Speak out now to save region’s fragile forests
| Georgia mountains are beautiful because they were somewhat protected by creation of the Chattahoochee National Forest back in the early part of the last century. Now some of this protection is going to be offered for sale by the federal government if Congress approves. Thirty-four parcels in 13 Georgia counties have been identified for possible sale. The deadline has been changed to May 1 for comments to be made on the proposal. |
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The U.S. Forest Service says it cannot manage these isolated parcels of land. The management of forest service lands in North Georgia has been superb. After the timber had been taken and the hills flushed out by gold seekers, no one wanted the land, and the federal government purchased it in 1911 for $7 an acre. Since then, the forest rangers have brought back trout, deer, turkey and bear at the same time they were bringing back the forest. We are grateful to the forest rangers and their work. President Bush’s proposed budget for next year would trim Forest Service spending from almost $4.3 billion to just under $4.1 billion. We are told that it is needed “for the nation’s highest priorities: fighting the War on Terror, strengthening our homeland defenses, and sustaining the momentum of our economic recovery.”
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