Virginia’s Treasured National Forests

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• Tags: Forests, Wilderness

Virginia’s George Washington and Jefferson National Forests are unique and treasured places. Together they comprise 1.7 million acres in Virginia, one of the most extensive tracts of public lands in the entire Southern Appalachians.

Consider this:

• The forest spans nearly 300 miles on the rugged western end of Virginia from the Kentucky/Virginia border to the northernmost county in Virginia. 
• More miles of the Appalachian Trail pass through Virginia than any other state, much of it in the boundaries of the GWJNFs. 
• Forty-three percent of national forest roadless acreage in the Forest Service Southern Region is in Virginia. 
• Renowned biological hotspots are found here, including the Clinch River watershed, the Mt. Rogers High Country, Burkes Garden, Glenwood-Pedlar Ranger Districts, Alleghany Highlands, Shenandoah Mountain, and Big Schloss areas.  Many of these areas are known for their great scenic beauty, as well.
• Many cities and communities rely on clean drinking water flowing from sources in the GWJNFs.
• The GWJNFs provide a stronghold for the black bear, a keystone Appalachian species that is vulnerable to roadbuilding, poaching, sprawl and development, and loss of traditional wildlife corridors in the South.
• The Forests are also renowned for their Brook Trout streams and angling opportunities.

To help protect the GWJNFs, we ask you to join with your local Sierra Club group in forest-related hikes and educational activities.  The Chapter Forests Committee and others in the Sierra Club can advise your local groups outings and programs committees.  We can suggest where to take a hike and how you can get involved in efforts to save important threatened areas in your local group’s neighborhood.  You can also directly comment on Forest Service projects and encourage others to get involved.

For more information, please contact:

• David Muhly,  David.muhly@sierraclub.org , (276) 688-2190;
• Sherman Bamford, bamford2@verizon.net , (540) 343-6359;
• Chris Carney, chris.carney@sierraclub.org , (202)-237-0754

Background Information

·         See the Southern Appalachian Highlands Ecoregion website for information on the Sierra Club’s Southern Appalachian National Forest Protection Campaign.

·         Forest Service information on the upcoming George Washington National Forest Plan is at: http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/gwj/projects_plans/index.shtml

·         For more info on Sierra Club’s national policies on forest protection, visit http://sierraclub.org/forests/

Also check out “Lay of the Land”, the Sierra Club’s blog for all things wilderness.