Blue Ridge-Appalachia

KEYSTONE FORESTS Maine Woods Keystone Forest Blue Ridge-Appalachia Keystone Forest Florida Panhandle Keystone Forest Upper Great Lakes Keystone Forest Northwest Rockies Keystone Forest Mogollon Keystone Forest Sierra Keystone Forest Klamath-Siskiyou Keystone Forest Pacific Northwest Volcanic Keystone Forest North Cascades Keystone Forest Alaskan Coastal Temperate Keystone Forest

The Appalachia forests have long been a major tourist destination for outdoor recreation activities such as fishing, hunting, hiking, kayaking and backpacking. Recreation in this area contributes a significant number of jobs and income to the region. Well known recreation areas that contribute a significant number of jobs and income to the region include Great Smokey Mountain National Park, Big South Fork Recreation Area, and the George Washington-Jefferson and Monongahela National Forests.

Threats
This forest region is threatened by destructive logging practices (especially for woodchip demand), road-building and gas exploration. Air pollution, acid rain, invasive species and increasing urban sprawl heighten the immediate need for greater protected areas. Although the region has experienced more than a century of industrial logging, small remnants of native old-growth remain and much of the forest in the region that was clearcut a century ago are once again reaching maturity. Very little of this keystone forest is under wilderness or national park status.

Efforts to Increase Protected Areas
There is a current proposal to create a new Blackwater Canyon National Park, which includes private lands in the canyon and key portions of the adjacent Monongahela National Forest.

The Ridge and Valley Wilderness and National Scenic Area Act of 2004, introduced by Representative Rick Boucher (D-VA) and Senator John Warner (RVA) on April 22, 2004, would provide lasting protection for some 40,000 acres by establishing four new wilderness areas, two new scenic areas and expanding five existing wilderness areas in the Jefferson National Forest.

There are two other wilderness areas proposals. One proposal is the addition of 10,900 acres to the Laurel Fork Wilderness, and the second is the Little River Wilderness Proposal which would designate 28,000 acres as wilderness. The proximity of the Little River proposal to the Ramsey’s Draft Wilderness would create a large, relatively continuous natural area. Acreage from both proposals would come partially from the George Washington National Forest.

The West Virginia Wilderness Coalition has identified areas throughout the Monongahela National Forest that warrant protection, including places such as Seneca Creek, Spice Run and Roaring Plains.

Written by Greenpeace
For more information, visit Southern
Appalachian Forest Coalition
www.safc.org

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