Please contact the Forest Service before Oct. 5th and let them know that you oppose the Marshall Run Timber Sale.

SAMPLE LETTER

District Ranger Elwood Burge

[US Mail Address:]
North River RD-GWJNFs-R-8-FS-USDA
401 Oakwood Dr.
Harrisonburg, Va. 22801

[email address:]
comments-southern-georgewashington-jefferson-northriver@fs.fed.us

[fax #]
(540) 432-1917


"I oppose the Marshall Run Timber Sale. Our national forests should be for the public good, not private profit.

The Marshall Run area is beautiful, remote, and scenic, part of a large, 17,000-acre roadless area. For unknown reasons, the Forest Service has not included this area in its official inventory of roadless areas. Instead of cutting timber and creating new roads, the entire area should be kept intact so that, during the upcoming planning process for the George Washington National Forest, it can be added to the roadless inventory and evaluated for other protections.

The public needs more time than 30 days for input and needs information about environmental impacts and alternatives to the proposed timber sale. I request that the agency release a draft Environmental Assessment prior to making a decision about the sale.

The cost of helicopter logging is high and most of these logging operations are not in Virginia. The Forest Service needs to document if and how the logging operation will have a positive economic effect on forest neighbors, as the scoping notice claims.

New system road, temporary road, road improvement, and more open areas will introduce and/or augment the growth of invasive species in the area. The current proposal has no provision for preventing the spread of invasives. No cutting should take place without a responsible, scientifically proven method for preventing the spread of invasive species (such as Japanese stilt grass) after logging. In addition, the Forest Service must ensure that long-term maintenance needs are met for any new roads. The GW/Jefferson National Forests already are unable to properly maintain the existing road system. For example, as of 2003 the forests had a combined road maintenance backlog of over $19 million."

Please add a personal note, or expand, if you wish