Stop the Round Mountain timber sale/roadbuilding project

Your comments are needed to stop a LOGGING and ROADBUILDING project in the Jefferson National Forest in Bland County.

Comments are needed by approximately April 26, '06.  Check www.virginiaforestwatch.org for updates on this project!
The project is located on aptly named "Round" Mountain, a 3592 ft. mountain on the eastern wing of Garden Mountain.  In 1987, Dr. Richard Hoffman described the 5x8 mile bowl called Burkes Garden as the " most interesting single natural area in Virginia."  Adjacent Round Mtn is not as well known, but contains extensive tracts of intact forest and old growth forests on its north side. 

In 2005, Virginia Forest Watch forced the Forest Service to halt the project because the Forest Service failed to properly examine the impacts of converting numerous antiquated woods roads on the mountain to modern logging roads.  Now the Forest Service has revived the project with little improvement.

The logging and roadbuilding project should not go forward.

Comment points -

- The proposed project involves extensive roadbuilding (construction of 2.5 miles of roads plus additional skid trails), commercial logging (102 acres), prescribed burning (764 acres), and  "oak enhancement" (447 acres), a non-commercial treatment - felling trees and shrubs underneath "approximately five good-mast producing oaks per acre" to encourage oak growth.

- Many of the logging units and roads are planned in a large 4,869 acre tract of forest on the north side of Round Mountain; and adjoining or near several extensive  old growth forest tracts recognized by the Forest Service.

- Wolf Creek, downstream, is a state-listed impaired waterway.  The Wolf Creek watershed  is also listed a Forest Service designated Priority Watershed,due to several unique aquatic species found in the watershed.  Priority watersheds are watersheds "where forest management activities may make a difference." (Jefferson National Forest Plan 2-2 to 3).  Forest Service stream surveys indicate that many of the tributaries of Wolf Creek that originate in the logging project area are already in "very poor" or "poor/fair" condition and/or are  "extremely acid sensitive."  Logging and skidding could further damage Wolf Creek and its tributaries.

- Logging and roadbuilding here will damage mature and old growth forests, unfragmented forests, soils, watersheds, recreation, and scenic values.  Previous logging projects on the mountain (for example, the East Round Mountain project in the 1990s) have already had negative impacts on many of these resources.  There is no need for further logging on Round Mountain. - The Forest Service should carefully monitor the impact and effectiveness of the large-scale  non-commercial "oak enhancement" treatment on oaks, other tree species, wildlife, native plants, soils, waterways and other resources, since this is a relatively new treatment that has not yet been studied over a large portion of the New River Valley Ranger District.

- As part of this project, the Forest Service proposes planting blight-resistant American chestnut seedlings in the even-aged logging units should such seedlings come available in the future.  We think planting chestnuts is an excellent idea, but we ask the Forest Service to consider an alternative calling for the planting of chestnut seedlings in old roadbeds and previous cutting units INSTEAD OF creating newly logged sites.  This will allow these old sites to heal and will hopefully allow the chestnut to spread out into the surrounding forest.  Many of the old roads proposed for road reconstruction are old roads dating to the 1930s and 1940s, or are illegal roads.  As such, they may be far less heavily compacted than modern Forest Service roads and, once examined by the agency, may be determined to be good sites for American chestnut restoration.  We encourage planting chestnuts on these sites.  

- [Please add additional concerns if you have any additional personal concerns about the project.]

Send comments to: Cynthia Schiffer, District Ranger, New River Valley Ranger District, 110 Southpark Drive, Blacksburg, Va.  24060.  Send via U.S. mail only.  Official comments must be postmarked by 30 days after the legal notice for this project appeared in the Roanoke Times.  We estimate that a reasonable date would be by postmark date - April 26, '06, but are not certain of the date of the legal notice at this time.  Comments are not as effective after this date, but please write to express your concern even if you miss the deadline!  They need to hear from us!  Please make other public officials aware of the project, for example, US Congressman Rick Boucher or local officials, as appropriate.