NC’s National Forests May Remain Roadless Department Of Ag Accepts Petitions By Scott Nicholson North Carolina’s national forests have a good chance of remaining “roadless” under petitions from three states approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The petitions were drafted this spring by the governors of North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, and were reviewed by an advisory committee that is looking at possible changes to the roadless status of national forests nationwide. The protections were put in place by the Clinton Administration and the Bush Administration set up a review of those rules. N.C. Gov. Mike Easley came out strongly in support of extending the protection, drafting a 13-page petition in March. Easley’s letter to the committee said, “This new rule would impose a vague new beauracratic process on the management of North Carolina’s 1.23 million acres of national forest land without providing commensurate benefits.” Regional conservation groups hailed the acceptance of the petitions as a step to solidify permanent protection of national forests from further road development. “This is encouraging,” said Matt Wasson, conservation director for Boone-based Appalachian Voices. “It’s encouraging that the governors of these states are at the forefront in valuing our natural resources.” While Wasson acknowledged that administrative rules could be changed at any time, the advisory committee’s acceptance of petitions from individual states signaled a shift toward more local input on managing roadless areas. The committee is accepting roadless petitions from states until Nov. 1. States that don’t file petitions will continue to be managed according to the individual national forest’s resource and land management plan. In a press release, Easley said, “I am pleased that North Carolina is among the first states to have its petition accepted but this is only a first step in protecting these roadless National Forest areas in North Carolina from development. We look forward to joining with the National Forest Service representatives to expeditiously work toward putting permanent rules in place so these lands remain unspoiled for future generations.” According to the petition, 15 percent of the state’s national forests are in inventoried roadless areas. The U.S. Forest Service estimates nearly 20,000 acres are in management areas that emphasize commercial timber harvesting, though only half is suitable for logging because of terrain, access and other factors. The N.C. petition reads, “The forest products industry is important to North Carolina’s economy and should not be compromised. However, these numbers suggest that inventoried roadless areas can be protected with no significant impact on timber harvest levels.” The state has received 50,000 comments expressing support for continued protection of roadless areas since the issue arose in 1998. The petition cited protection of drinking water air quality and wildlife habitat as factors in ensuring continued protection, as well as the preservation of viewsheds from the Blue Ridge Parkway. Such pristine national forests offer “unique outdoor recreation opportunities” that enhance the travel and tourism industries. The Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition, based in Asheville, also hailed the approval of the petition, noting that protection of the forest lands wouldn’t close existing roads or prohibit access for hunting, camping, hiking or fishing. Under the current rules, new roads could be built for emergency situations such as fire fighting or public safety. “The path may be unnecessarily long and winding, but the people of the Southern Appalachians are being heard,” said forest coalition director Mark Shelley. “They hold their roadless areas dear and want them protected, so protect them already. Now it will be up to the forest service to uphold this request.” Wasson said national forests with roadless areas are still eligible for designation as “wilderness areas,” which would permanently prevent the development of future roads. North Carolina’s national forests are the Nantahala, Pisgah and Uwharrie.