James Melonas, deputy supervisor of the National Forests in North Carolina (NFsNC) office addressed a crowd of Forest Service colleagues at an April national training in Denver to share his thoughts on the ongoing Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests plan revision effort in Western North Carolina. His message: be transparent and build trust. “Really focusing […]]]>James Melonas, deputy supervisor of the National Forests in North Carolina (NFsNC) office addressed a crowd of Forest Service colleagues at an April national training in Denver to share his thoughts on the ongoing Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests plan revision effort in Western North Carolina.
His message: be transparent and build trust. “Really focusing on relationships and engaging folks as early as possibly well before the revision starts is critical,” Melonas said.
A national forest management plan provides a general framework to guide a forest in managing its resources for the next two decades. The environmental impact statement estimates the cumulative environmental impacts that may result from the proposed draft forest plan.
Michelle Aldridge, planning staff officer and forest planner of NFsNC, says that the Forest Service has been sharing building blocks of the plan and will continue to unveil pieces of the draft revised forest plan throughout the summer. The agency will present the complete draft plan to the public in late autumn.
As for now, Aldridge said Forest Service staff members remain focused on developing and fine-tuning various aspects of the draft. A 90-day comment period will follow that includes public meetings at multiple locations throughout Western North Carolina will follow the fall release.
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When you stand on a ridge or mountaintop in Western North Carolina, maybe from Wayah Bald in the Nantahala National Forest or Waterrock Knob on the Blue Ridge Parkway, it might look like miles of rippling green and blue mountains. But what you’re really looking at is a checkerboard, said Carl Silverstein, executive director of […]]]>When you stand on a ridge or mountaintop in Western North Carolina, maybe from Wayah Bald in the Nantahala National Forest or Waterrock Knob on the Blue Ridge Parkway, it might look like miles of rippling green and blue mountains.
But what you’re really looking at is a checkerboard, said Carl Silverstein, executive director of the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, an Asheville-based nonprofit land trust. Visualize these forests as black and white boxes of public lands and private lands, he said.
And blending them into a beautiful, sustainable, cohesive landscape is more like a high-stakes game of chess, or Monopoly – making the right move at the right time with the right amount and source of money.
The movers, shakers and money-makers were able to pull off a win in two recent deals. This summer the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy purchased two parcels totaling 219 acres that will eventually be added to the Nantahala National Forest and open to the public.
One of the tracts contains Big Creek, a headwater tributary of the Chattooga National Wild and Scenic River. The other is located on Tanasee Ridge and can potentially provide an alternate gateway to Panthertown Valley, a popular area for outdoor recreation. Both have long been priorities for addition to the Nantahala National Forest.
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The Cheoah Ranger District on the Nantahala National Forest now has two new Kids in Parks TRACK Trails, designed to turn an ordinary hike into a fun-filled, discovery-packed adventure. At the Massey Branch Fitness Trail and the Cheoah Trail, both located across from the Cheoah Ranger District Office in Robbinsville, visitors will now find new […]]]>The Cheoah Ranger District on the Nantahala National Forest now has two new Kids in Parks TRACK Trails, designed to turn an ordinary hike into a fun-filled, discovery-packed adventure.
At the Massey Branch Fitness Trail and the Cheoah Trail, both located across from the Cheoah Ranger District Office in Robbinsville, visitors will now find new trailhead signs with activity guides that allow young hikers to learn about and connect with the natural features found along the trail. On the Cheoah Trail, explore the historic site of the 1940s Civil Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp. The Fitness Trail has a variety of different exercise stations along the trail.
After their hike, kids can register their TRACK Trail adventures at kidsinparks.com to earn prizes designed to make their next outdoor adventure more meaningful and to encourage continued participation in the program.
The TRACK trails on the Cheoah Ranger District were created in cooperation with the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation-Kids in Parks Program with funding and support provided by the Duke Energy Foundation, Graham County Travel and Tourism, and the Graham Revitalization and Economic Action Team.
