Nantahala News

The deadline for public comment on the 2,500-page Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests plan revision has been extended to Monday, June 29.

Sketches of the Nantahala and Pisgah forest project and environmental impact statement were made available to the public in February by the U.S. Forest Service. The Forest Service states that the plan was revised to manage the complex ecosystems and the needs of users during the next 15 years.

The plan is designed to recognize the resources available in the forest, including recreation, timber, freshwater, wilderness, and wildlife management and preservation. 

Forest Supervisor of the National Forests in North Carolina Allen Nicholas said the designs were inspired by input about the project. 

“We heard from a wide range of people and groups who use, depend on and appreciate the forests as we developed the plan,” Allen Nicholas told The Mountaineer. “We’re sharing this proposed plan so the public can review it and provide additional information before the plan is finalized.” 

Included in the forest plan is a description of how the U.S. Forest Service will restore the forests and add more jobs and economic value to local area.

Michelle Aldridge, who is the team leader for the forest plan revision, says these plans are different from other proposed plans. 

“These drafts are significantly different from the early plan materials we shared in 2017 because we’ve incorporated public feedback received since then,” Aldridge told The Mountaineer. “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."

The drafts are available for review at www.fs.usda.gov. The website also offers a 2-minute video overview, a reader's guide and consolidated objectives.