Forest Service may increase recreation area fees

The U.S. Forest Service is proposing increasing or establishing user fees at some recreation areas in the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests.

The agency is asking the public to comment on the proposals, which include entrance fee increases to the Roan Mountain Recreation Area and the Sliding Rock Recreation Area, as well as the implementation of a fee for the first time at the Wolf Ford Campground in Pisgah National Forest.

Other proposals include user fee increases at beaches, shooting ranges and several off-highway trail systems.

“Without the fee, two things would happen: We would not maintain them (the recreation areas) to the level people expect and deserve; and we would not be able to add amenities that people ask for,” said Candace Wyman, a spokeswoman for the National Forests in North Carolina. “The fees do not cover all the costs, but they certainly help.”

For more information on the proposals, and to comment, please click here.




Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, and more.

Off-roaders sue US Forest Service over Tellico trail closure

Off-road vehicle advocates are suing the U.S. Forest Service over the agency's plans to close the popular Upper Tellico trail area in the Nantahala National Forest.

The move is the latest development in a four-year legal battle between four-wheel drive enthusiasts, environmentalists and the government over use of the area.

Tellico had attracted off-road enthusiasts from across the county with its nearly 40 miles of trails. The Forest Service last year said it would close the area after finding that off-road driving caused sedimentation that had damaged water quality in creeks and streams.

The lawsuit filed last week by the Southern Four-Wheel Drive Association and two other advocacy groups claims the agency broke the law when it started decommissioning trails without telling the public about its plans.

“The entire premise behind this closure – that water quality is uniquely flawed in the Tellico River – is simply untrue,” Roger Theurer, president of Southern Four Wheel Drive Association, said in a written statement. “We hope through this suit for an opportunity to present the full story.”

Environmentalists vow to fight the lawsuit.

I have no idea what's transpired with the water quality in the creeks and streams in question, or whether off-roaders are responsible or not. I should also say that I've never been on an off-road vehicle, nor do I know anyone that takes part in this acitvity. However, I do firmly believe that we hikers do not have sole rights to all public lands. National Forest lands are owned by all Americans, and therefore should be enjoyed through a variety of responsible outdoor pursuits.

Provided that off-roaders are respecting the forests, trails and streams, and are acting in a responsible manner, they should have the right to enjoy certain public lands set aside for their particular enjoyments.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, and more.

Study supports the use of controlled burns

A Duke University study that reconstructs thousands of years of fire history in the southern Appalachians supports the use of prescribed fire, or controlled burns, as a tool to reduce the risk of wildfires, restore and maintain forest health and protect rare ecological communities in the region's forests.

Professor Norman Christensen Jr. and his team said their study, the first of its kind, involved radiocarbon analysis of 82 soil charcoal samples dating from 1977 to more than 4,000 years ago. The samples were used to reconstruct the fire history of a 25-acre site in western North Carolina's Nantahala National Forest.

"These are the first hard data showing that fires have occurred relatively frequently over much of the last 4,000 years and have played an important role in the health, composition and structure of southern Appalachian forest ecosystems," Christensen said.

Analysis of the charcoal samples demonstrated fires became more frequent about 1,000 years ago. That coincides with the appearance of Mississippian Tradition Indians, who used fire to clear underbrush and improve habitat for hunting, Christensen said. Fires became less frequent at the site about 250 years ago with the arrival of European settlers, whose preferred tools for clearing land were the axe and saw, rather than the use of fire.

The relative absence of fire over the past 250 years has altered forest composition and structure significantly, Christensen said.

Aside from historic and scientific interest, knowing more about presettlement fire regimes may help forest managers understand the likely responses of species to the increased use of prescribed fire for understory fuel management, Christensen said.

You can read the full story by clicking here. The complete study appears in the journal Ecology.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, hiking gear store, and more.