• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

State's National Forests Among the Endangered

Posted on: Thursday, 13 October 2005, 03:00 CDT

By John Cramer john.cramer@roanoke.com 981-3140

The George Washington and Jefferson National Forests are among the most endangered national forests in the United States, according to a report released today by the National Forest Protection Alliance.

Logging remains the greatest threat to the two Southwest Virginia forests, especially timber harvesting of old-growth trees, sensitive streamside areas, roadless zones and critical habitats for wildlife, according to the report, titled "America's Endangered National Forests: Lumber, Landfill or Living Legacy?"

Additional damage comes from illegal use of off-road vehicles, including all-terrain vehicles, four-wheel-drive vehicles and dirt bikes, which kill plants, cause soil erosion and cloud streams with sediment, according to the report.

Forest Service spokeswoman Donna Wilson said George Washington and Jefferson National Forests officials had not seen the report and had no comment. Forest Service policy states that timber harvesting is necessary to maintain forest health, reduce wildfire risk, diversify wildlife habitats and fulfill the agency's mission of multiple uses.

The National Forest Protection Alliance, a network of environmental groups, has published its endangered forests biennial report three times since 2001. Only two national forests -- the George Washington and Jefferson, and the Tongass in Alaska -- have been included each time.

Michael Mortimer, an assistant forestry professor at Virginia Tech and the Virginia chairman-elect of the Society of American Foresters, said the coalition's biennial reports are inaccurate, sensational and unscientific.

"None of the [timber harvesting, road work and gas drilling] 'threats' these folks mention are actually threats," to the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, Mortimer said. "They are really just undesirable activities to these particular 'zero-cut' advocates.

"I would describe these 'reports' as propaganda put forward by a set of interest groups opposed to commercial timber harvesting on the national forests. It is comprised of opinions and anecdotes gussied up to look official. It should be treated for what it is: advertising."

Nationwide, the Forest Service manages 192 million acres of forest and grasslands, including 97 million acres that are considered productive timberland.

The latest report says America's national forests are more valuable -- for local economies, drinking water, clean air, wildlife, flood control, biodiversity and spiritual peace -- when they are used for recreation and tourism rather than for logging, mining and other industrial purposes.

National forests provide 2 percent of America's lumber and paper supply. The rest comes from private timberland (60 percent), imports (34 percent) and other public lands (4 percent).

Recreation and tourism in the national forests generated an estimated $11 billion last year in economic value, while timber production from the national forests was valued at $218 million in 2004, the report said.

Conservation groups worry that updated management plans for the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests will increase logging and road construction and reconstruction.

The two forests, which provide mostly oak trees for pulpwood production, has consistently lost money in its timber program -- more than $8 million between 1992 and 1997, according to the report. No recent data was available because the Forest Service discontinued its timber sale tracking data system.

The National Forest Protection Alliance encouraged consumers, manufacturers, retailers and logging companies to shift away from wood products derived from national forests. The forest coalition said people should rely more on certified sustainable lumber, non- wood alternatives and recycled products.

On the Net: www.forestadvocate.org/

Top 10 Most Endangered National Forests

1 Malheur National Forest, Oregon

2 Siskiyou National Forest, Oregon

3 Bureau of Land Management Forests, Western Oregon

4 Alleghany National Forest, Pennsylvania

5 Bighorn National Forest, Wyoming

6 Daniel Boone National Forest, Kentucky

7 Los Padres National Forest, California

8 George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, Virginia

9 Tongass National Forest, Alaska

10 National Forests in Mississippi

Source: Roanoke Times & World News

More News in this Category