The Shadow
ROANOKE (AP) – U.S. Forest Service officials are seeking public input on a new management plan for the George Washington National Forest.
The revised blueprint will guide how the 1.1 million-acre forest is used for the next 15 years. It will address logging and other commercial uses, recreation, road and trail building, drinking-water protection and preservation of the forest’s more pristine areas.
Five public hearings are scheduled for April, and people can submit written comments during a 60-day public-comment period.
Among the items under consideration are expanding roadless areas, increasing timber harvesting, creating more special areas to protect ecologically sensitive species, increasing controlled burns and dropping a plan for a new all-terrain vehicle trail near Archer Run.
___
Information from: The Roanoke Times, http://www.roanoketimes.com
