Why It Matters: After a decade of public input and planning to revise the land management plan for the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests, as well as years of planning for these individual habitat improvement projects, CSF is encouraged to see the National Forests in North Carolina lean into agency-wide goals to significantly increase timber harvests, which will create the desired habitat conditions that will pay dividends for wildlife and the sportsmen and women that depend on federal forests for recreational access.
Highlights:
- Young forests and other early seral habitats are critical for many species of wildlife, game and nongame, yet National Forests across the country, including the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests, regularly fail to meet early successional habitat goals for a number of reasons (e.g., policy impediments, litigation, capacity, etc.).
- The silvicultural treatments proposed in these two projects will support declining wildlife species, like the ruffed grouse and golden-winged warbler, as well as numerous Species of Greatest Conservation Need identified in the North Carolina Wildlife Action Plan.
- The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) strongly supports actively managing public lands to improve forest health and wildlife habitat and enhance hunter and angler access.
In June, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) released the draft decision notice for the Crossover Project on the Nantahala National Forest in Cherokee and Graham Counties, NC. The project proposes to move forward with the Alternative-B modified action which would improve habitat diversity, including creating young forests, through regeneration harvests, timber stand improvement treatments, and prescribed burns. The project would also rehabilitate wildlife openings and restore watershed health. After receiving pushback from environmental groups, the proposed action dropped three stands and modified harvests in three other stands. The 45-day objection period commenced on June 25.
On July 7, the U.S. Forest Service issued its final decision for the Nantahala Mountains Project on the Nantahala National Forest in Macon County, NC. Initiated in 2021 after consolidating two previously started projects, the project will move towards implementation, absent litigation, after three rounds of public input, including working through the objection resolution process. District Ranger Troy Waskey selected the Alternative-B modified action alternative which will help achieve the desired conditions for the management areas laid out in the forest plan for the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests by creating roughly 400 acres of young forests.
Currently, young forests comprise roughly 0.7% of the project area while approximately 80% is older than 80 years old. The Alternative-B modified action alternative will help restore forest age class and structural diversity in several forest cover types, support mast producing species, and increase the amount of regenerating young forest through various silvicultural treatments. Additionally, two new wildlife fields will be created, other wildlife openings will be enhanced, and stream connectivity will be improved habitat for brook trout and other species. While the North Carolina sportsmen’s community wanted more timber harvested (the project will harvest timber on less than 2% of the almost 25,0000-acre project area) to move the area even more towards the young forest desired conditions based on the natural range of variation model in the forest plan, the project is still a positive step forward for habitat improvement.
The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation is thankful for the leadership of the U.S. Forest Service working to implement the goals of the forest plan, despite opposition from environmental groups, to address forest health issues and improve habitat for fish and wildlife.