Beauty, they say, is in the eye of the beholder. That also goes for
value. Covering the landscape along a mountain road, trees are lovely to
behold and create vistas that draw visitors--and their money--to western
North Carolina. Thinned out, they provide prime habitat for many species
of wildlife and a valuable source of timber. So the U.S. Forest Service
plans to begin logging 212 acres south of Blowing Rock next year,
despite the ill will the plan has reaped.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
More than 1,000 people commented on the Forest Service's
initial proposal. Watauga County, Blowing Rock and Boone opposed it--an
uncommon move for local governments--and passed resolutions supporting a
special designation to protect the scenic views that help drive the
region's tourism industry. The Forest Service revised its plan and
says it has bent over backward to accommodate complaints.
The harvest will be scattered throughout an 11,225-acre section of
Pisgah National Forest, with no clear-cutting allowed. That will
increase costs and reduce revenue for whoever wins the bid to cut the
trees, says Bob Slocum, executive vice president of the North Carolina
Forestry Association, which represents timber companies and related
interests. "That type of harvest is what the Forest Service has
gone to because of environmental pressure from various groups."
The trees might be cut in stages over a decade, and those in
popular scenic areas are more likely to be spared. "We're
leaving probably twice as many trees as we normally would," Forest
Service spokesman Terry Seyden says.
That might not be enough to appease opponents. At least one,
Charlottesville, Va.-based Southern Environmental Law Center, isn't
ruling out a lawsuit that could delay or derail the project. It contends
that the plan doesn't adequately protect views or old-growth trees.
Spokeswoman Cat McCue says the group will continue talking with the
Forest Service in hopes of avoiding legal action, but that dialogue has
gone on for several years. "We are willing to hear from the Forest
Service again, but the community is very strongly behind a designated
scenic area. And we support that."
COPYRIGHT 2008 Business North
Carolina Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission.
Copyright 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning. All rights
reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.
NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.