The goal of Kids in Parks TRACK Trails is to engage children and families in outdoor recreation to foster lifelong wellness and meaningful connections to nature. Since the program’s inception in 2009, more than 1.5 million TRACK Trail adventures have been completed. Other trail locations, hiking tips, and information on nature and safety that is beneficial for parents, teachers, and people of all ages can be found at www.kidsinparks.com.
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The USDA Forest Service is extending the comment period for the proposed Nantahala and Pisgah forest plan and draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) by an additional 45 days. The public review and comment period, which was previously scheduled for February 14 through May 14, will now end on June 29, 2020. “Since we released the […]]]>The USDA Forest Service is extending the comment period for the proposed Nantahala and Pisgah forest plan and draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) by an additional 45 days.
The public review and comment period, which was previously scheduled for February 14 through May 14, will now end on June 29, 2020.
“Since we released the plan in February, we’ve had to make some changes to the ways that we engage with the public,” said Allen Nicholas, Forest Supervisor for the National Forests in North Carolina. “Most of our March open houses were canceled, so we’ve created new opportunities to ensure that everyone can learn more about the plan and ask us questions.”
Beginning May 18, 2020 and continuing through the end of the comment period, the forest website will feature a virtual open house. Similar to an open house meeting, information will be organized by topics such as recreation, wildlife, timber, and wilderness. In addition to the proposed plan and analysis, a full suite of supporting materials are already online, including a 2-minute introductory video, a visual Readers Guide, an overview presentation, detailed presentations, questions and answers on multiple topics, and interactive maps.
The planning team will answer public questions through conference calls. These do not require internet access to attend. To join, call 888-251-2949 or 215-861-0694 using access code 3889103# at the following times:
May 28, 6:30-8 p.m.
June 2, 7:30-9 a.m.
June 4, 5:30-7 p.m.
June 8, noon-1:30 p.m.
Questions may be submitted in advance by email to [email protected]. This email address is exclusively for submitting questions for the telephone question and answer sessions. Comments on the proposed plan must be submitted through the online commenting system or by mail. For more information, including how to submit a question or comment, please visit www.fs.usda.gov/goto/nfsnc/nprevision.
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Drafts of the Nantahala and Pisgah forest plan and environmental impact statement (EIS) are now available. A formal 90-day public review and comment period is scheduled to begin on February 14,2020. The proposed plan is built on significant public engagement and the best available science to guide forest management for the next 15 years. It […]]]>Drafts of the Nantahala and Pisgah forest plan and environmental impact statement (EIS) are now available. A formal 90-day public review and comment period is scheduled to begin on February 14,2020.
The proposed plan is built on significant public engagement and the best available science to guide forest management for the next 15 years. It recognizes the multiple uses of national forests including recreation, timber, water, wilderness, and wildlife habitat. The draft EIS considers the economic, environmental, and social impacts of forest management activities.
“We heard from a wide range of people and groups who use, depend on, and appreciate the forests as we developed the plan,” said Allen Nicholas, Forest Supervisor of the National Forests in North Carolina. “We’re sharing this proposed plan so the public can review it and provide additional information before the plan is finalized.”
The proposed plan describes how the Forest Service will increase forest restoration, generate more jobs and economic development in local communities, and promote sustainable use of the national forests. The draft EIS presents four alternative approaches to managing the forests that offer different ways to make progress towards multiple goals and be sensitive to special places.
“These drafts are significantly different from the early plan materials we shared in 2017 because we’ve incorporated public feedback received since then,” said Michelle Aldridge, team lead for the forest plan revision. “Using public input, we’ve re-written parts of the plan, changed management area boundaries, and added a new chapter about places and uses on each part of the forest. We built alternatives based upon what we heard were shared values to offer win-win solutions and minimize polarization,” Aldridge said.
The drafts are available online at www.fs.usda.gov/goto/nfsnc/nprevision. The formal comment period ends May 14, 2020. Public comments are most helpful when they include detailed information about specific places and uses of the forest.
Public meetings will be held at the dates and locations below for participants to talk with planning team members. Additional public meetings are being scheduled across the forests. Check our website for updated information.
