THE PLANNING PROCESS:
The Forest Service is rewriting the George Washington National Forest's management plan, which will govern forest land uses for years to come.
The new management plan will guide the activities in the GW National Forest for the next 15 years, so it is important that U.S. Forest Service officials hear what's important for the future of our public lands.
For the latest information GWNF Plan.
BACKGROUND:
Revising the GWNF Plan began in early 2007, with five public meetings in Virginia, including one in Woodstock, plus one in West Virginia. When planning regulations established by the Forest Service in 2005 were ruled to be in violation of federal law by a federal appeals court judge in March 2007, planning was put "on hold." Since then, the Forest Service has completed an Environmental Impact Statement for the new planning regulations, and on April 21, 2008 put these new regulations in place. Two lawsuits have already been filed that challenge these newest regulations. Despite these challenges and the prospect of additional ones, the Forest Service is moving forward with planning on the GWNF and other national forests.
Forest Plans dictate how national forests are managed for 10 to 15 years at a time, so it is extremely important that interested citizens make their opinions known about how the GWNF should be managed. The current GWNF plan was finalized in 1993. Attending public meetings is one of the best ways to be heard. Comments via letters, emails, phone calls and faxes will also be critical.
It is important to be informed in the management of your national forest. At more than a million acres in size, a source of drinking water for many thousands of area residents, including many of us here in Shenandoah County, and home to an incredible diversity of wildlife and natural communities, the GWNF is a tremendous resource that must be managed wisely. Issues such as roadless areas, watershed protection, creation of Special Biological Areas, old growth inventories and protection, and more must be fully addressed.
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