A Webinar From Carolina Public Press Feb. 20, 2015
INSIDE THE NATIONAL FORESTS
Jack Igelman, Contributing Reporter
Photos: Mike Belleme/Carolina Public Press
! WNC’s two national forests (1.1 million acres)
! One plan covers both forests ! Covers 18 WNC counties ! Last plan revised and updated
in 1994
PISGAH-NANTAHALA NATIONAL FOREST PLAN REVISION
! National Parks = Preservation & Conservation ! National Forests = Multi-use
! Recreation (hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, hunting, boating, camping, fishing, etc…)
! Cultural and historic resources ! Resource harvesting and extraction
! Timber ! Traditional resources ! Minerals ! Natural gas
! Rural economic development ! Water quality
NATIONAL FORESTS VS. NATIONAL PARKS
! 1905 USFS created ! 1911 Weeks Act ! 1916 Pisgah N.F. ! 1920 Nantahala N.F. ! 1976 National Forest
Management Act ! 1987 Pisgah-Nantahala Plan ! 1994 Plan amended ! 2012 Planning Rule
FOREST PLANNING HISTORY
! Establishes forest-wide use goals and objectives & future desired conditions
! Establishes forest-wide management requirements for resources (timber, wilderness, recreation, water, natural areas, etc…)
! Establishes management areas ! Makes recommendations for wilderness, wild and scenic rivers
and other special areas ! Establishes monitoring and evaluation requirements ! National Environmental Policy Act requires an environmental
impact statement ! Requires public participation
WHAT’S A FOREST PLAN
2012 PLANNING RULE
! New guidelines directing revision process
! Emphasizes science, collaboration, and public involvement
! Three phases: ! Phase 1: Assessment (11/12 –
3/14) ! Phase 2: Planning (3/14 – 8/16) ! Phase 3: Monitoring
! 3 to 4 years ! Budget: $2 - $4 million ! Public engagement
WHO USES THE FOREST
Recreation
Hikers Scenic viewing Bicycling Fishing Hunting Backpacking Other
photo credit: Harrison Shull Data: National Visitor Use Monitoring Survey (07-08)
! 2,245 miles of roads (90%+ are closed to vehicles) ! 12.5 miles of road created from ‘01 to ‘11 ! Road uses:
! Search and rescue ! Wildfire ! Forest management ! Resource extraction
! A backlog of repairs (surface and culvert replacement)
ROADS
! Wilderness advocates ! None added to NC since 1984 ! Wilderness groups seek 80,000+ acres on
12 sites & 200,000+ acres of rec. areas
! Wildlife advocates ! Desire more timber management for early
successional habitat (ESH) ! Fewer designations to restrict management
! Controversial management proposal of 700,000 acres (Nov. ‘14)
! River and stream protection ! Energy infrastructure: wind, pipelines,
etc…
ENVIRONMENT
CHANGING RURAL ECONOMY
-80%
-60%
-40%
-20%
0%
20%
40%
60%
Total Emp. For. & fish. rel.
Man. Arts, ent., recreation
% change in employment ‘01 – ‘11
Southwest High Country W. Piedmont
Source: Regional Economic Information System, Bureau of Economic Analysis
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
Timber Travel & Tourism (private)
Agriculture Manufacturing
Southwest High Country Piedmont
% EMPLOYMENT BY SECTOR, 2011
! What is the value of wilderness and other recreational resources?
! County commissions against wilderness.
! Does forest planning favor local interests versus national interests?
! Is the process too short? Too long? Underfunded?
! Challenge of managing a common resource; how do you assign confl icting property r ights; resources used to acquire them.
! Implications for other forest plans ! Final P-N forest plan decision (Late
‘16) ! Energy infrastructure ! Proposals for new eligible wild and
scenic r ivers. ! Evaluation of the USFS
FINDING THE STORY
! Plan revision is managed by National Forests of North Carolina supervisor’s office, Asheville ! Kristin Bail, Supervisor ! Stevin Westcott, Public affairs
! Pisgah-Nantahala revision web site
! Plan assessment document and supplemental reports
! WNC Vitality Index ! NC Dept. of Commerce ! U.S. Census
RESOURCES & DATA
! FOR NORTH CAROLINA’S NATIONAL FORESTS: ! JACK IGELMAN
! [email protected] ! 828-216-0888
! CAROLINA PUBLIC PRESS FOREST LOOKOUTS SERIES http://www.carolinapublicpress.org/category/special-reports/forest-lookouts-wncs-national-forests
! FOR TRAINING & EVENTS FROM CAROLINA PUBLIC PRESS: ! ANGIE NEWSOME
! [email protected] ! 828-279-0949
CONTACT INFORMATION