ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, December 24, 1995 TAG: 9512260083
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
The U.S. Forest Service has turned down an appeal by environmentalists who say the management plan for the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests favors loggers too heavily.
The Southern Environmental Law Center in Charlottesville, representing a coalition of environmental groups including the Sierra Club and the Wilderness Society, appealed the Forest Service's management plan more than two years ago.
The center received notice last week that U.S. Forest Service Chief Jack W. Thomas rejected the appeal.
Environmental groups said the forest management plan allows too much logging, too many new logging roads and not enough protected wilderness areas.
``There's too many logging cuts ... too many roads,'' said David Carr, a lawyer with the environmental law center. ``The roads affect sedimentation, which affects streams, especially trout streams. The forest should be managed for recreation.''
Peter Kirby, southeast regional director of the Wilderness Society, said the forest service recommended only 1.2 percent of the forest for wilderness designation, even though a quarter of it is eligible.
Forestry officials defended the plan, saying it balances the many demands on the million-acre forest's resources.
``There was a large number of public meetings and a significant public review process'' to develop the plan, said David Olson, a spokesman for the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests.
``One role of a national forest is to provide a mix of goods and services to the public,'' Olson said. ``Some people request more wilderness. Others request more timber. Our job is to balance those demands with the natural resources available.''
Carr said he will ask U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman to review Thomas' decision ``as a last resort before a possible lawsuit.''
LENGTH: Short : 46 linesby CNB