typical mudsliding at Jellico photo by D. Mounger
Forest advocates for the Cumberland Plateau are rejoicing in the Forest Service's withdrawal of the Decision to log the Jellico tract in the Daniel Boone National Forest. Located on the Kentucky side of the border with Tennessee the Jellico Project has been in development for five years. The proposal has been hotly contested, as the agency was making spurious claims of "forest health and restoration" to justify logging hundreds of acres of mixed hardwood forest, including uncommon upland old growth walnut-hickory stands. Early in the process, local activists requested our assistance with getting the district's reluctance in providing adequate information about the sale for public comment. We drafted a Freedom of Information Act request on their behalf, pressing a reluctant agency for months to provide requested documents and data. We also spent a weekend exploring key parts of the sale, documenting old growth stands with local activists Jim Scheff and Tina Johnson, as well as evidence of failed past "restoration" cuts and mudslides that plague the sensitive soils of the area when disturbed by logging, poor culvert design, and other impacts. We also analyzed agency policies that showed inconsistencies with stated management recommendations and proposals for the sale. After the district decided to go through with the sale, numerous groups, including the chapter, wrote detailed objections. This week the agency announced it was withdrawing the sale , as the agency "believe(s) there is new information warranting further review, assessment, and consideration of applicability to the project area." While this isn't necessarily the end, it is a significant victory, showing how grassroots organizing on public lands issues can be effective.