Logging plan for Cherokee National Forest jeopardizes trout streams, cuts into local tourism economy

One of eastern Tennessee’s premiere trout streams would be greatly impaired by muddy runoff from a major logging project in the north end of the Cherokee National Forest, conservation groups said in an appeal filed today with the U.S. Forest Service. The proposed Rough Ridge timber sale in Carter County would also degrade mature forests and chop up scenic views along the Appalachian Trail and other paths popular with bird watchers, hikers and mountain bikers.

The Forest Service plans to log 267 acres in eight chunks scattered throughout the watershed of Laurel Fork, but has failed ensure protection of water quality in its many tributaries. A popular fishing spot, Laurel Fork is a relatively high-quality stream, but needs a chance to fully recover from sediment build-up from intensive land-clearing activities a century ago. The timber sale also involves building or rebuilding almost five miles of logging roads, which can also contribute to muddy runoff.

Rough Ridge is one of the first major timber projects proposed under the Cherokee’s new forest plan, which the groups had challenged on numerous grounds in 2004. They are concerned the Rough Ridge sale would set a bad precedent for how the Forest Service manages vital natural resources for the next 10 to 15 years. The timber sale adheres to flawed aspects of the plan, or even disregards the plan altogether, itself a violation of federal law, said Sarah Francisco, staff attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center which represents Cherokee Forest Voices, the Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition and The Wilderness Society.

“These resources are much too important to Tennesseans to allow them to be ruined,” Francisco said. “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,” said Catherine Murray, Executive Director of the Cherokee Forest Voices. “There is something here for everyone. It would be a shame to spoil it.”

The Rough Ridge project grew out of a larger proposed timber sale that the groups had opposed in 2004. Though smaller in size, Francisco said the Rough Ridge sale still violates the National Environmental Policy Act, in addition to several of the Forest Service’s own standards and guidelines. For example, in developing the Cherokee plan, the Forest Service told the public it would build just one mile of new permanent road every decade, but already the agency has plans to build four times that. Also, the USFS Southern Region directs each forest to preserve existing old growth – and to set aside future old-growth reserves – in executing each timber sale and other projects. The Cherokee managers failed to do so, even though the conservation groups conducted field surveys to identify and recommend such areas.

“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,” said Hugh Irwin with the Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition.

In terms of economics, the groups’ appeal discusses at length the potential negative impact of the logging project on local communities. According to the agency’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 AT runs along one edge of the project area and overlooks all stands slated for logging, and the project area itself is crisscrossed 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.