In February, 2007, the Forest Service launched the forest planning process for the 1.1 million acre George Washington National Forest. The plan revision will determine the next ten to fifteen years of management on the GWNF…. for GOOD or BAD. If you want to see a better GWNF for yourself, or your children, or your grandchildren, then you need to get involved today.

The George Washington National Forest will be one of the very first forests to develop a plan under new regulations adopted by the Bush Administration in 2005. A guide to the new process can be found at http://www.safc.org/resources/documents/PlanningResourceGuidereduced.pdf. The fate of the GWNF will also be affected by new regulations adopted in December 2006 that will categorically exclude forest management plans from National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) review, cutting off most avenues of meaningful public participation until the individual project stage. For more information, see http://www.wilderness.org/OurIssues/Forests/ce.cfm

Environmentalists are wary of the new regulations which no longer require an Environmental Impact Statement to be prepared under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The NEPA process insured broad public participation in the development of the plan, required a consideration of alternatives approaches to managing the forest, provided for an assessment of the cumulative impacts of activities on the forest and allowed for legal challenges. The new regulations significantly weaken these elements of the planning process.

The Bush Administration’s rationale for removing forest planning from the full NEPA process is that only actual, site-specific projects affect the forest, despite the fact that forest plans govern the overall management of the forest for 10-15 years, including, for example, setting timber targets. Since the new regulations also encourage these new plans to avoid setting enforceable standards and guidelines, it is especially important for citizens to hold the agency accountable by insisting it adopt firm, enforceable standards to protect natural resources.

Without the safeguards of the National Environmental Policy Act, forest protection activists are preparing for the new planning process by reaching out to diverse groups to inform them about the value of the George Washington National Forest as an environmental and recreational resource. One objective of forest advocates in this planning process is to encourage restoration of the ecological health of the forest.

The environmental organizations engaged in this effort at this time include Wild Virginia, Virginia Forest Watch, Virginia Wilderness Committee, Southern Environmental Law Center, Wildlaw, Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition, The Wilderness Society and the Sierra Club.

Steps you can take to help our National Forests:

· Call (or write) your Members of Congress and tell them you support protecting our public lands from logging, and oppose any misguided legislation that would weaken environmental safeguards, expand the logging of our National Forests, or cut the American people out of the decision-making or review process.

· Write a letter to the editor. It doesn't have to be long or flowery, it just has to say honestly what you feel and keep the American people thinking about the issue. If the American people fail to know or cease to care, all of our public lands could wind up on the block.

· If you know of an organization that would like to learn more about the George Washington National Forest and how to protect it from commercial logging, natural gas development and large scale commercial recreational development, we would be happy to come and speak to your group.

· For more information, please contact David Muhly, David.muhly@sierraclub.org, (276) 688-2190; Sherman Bamford, bamford2@verizon.net at (540) 343-6359; and Chris Carney at 202-237-0754; chris.carney@sierraclub.org.

Background Information

· See the Southern Appalachian Highlands Ecoregion website for information on the Sierra Club's Southern Appalachian National Forest Protection Campaign.

· Forest Service information on the upcoming George Washington National Forest Plan is at: http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/gwj/projects_plans/index.shtml

Virginia Chapter

George Washington National Forest Plan Revision Under Way

George Washington National Forest Plan Revision Under Way

Steps you can take to help our National Forests:

Background Information