March 10, 5:30-8:30pm at the Foothills Conference Center, 2128 S. Sterling St., Morganton, NC.
March 16, 5:30-8:30pm at the Rogow Family Community Room, Brevard Library, 212 S Gaston St, Brevard, NC.
March 19, 5:30-8:30pm at the Brasstown Community Center, 255 Settawig Rd, Brasstown, NC.
March 24, 5:30-8:30pm at First Presbyterian Church’s Tartan Hall, 26 Church Street, Franklin NC.
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Ecology provides the primary impetus for most dam removal projects. At the most basic level, eliminating these barriers allows native species to reach previously inaccessible habitats. “We have the highest freshwater species diversity in the country right here in the southeastern U.S.,” says Jason Farmer, fisheries biologist for the Cheoah Ranger District of Nantahala National Forest. “We now manage our streams to give those species the greatest opportunity to persist and expand into other areas.”
Even when a species is already present both above and below a dam, removal can strengthen the health of the population through recombining genetically separate groups. Farmer says that this was the case for the hellbender salamander in Santeetlah Creek. When the Forest Service removed the dam, the two once-fragmented populations began mixing to mate. The additional diversity reduces inbreeding and improves the hellbender’s prospects in the area.
A small dam removal project can run anywhere from $15,000 to $150,000. About 75 percent of that total accounts for the actual dam demolition and stream restoration, while the remaining 25 percent covers the necessary design, engineering and permitting.
One of the largest expenses is the removal of the sediment that accumulates behind the dam over the course of its lifespan. Heavy equipment is usually necessary to dredge loads of muck from the streambed, and toxic waste disposal may be required for sediment associated with industrial dams. In especially vulnerable environments, endangered species surveys and relocation tack on further costs.
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In November 2012, the U.S. Forest Service began work on a comprehensive revision of the Land Management Plan for North Carolina’s Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests. It reasonably might have been expected to end in 2016. Instead, the politically complicated process remains underway with some crucial stages just ahead. If the prospect of assisting a […]]]>In November 2012, the U.S. Forest Service began work on a comprehensive revision of the Land Management Plan for North Carolina’s Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests. It reasonably might have been expected to end in 2016. Instead, the politically complicated process remains underway with some crucial stages just ahead.
If the prospect of assisting a large federal agency in developing a comprehensive plan overseeing 1 million acres of public land makes you weary, you may not be alone.
The multi-year process of gathering science and public information to create a comprehensive management plan for Western North Carolina’s two national forests is approaching a major milestone: in late summer, the U.S. Forest Service expects to present a draft plan with management alternatives and a draft environmental impact statement.
The overall strategies outlined in the plan may have broad implications, including which acres and rivers are recommended for greater protection. Recommendations for management of forest resources could range from improving wildlife habitat to the protection of Native American cultural resources. A final management decision will be made in 2019 by the supervisor of the Forest Service’s North Carolina office.
To engage more residents of Western North Carolina in the plan revision, member organizations of the Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Partnership are sponsoring several expert panel discussions about the forest management plan at four locations throughout Western North Carolina this month. The events are not sponsored by the Forest Service. The Partnership is among several cooperative efforts formed around the revision to gather interest groups to discuss aspects of the plan.
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The forests of western North Carolina have long been recognized for providing exceptional quality of life, offering world-class outdoor experiences and supporting vibrant local economies. They are even acknowledged as the birthplace of America’s forest management: When George Vanderbilt sought refuge from city life in the late 1800s, he chose a picturesque valley in western […]]]>The forests of western North Carolina have long been recognized for providing exceptional quality of life, offering world-class outdoor experiences and supporting vibrant local economies.
They are even acknowledged as the birthplace of America’s forest management: When George Vanderbilt sought refuge from city life in the late 1800s, he chose a picturesque valley in western North Carolina for his mountain home, the Biltmore Estate, where he hired a young Gifford Pinchot to manage his vast property.
