The revised Management Plan was released on January 21, 2022. The Sierra Club, along with other groups, filed an Objection to the draft Record of Decision. The Objection meetings with the Forest Service concluded in early August 2022. Currently we are awaiting the response and decision by the Regional Forester.
North Carolina contains both federal and state protected public lands. National Forests in NC comprise approximately 1.25 million acres across the four units of the USDA US Forest Service lands. These include the coastal Croatan NF, the Uwharrie NF in the middle of the state, and the Pisgah and Nantahala NFs in the mountains of western NC. These lands fall under the "multiple use" management mandate established early in the 20th century for the USDA US Forest Service, influenced by Gifford Pinchot.
The four forests contain eleven (11) Congressionally designated Wilderness Areas established and expanded by three separate pieces of legislation; the original 1964 Wilderness Act, The Eastern Wilderness Act of 1975, and the NC Wilderness Act of 1984. These 11 areas total 107,598 acres of NF Wilderness. Additionally, the 1984 NC Wilderness Act included Five (5) areas established for further review known as Wilderness Study Areas. Summary descriptions of the 11 NC Wilderness Areas can be found on the USFS's Web Site. Consistent with the Club's focus on Climate Change, our technical comments on the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for these forests in June of 2020 not only focused on recommendations for new wilderness, but also emphasized the USFS's responsibility to consider the role the Pisgah and Nantahala play in storing carbon, especially in old growth and mature forest stands. Our position is that the value of these forests lie in their contribution in this regard, and not unrealistic levels of timber production and logging. Link to Sierra Club Forest Conservation Web Page.
The draft Record of Decision (ROD) revised management plan for the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests recommends areas for new Wilderness. However, the Plan itself does not establish Wilderness, that is up to the US Congress. The Sierra Club is hoping for Wilderness recommendations for priority areas on the two Forests which were included in the 2015-16 Wilderness Evaluation done by the USFS as required by law during the Plan revision process. Below is a list of the areas we think deserve permanent Wilderness protection, comprising approximately 108,000 acres.* (However, the draft ROD falls significantly short of this at slightly less than 50,000 acres.) Some are additions to existing designated Wilderness areas. The Wilderness Society's online Mountain Treasures description of these areas can be found by clicking the button below.
The Wilderness Society's Mountain Treasures Interactive GIS Map
Wilderness Study Areas from the 1984 NC Wilderness Act
Lost Cove
Harpers Creek
Craggy Mountains
Overflow
Snowbird
Additions to Existing Wilderness Areas
Linville Gorge Extension
Southern Nantahala Extensions
Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Extensions
Ellicott Rock Extension
Middle Prong Extension
Shining Rock Extensions
Potential New Wilderness Areas
The Black Mountains (Eastern flank of the Black Mountain Range - adjacent and to the NE of Mt. Mitchell State Park)
Mackey Mountain (near Old Fort)
Tusquitee Bald
Unicoi Mountains/Upper Bald River
* Other areas providing backcountry recreation, old growth, rare habitat, and containing areas designated by the NC Natural Heritage Program, deserve protection as well, either through special desgnations or in management areas in the revised Forest Plan not subject to logging and roadbuilding.