Saving a Pristine Appalachian Forest

One of eastern Tennessee’s premiere trout streams and ancient forests is about to be bulldozed by a major logging project in the north end of the Cherokee National Forest. The proposed Rough Ridge timber sale just east of Johnson City, Tenn., would also degrade mature forests and chop up scenic views along the Appalachian Trail and other paths popular with outdoor enthusiasts.

The Forest Service plans to log 267 acres in eight chunks scattered throughout the watershed of Laurel Fork. Laurel Fork is one of the most pristine streams in the Appalachians. The timber sale also involves building or rebuilding almost five miles of logging roads, which will also contribute to muddy runoff into the Laurel Fork.

The timber sale violates the National Environmental Policy Act as well as the Forest Service's own guidelines, says Southern Environmental Law Center's Sarah Francisco: “It’s astonishing, really, that the Forest Service would choose to put a large-scale timber sale smack dab in the middle of one of its premier trout habitat and trail areas.”

“I’ve been going Laurel Fork for 40 years, and have taken four generations of my family to enjoy camping, picnics, trout fishing, and hiking to beautiful waterfalls,” says Catherine Murray, Executive Director of the Cherokee Forest Voices. “There is something here for everyone. It would be a shame to spoil it.”

The Forest Service directs each forest to preserve existing old growth – and to set aside future old-growth reserves – in executing each timber sale and other projects. In the Laurel Fork watershed, the Cherokee managers failed to do so, even though the conservation groups conducted field surveys to identify and recommend older forest areas in the watershed.

“The Forest Service did not designate any old-growth forest in reviewing this logging project, continuing a pattern of not following its own management plan or regional direction to establish an old-growth network,” says Hugh Irwin with the Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition.

According to the Forest Service's own statistics, well over 2 million people visited the Cherokee National Forest in 2002, and annual spending per visitor on outdoor recreation averages $1,197. State numbers show that travel and tourism provide Carter County upwards of $25 million a year and more than 150 jobs. The Rough Ridge area has plentiful features to attract these outdoor enthusiasts. It is part of the Watauga Lake Recreation Zone and the Laurel Fork Black Bear Reserve, and is bordered by the Dennis Cove Recreation Area, the Pond Mountain Wilderness Area, and the Slide Hollow Roadless Area. The A.T. runs along one edge of the project area and overlooks all stands slated for logging, and the project area itself is criss-crossed by hiking and mountain biking trails.

By contrast, Francisco said, the agency estimates getting $283,970 for the timber. But, she noted, it says it will spend $243,841 to conduct the sale, and that doesn’t even include the cost of the legally required environmental analysis.

The Southern Environmental Law Center filed an appeal of this logging project on August 20, 2007 on behalf of the Cherokee Forest Voices and Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition. They are calling the Forest Service on its failure to protect water quality and recreational values of this area, and its failure to designate existing and future old-growth forest stands.

-W.H.