by Rep. Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville, a recently passed federal bill (H.R. 1002) will allow the U.S. Forest Service to buy 88 private acres for better public access to Catawba Falls in McDowell County. With the purchase, the Forest Service can expand the trailhead to the falls and possibly create a parking area. “The public […]
Facing declining numbers of rafters and other tourists, businesses in the Nantahala Gorge are banding for branding.
The next time you go camping in the Smokies, you might want to think twice about complaining to your noisy neighbor. If proposed federal rule changes are approved, he could be packing heat. Loaded guns—whether concealed or not—have long been a no-no in national parks, but the Department of the Interior and at least 50 […]
conserA recent report by the U.S. Forest Service titled National Forests on the Edge lists North Carolina’s national forests as the fourth most-threatened in the nation due to development pressure along their boundaries. In fact, of the 10 most-threatened national forests in the United States, six are in the East, and three of those are […]
After several weeks of rain and Tuesday’s snow in the mountains, U. S. Forest Service officials are lifting the campfire ban in the National Forests in North Carolina; the state also has lifted its burning ban.