Roadless Areas (RA's) are those places in our national forests that have remained relatively free of roads, and therefore also relatively free of logging in the past 50 years or more. They are important remnants of the once great American forests. Some of them are even virgin, never-cut forest, a very rare situation today. (Loss of the US forest over time.) Sierra Club believes that these last best places are far more valuable to humankind if left uncut. Many of them should serve as the nucleus for Wilderness designation and permanent protection. The arguments are much the same as for ending all commercial logging on the national forests. Less than 5% of the nation's wood supply comes from our national forests, and less than 1% would come from Roadless Areas if logged. These areas have not been logged because they were too remote and too steep, and because of this, very costly to build roads and carry out logging operations. Our national forests, especially in the Appalachians, require taxpayer subsidies to log, even in areas not as steep as in many Roadless Areas. As a result of having been left largely alone, they have become the repositories for plant and animal life driven out of logged areas. The best black bear habitat is in the Roadless Areas. Unlogged areas are also the best protectors of watersheds and water quality. In fact when eastern national forests were established in 1911 with the Weeks Act, the primary justification was the protection of water supplies.
"You know, if we'd used market-based business management principles, we would have stopped logging in roadless areas years ago." Mike Dombeck, former Chief of the US Forest Service,
as quoted in the fall 2001 issue of "On Earth",
the journal of the National Resources Defense CouncilThe Forest Service has inventoried all of its Roadless Areas over 5000 acres in size*. While we are not completely happy with the inventory, (some areas were left out: we call these "Wild" areas), it is still a very significant list and the basis for future Wilderness designation recommendations. See Map of Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests showing locations of Wilderness, Roadless Areas (RA's), and "Wild" Areas in western N.C. Sierra Club is keenly interested in protecting these relics of our original forests, and here in North Carolina is engaged in a campaign (how you can help) to protect them. We invite you to attend some of our outings, which are intended to showcase the reasons for protection.
*Roadless Areas are obviously areas without roads, but this is not as simple a definition as it would appear. Most of the Eastern national forests have been lived-in and/or logged in the past, so there are lots of old skid trails and roads, some so overgrown it is hard to tell they are there, but many that are now the basis for trails still used. The Forest Service has a definition of "Roadless" which does not count "undriveable" roads like those impassable even to a 4-wheel drive vehicle. All-terrain vehicle roads do not count as roads. There is some fuzziness about roads that are 4-wheel drive passable but not ordinary passenger vehicle passable. The definition of "Roadless Area" permits the existence of .5 miles of defined "road" per 1000 acres.
Areas over 5000 acres in size (or smaller areas connecting to existing Wilderness Areas) meeting the Forest Service definition are "Inventoried Roadless Areas". These areas have special status under Forest Service Rules, and these are also the areas that the Clinton Administration sought to protect from future logging and roading with its Roadless Area Rules, the Rules that the Bush folks are gutting.
However the fact that the Forest Service has identified many areas as "Inventoried Roadless Areas", with the clear understanding that these places will be evaluated for future Wilderness, gives conservationists more ability to fight to protect them, like calling for full Environmental Impact Statements before damage is done. We are also fighting to pull in additional "Wild" areas that did not meet the Forest Service's understanding of the definitions of "Roadless".
The quarrel with the Bush Administration and the Forest Service over Roadless Areas is therefore key to the future protection and status of these places.The Recent History of Roadless Area Protection
In October 1999 President Clinton ordered the Forest Service (FS) to consider the future of the inventoried RA's nationally. In May 2000 the FS published four possible management alternatives and the accompanying Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for public comment. 1.6 million responses were received, the great bulk of them favoring strong protection for RA's, meaning no roading, no logging. The Final EIS and regulations were published in the Federal Register in November 2000 for additional comment and the final decision by the President and Secretary of Agriculture was made after the 30 day comment period, in December 2000. The newly-elected/appointed Bush people called this a "last minute" decision! These Rules protect all inventoried Roadless Areas from roadbuilding. Logging can be done only for safety (fire protection) or disease reasons. The Tongass National Forest in Alaska also falls under this Rule, the result of intense lobbying by the public.
Rules made by one presidential administration can be overturned by another, and this is what has now happened, in spite of public opposition.The effort to open up the forests to the extractive industries will be a continuing theme in the Bush II Administration and Republican-controlled Congress. Meanwhile make sure your congressman and senators know how you feel. USDA Forest Service page for Pisgah and Nantahala National Forest