GEORGIA

Chattahoochee National Forest
Prayer Circle. How wonderful it was to be traveling in the home state of Representative Cynthia McKinney who co:wrote and introduced H.R. 2789, the very first National Forest Protection and Restoration Bill which, if the likes of it is ever passed, will achive ZeroCut on Public Lands. While looking for an appropriate place to build a zero within the Chattahoochee National Forest we saw a large group of balloons a few hundred feet in the air. Moments later we saw the scene to the left at a field adjoining an elementary school. We pulled in to investigate. The circle of folks above had moments earlier released the balloons with their prayers attached to them. Their timing was perfect for the Christian Environmental Council had just released a resolution calling for the "end of all commercial logging on US National Forests."  The CEC asks the Forest Service to redirect timber program money to fund forest restoration and to benefit logging communities.  The unanimous resolution was passed in early October.  CEC chair, Ann Alexander, said, "Paying timber companies nearly a billion dollars every year to needlessly decimate these irreplaceable forests, which God created and loves, is to commit a sin of greed and waste."

That Chattahoochee was where we first learned about the discrepancy between what is colored green and indicated on the road atlas as "National Forest" and what really in fact IS publicly owned land. In the eastern  U.S. over  50% of the land 'designated' as national forest and colored green on all our maps are in actuality "forest service purchase units" -- their 'wish list' of land that they would like to buy some day. The forest above the elementary school yard was in the middle of land indicated on our maps  as 'Chattahoochee National Forest'-- maps which give the illusion of their being far more public forest than actually exists.
 

Reflection Zero. Consauga River, Chattahoochee National Forest. This national forest contains about 750,000 acres in North Georgia. Like many other eastern national forests, logging native forests and replanting pine plantations is rampant here. On the bright side, a District Court judge recently issued a temporary restraining order against the logging of a 125-year-old forest in the headwaters of of the Consauga River.  According to the 10/23 Atlanta Constitution, the order was issued after Ralph Shaw, a local fishing guide, challenged whether or not the US Forest Service considered the impacts of logging on stream habitat of the native brook trout. Says Ralph, "I'm just a redneck trying to do right."  Recent polls indicate that 72% of Georgians want commerical harvesting to end on Georgia National Forests lands. To help make this a reality

Contact HEARTWOOD at, www.heartwood.org or the Armuchee Alliance, 304 North Waugh St., Calhoun, GA 30701, 404.624.0010


GALLERY

HOME