Trail Ramblings Newsletter

Help save the trails I'm not sure if you've heard, but there are bad things being proposed right now in regards to our wonderful forests in Pisgah. If you enjoy them or have thought of it in the future, then keep reading.



Bad things? Under the proposed plan, 70 percent of forest areas, designated as "suitable for timber" will be open to logging. Yep, the areas you love for riding and running will be stripped of their trees. And not just slowly. Supporters of the proposed plan advocate that a minimum or 4,500 acres be available for logging each year, which, over time, would be devastating to our mountains.



"Bah. Pisgah is HUGE. How could it possibly affect the trails I like?" you might ask. Areas designated "suitable for timber" include the Art Loeb trail (south of BRP), Cat Gap, Farlow Gap in the Fish Hatchery area, Black Mountains, and the Black Mountain areas of Lost Cove Ridge (Black Mountain Campground to Green Knob) and Colbert Ridge (Carolina Hemlocks campground, Celo) Couthouse creek & falls, Overmountain Victory Trail (west of Linville Gorge), Big Ivy (Coleman Boundary), Unaka Mountain, John Rock, Devil's Courthouse Creek and Bluff Mountain near Max Patch. Other areas that should be recommended for consideration as "wilderness" include Black Mountain, Craggy Mountains (Big Ivy), Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Extensions, Linville Gorge Extensions, Mackey Mountain, Middle Prong Extension, Overflow Creek (Blue Valley), Shining Rock Extensions, Snowbird WSA, Southern Nantahala Extensions, Tusquitee Bald, and the Unicoi Mountains. What say you, now?



Want to do something about it? You need to do it NOW as there is a deadline looming of Jan 5th. Yep, that's THIS MONDAY. So do something RIGHT NOW. You're already on a computer or mobile device, so take a few extra minutes and write an email to the US Forestry Service.



Don't know what to write? Not to worry. Fred Schuldt has already written a letter and has offered for you to copy it. It goes a little something like this: I just wrote this letter to the USFS concerning the Management Plan Revision. Please feel free to copy/paste, add your own thoughts, etc. (You can also edit my typos out if you like :D) Send it to NCplanrevision@fs.fed.us before MONDAY. To Whom It May Concern, My name is Fred Schuldt, and I am a long-time resident of Western North Carolina, as well as an avid mountain biker, camper, and outdoorsman. I am concerned about the proposed Management Plan Revison for National Forests in this region. We have some of the most picturesque and biodiverse forests on the entire planet. Our deciduous forests are among the oldest on Earth. We as a society owe the utmost care to management of these resources. Economically, this area attracts millions of tourism dollars from people who visit just to experience the relatively undisturbed backcountry scenery and wilderness access. I do not support commercial logging in these areas heavily used for recreation, such as Pisgah Forest, North Mills River, and Big Ivy. Commercial loggers leave virtual wastelands in their wake, prone to excessive erosion and the further proliferation of invasive species such as kudzu and multiflora rose. Not to mention the horrible blight left within clear view from the Blue Ridge Parkway and Cherohala Skyway scenic roads. I do not support USFS timber production in areas of the forest with heavy recreational use, including the Pisgah District, especially in the Davidson River and South Mills River areas. Timber production in these areas could negatively impact the backcountry recreational experience. I do not support the proposed Wilderness designation in the Pisgah and Grandfather Districts for Daniel Ridge, Laurel Mountain, Cedar Rock Mountain, South Mills River, Woods Mountain, and Jarrettareas. These areas have a high concentration of trails and are heavily used for recreation, including mountain biking. I request that the USFS includ the above-mentioned areas in a new National Recreation Area that would give the land the maximum protection while allowing for mountain biking. I also support a National Recreation Area designation in the Grandfather District that would include Harperâ€™s Creek, Lost Cove, Woods Mountain and Jarret Creek.

Some of the Wilderness proposals in areas where there is no mountain biking make sense. Conservation groups and other forest stakeholders should be tasked to identify these areas. Please consider the overall environmental and economic impact of the proposed plan revision ahead of short-term gains from timber industry. Regards,

Fred Schuldt

Weaverville, NC

So come on, folks. Take a few minutes, use a little copy/paste, and shoot an email that could help make a difference!



See you on the trails,

Marcus Barton