Hundreds gather in Asheville, many voicing opposition to proposed ‘Roadless Rule’ rollback

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Hundreds of people gathered in Asheville to share their thoughts on the U.S. Forest Service’s proposed rollback of the “Roadless Rule.”

This rule established prohibitions on road construction, road reconstruction and timber harvests on nearly 60 million acres of national forests and grasslands, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

MountainTrue, the Sierra Club and other nonprofits organized the public hearing. The organizers will send the audio recording from the meeting and the written comments to the federal government.

“When the rule was created, the federal government held 600 public meetings. Now that the government is rescinding the rule, they’re holding no public meetings and it’s being done in a rush,” said MountainTrue’s resilient forests director Josh Kelly.

Kelly said anyone was welcome to the event, even people who want to see the rule rescinded. However, everyone News 13 spoke with before the event said they’re against rescinding the “Roadless Rule.”

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“We should not be subjected to cutting up the forest, mining up the forest,” said Pat Davis, a Hickory resident.

“When they run these roads in, they start logging … We’re going to have all this runoff. It’s going to destroy basically the last strongholds of these trout. They are in those national forest areas,” said Roy DuVerger, a Whittier Resident.

According to a U.S. Department of Agriculture press release, rescinding the roadless rule would allow for fire prevention and responsible timber production.

But Kelly said rescinding this rule would have negative impacts.

“The impact would mean much more taxpayer dollars spent on and wasted on building roads into the most inaccessible and rugged parts of our national forest,” said Kelly.

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It would also result in erosion and damage to fish and wildlife habitat, according to Kelly.

He said affected areas in western North Carolina include the South Mills River, the Black Mountains and Tusquitee Bald.

This public hearing is the first of a series of community events across WNC this month aiming to provide citizens with the opportunity to learn about the U.S. Forest Service’s proposed rollback of the “Roadless Rule.”

Click here for more information about the upcoming events on MountainTrue’s website.