I live in Western North Carolina. I hike in Pisgah National Forest 3-4 times per month. I visit Nantahala National Forest several times a year. I cycle along the French Broad River. These forests and river are precious and need to be protected.
As you are aware, hurricane Helene caused major damage to Pisgah in 2024. I witnessed the destruction first hand. There still are areas/trails that have not opened due to widespread damage.
Looking at the topography of Pisgah, the high-elevation peaks in these roadless areas act as a giant natural filter providing clean, low-cost drinking water to millions of residents in Asheville, Charlotte, and down-stream communities. Stripping the blanket protections will lead to accelerated soil erosion, increased sediment runoff in mountain streams, and heavily inflated water treatment bills for local municipalities.
Highly popular, unfragmented backcountry destinations like South Mills River, Laurel Mountain, Big Ivy, and the Blacks (adjacent to Mt. Mitchell) are all protected primarily by their roadless designation.
These forests provide rare, deep-woods solitude that is rapidly vanishing along the East Coast. The Forest Service’s proposal would allow local managers to open up to 84% of North Carolina’s roadless areas to commercial timber road building.This directly threatens world-class trout fishing streams, backcountry hunting, hiking, and the multi-billion-dollar outdoor tourism economy that Western NC depends on. It would be irreversible and devastating!
The Southern Appalachian mountains contain one of the most biologically diverse temperate forests on Earth, holding more native tree species than all of Europe combined. The roadless sections of Pisgah and Nantahala are vital "life rafts" and migration corridors for rare and threatened species, including the Eastern hellbender, Appalachian brook trout, and native black bears. Building infrastructure through these areas would fragment these sensitive ecosystems and accelerate the spread of invasive species.
The federal proposal shifts oversight away from a national standard, leaving protections up to individual forest management plans. I have a deep concern that the Pisgah-Nantahala Forest Plan could leave thousands of acres vulnerable to industrial development if national safety nets are dropped. The Forest Service already faces a severe, multi-billion-dollar maintenance backlog on existing forest roads. It is financially reckless to build new commercial timber paths when the agency cannot afford to maintain the roads it already has.
I implore the Agricultural Department to uphold the 2001 Roadless Rule. PLEASE protect the places that matter to me, my family and my community. If this rule is rescinded, the damage it will cause can never be reversed.