But when the industrialist built the Biltmore, these forests looked very different then they do today. As early as the 1880s, logging companies had removed most of the valuable timber from New England and the Great Lakes region and were buying and logging forests in the Pacific Northwest and the Southeast, including the forests of western North Carolina. Eastern farmers who had exhausted their lands and had moved west also left behind land prone to fire and erosion. The abandoned farms and badly cut-over forests became known as “the lands that nobody wanted.”
Recognizing the important ecologic value of restoring forests on “the lands that nobody wanted,” Vanderbilt hired Pinchot to create America’s first forestry management plan for his 100,000-acre estate. It was here that Pinchot honed his skills, developing methods to maximize sustainable timber production while simultaneously protecting the natural waterways and other abundant natural resources.
So successful was Pinchot in managing the Biltmore Estate that he was recruited by the federal government to assist Teddy Roosevelt’s vision of a national forest service to manage vast tracts of wild forests throughout the country.
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A highly prized 50-acre slice of forest will remain forever untouched as it officially becomes part of the Nantahala National Forest. The relatively small Fires Creek parcel on the Cherokee-Clay county line of the 500,000-acre forest was the object of a contentious, decade-long battle among the private landowners, the U.S. Forest Service and forest visitors […]]]>A highly prized 50-acre slice of forest will remain forever untouched as it officially becomes part of the Nantahala National Forest.
The relatively small Fires Creek parcel on the Cherokee-Clay county line of the 500,000-acre forest was the object of a contentious, decade-long battle among the private landowners, the U.S. Forest Service and forest visitors who wanted to see a wilderness-like setting remain in its natural state.
Everyone involved seemed to walk away satisfied Nov. 20, 2017 when the nonprofit Mainspring Conservation Trust closed on the property to keep Fires Creek forever preserved in conservation.
The outright purchase of the land, which contains no structures, was a welcome holiday gift for the land trust and the many forest users including hikers, hunters and anglers who are still seeking solitude in nature.
“Fires Creek is designated as an Outstanding Resource Water, the highest designation available in North Carolina,” said Sharon Taylor, Mainspring executive director.
The Nantahala National Forest is a sweeping swath of forest that covers some of the most rugged, remote, scenic country in the mountains of Western North Carolina. It is home to several wilderness areas, including Ellicott Rock, Southern Nantahala and Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock.
The forest is crisscrossed with trails, streams, lakes, wildlife corridors, waterfalls, precious plants and wildlife, all of it undeveloped except for campgrounds and hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding trails.
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If you’re one of the 4.6 million people who visit the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests each year, you already know how incredible this corner of the Southern Appalachians is. Perhaps you’ve paddled down the Tuckasegee River, climbed at Looking Glass, or hiked in Linville Gorge. No matter your preferred form of adventure, you know […]]]>If you’re one of the 4.6 million people who visit the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests each year, you already know how incredible this corner of the Southern Appalachians is. Perhaps you’ve paddled down the Tuckasegee River, climbed at Looking Glass, or hiked in Linville Gorge. No matter your preferred form of adventure, you know the Nantahala-Pisgah offers access to unparalleled outdoor recreation opportunities — access and opportunity that’s hard to put a price on.
But now a series of new economic studies, commissioned by the Outdoor Alliance, does just that: researchers from Eastern Kentucky University found that outdoor recreation in the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests generates $115 million in annual spending on paddling, climbing, and mountain biking — while also supporting local jobs and attracting both businesses and residents to Western North Carolina.
“More people visit the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests each year than Yellowstone — people who bike, paddle, raft, hike, climb, and otherwise enjoy these treasured public lands,” said Adam Cramer, Executive Director of Outdoor Alliance. “These national forests provide adventures that feed the souls of millions of visitors. Collectively these visitors spend a ton of money and make these cherished national forests economic powerhouses that generate jobs and income throughout the region.”
The research comes as U.S. Forest Service officials update a plan that will guide management of the Nantahala and Pisgah forests for the next 15 to 20 years. The studies illustrate why human-powered recreation deserves to be a top priority for the U.S. Forest Service as it completes this new plan in the coming months.
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