Structuring the Southern Appalachians

USFS Landscape Architects are encouraged to share their recommendations for long-term management of the Southern Appalachians with American Forests at www.amfor.org/ and with LASN at landscapearchitect.com.

The six national forests making up the Southern Appalachians-- George Washington-Jefferson (VA), Chattahoochee-Oconee (GA), the Cherokee (TN), and the Sumter (SC)-- are preparing to adopt long-term management plans. Public comments are due and the United States Forest Service is expected to issue a set of alternatives sometime this year. The agency's existing plans call for too much logging and roadbuilding-- and too little protection of areas with high recreation and wildlife values. With local economies shifting away from resource extraction, this approach does not make economic sense. In fact, recreation provided by these forests already produces ten times the economic benefits that logging does.