Over the past decade, the N.C. Sierra Club and other environmental groups worked with the US Forest Service in the development of a management plan that will guide its work in the Nantahala and Pisgah national forests for the next 20 years.
The N.C. Sierra Club was among the conservation group stakeholders - along with the Southern Environmental Law Center, MountainTrue, The Wilderness Society, and Defenders of Wildlife - that took part in the USFS revision of the management plan via public and agency-sponsored collaborative group. We were represented by longtime volunteer leader David Reid in the years-long process.
We also provided regular updates to N.C. Sierra Club members and supporters, and guidance on key issues during the public comment period after the draft of the plan was released in February 2020.
Our current Chapter Chair, Hannah Furguiele, also was an active participant before taking her current leadership role. Hannah worked with local groups I Heart Pisgah and Friends of Big Ivy to hold rallies to generate public input, organize letter-writing campaigns, appeal to local and state elected officials, and organize hikes to connect the community to these rich and diverse forests.
Despite the years of collaborative efforts, followed by input from hundreds of our members, supporters and other individuals, the final plan released in February 2023 was far from what we had hoped for. It expands logging, fails to protect identified old-growth, puts habitat for endangered species at risk, and ignores the role that forests play in storing large amounts of carbon. It also fails to provide adequate direction in the protection of state-identified Natural Heritage Areas, exposing some of them to timbering.
Of the 360,000 acres evaluated for wilderness characteristics, environmental organizations urged Wilderness recommendation for a little over 100,000 acres of the most deserving places. Only slightly more than 49,000 acres are recommended in the plan. Some of the 360,000 acres not suitable for wilderness provide valuable backcountry experiences for those seeking solitude. The plan puts some of these areas in the "suitable timber base," meaning they're also vulnerable to future logging. And roads can be built through them, removing them from future consideration as designated wilderness areas.
As management activities proceed under the plan, old growth patches may be discovered that could be of even higher quality than the old growth identified by the plan. Stakeholders recommended a cap-and-trade policy of exchanging lesser-value old growth for protection of the higher quality areas, but the USFS management plan didn't include it.
"The Forest Service is required to manage for the protection of endangered species. The forest plan fails to do this," David explained recently. Conservation groups have criticized the inadequate quality of the data obtained from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the legally required consultation between the two agencies, he said.
The forest plan doesn't adequately address climate change and the intense storms and flooding that are the result, he further explained. "Old trees and undisturbed habitat store much more carbon than younger, logged-over forests."
Hannah agreed, saying, "The best use of a forest is to let it do its natural job of purifying the water, cleaning the air, and controlling flooding."
The N.C. Sierra Club and allied conservation groups are weighing all legal options at this point, including possible litigation over a number of points. We'll keep you posted on any developments via our national forests campaign site, and in future issues of Footnotes Online, our monthly e-newsletter (sign up on this page if you're not already receiving it!).
Meanwhile, you can act by becoming familiar with our state's national forests - the Pisgah and Nantahala, as well as the Croatan on our coast and Uwharrie in the central Piedmont. Learn about each one's natural attributes and sensitive areas. Let the USFS know if you're concerned about changes to a place that you care about.
For areas that are not protected by Pisgah-Nantahala management plan, individual projects are managed within a ranger district. Projects that fall under the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) are required to allow public comment before the decision is made. You can monitor timber management projects in these forests at the USFS page dedicated to the agency's North Carolina lands. (Under the heading "National Forests In North Carolina Current and Recent Projects," scroll down the alphabetized list of subheadings to the Nantahala and Pisgah ranger districts.)
Each project description contains details and a way to find out more about it. Pay attention to the terms "restoration" and "timber management," which often refer to timber sales.
If you're concerned about a proposed project, use the link on each project page (usually in the right-hand navigation pane) to request more information from the USFS. And you can always ask us to help clarify a project's impact as it relates to our environmental and conservation priorities by emailing David Reid.