Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests Plan Revision

The Nantahala and Pisgah forest plan is being revised to handle the challenges of managing our complex ecosystems to meet the needs of all users for the next 15 years. The draft plan has been developed in coordination with tribal, state, and county governments and significant collaboration with the public. The draft plan and draft EIS are available for public review and comment from February 14 to June 29, 2020. This public comment period is an additional opportunity for you to be part of building a plan that reflects your interests.

Welcome to our Virtual Open House

Welcome to our virtual public open house where you will find the information that would have been shared at our face-to-face public meetings. We have reorganized information on this page to help guide you on the path to understanding the proposed forest plan, how your interests are represented and how you can provide feedback and get involved. Join us for a walk along the trail to future management of the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests.

Question and Answer conference calls will be offered to provide you an opportunity to engage with the planning team. These do not require internet access to attend. To join, call 888-251-2949 or 215-861-0694 using access code 3889103# at the following times: 

• May 28, 6:30-8 p.m.
• June 2, 7:30-9 a.m.
• June 4, 5:30-7 p.m.
• June 8, noon-1:30 p.m.

Questions may be submitted in advance by email to SM.FS.NFsNCQandAs@usda.gov. This email address is exclusively for submitting questions for the telephone question and answer sessions. 

We encourage you to start with Station 1: Getting Started….

Station 1: Getting started

• If you just want a quick overview, watch this 2-minute video featuring Planning Team Leader Michelle Aldridge.

• The Reader’s Guide provides an orientation and brief synopsis of issues 

• 	Places Matter Story Map

• If you're new to forest planning and want general information on forest management plans and the plan revision process start with the Forest Planning Overview page. 

• Letter from Forest Supervisor Allen Nicholas

• An overview for counties

Station 2: Digging into the Proposed Plan

• In-depth webinar overview of the Proposed Forest Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Statement

• Interactive maps are included in the ArcGIS online story maps which describe management areas and four alternatives for how the forest plan could be applied. These maps work best using Chrome Browser

• Click here for infographic representations of plan objectives document provides infographics for some of the things that the plan will achieve.

• To learn more: 

  • Proposed Forest Plan

    • Plan Appendix A: Consolidated Objectives

    • Plan Appendix B: Timber Calculations 

Station 3: Exploring the influence of management

The Environmental Impact Statement is the environmental analysis of how the proposed forest plan would affect natural and cultural resources on the Nantahala and Pisgah NFs. This document also provides information on the issues that have been raised through public involvement and how different alternatives were developed in response to issues.

• Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) (Updated title page June 2, 2020)

  • DEIS Appendix A: Response to Comments (completed after the comment period)

  • DEIS Appendix B: Description of the Analysis Process

  • DEIS Appendix C: Ecological Sustainability Analysis

  • DEIS Appendix C: Ecological Sustainability Analysis (updated 3/31/2020)

  • DEIS Appendix D: Vegetation Management Methods

  • DEIS Appendix E:Wilderness Evaluation Process

  • DEIS Appendix F: Wild and Scenic River Evaluation Process

  • DEIS Appendix G: Coordination with Other Public Planning Efforts

  • DEIS Appendix H: Public and Government Involvement

• Maps

  • PDF format 

  • Guide to Web-based interactive maps

  • Geospatial datasets used in EIS analysis

Station 4: Exploring unique topics

General Questions and Answers (Last Updated 5/20/2020)

A sample of questions and answers pertaining to the proposed plan and draft EIS. More Q&As will be added as the comment period unfolds.

Vegetation Patterns and Species Analysis

• Process for Establishing the Natural Range of Variation
• Old Growth: Techinical Webinar*
• Timber Calculations: Technical Webinar* Questions and Answers
• Timber Mythbuster
• Identification of Canopy Gap and Early Successional Habitat Patches
• Spectrum Analysis - Young Gaps
• Wildlife and Plant Species Analysis: Technical Webinar* Questions and Answers
• Fire Analysis: Technical Webinar* Questions and Answers

Designated Areas and Recreation

• Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers: Technical Webinar* 
• Wilderness Mythbuster
• Special Interest Areas and NC Natural Heritage Areas: Technical Webinar*
• Recreation and Access: Technical Webinar* Questions and Answers

*Technical Webinars

The National Forest Foundation, a Congressionally recognized  non-profit partner of the Forest Service is facilitating a collaborative group, the Stakeholders Forum for the Nantahala and Pisgah Forest Plan Revision to bring diverse interests to a collaborative table. The Forum hosted deep dive webinars that provide a more technical review of the analysis within the EIS.​

Station 5: Offer comments, Get involved

The formal 90-day comment period was initiated on February 14^th, 2020 and has been extended for an additional 45 days with a new end date on June 29, 2020.The website to accept comments will only be active during this time. 

The preferred method to provide comments is by using the online comment analysis and response application (CARA). You have the option of typing your comment into the text box or uploading a letter and multiple attachments. These comments will be publicly available through the online comment reading room. 

If you cannot submit your comment online, you can mail comments to:  Plan Revision Team, National Forests in North Carolina, 160 Zillicoa St, Asheville NC 28801. All postal mail must be postmarked by June 29, 2020.

Please note that all comments, names, and addresses become part of the public record and are subject to Freedom of Information Act requests.

• Federal Register Notice of Availability (NOA) Feb 14, 2020

• Legal Notice Feb 14, 2020

• Federal Register Notice for comment period extension May 8, 2020

• Legal Notice May 8, 2020 

We will read and consider all comments.

We will use what we’ve learned through the comments, public meetings, and discussions with county, state, and tribal officials to decide what changes to make to the proposed plan and DEIS. Due to the high level of interest and expected number of comments, we estimate having the updated Forest Plan and final EIS available to the public in early 2021.

After making changes to the drafts, we will release the proposed plan and environmental impact statement and begin a five-month objection period. If there are objections, they will be processed by the Regional Forester in Atlanta. This may lead to additional changes in the documents before the plan is finalized. Click here for more information on the objections process

We estimate that the final plan will be released in late 2021.

If you are having difficulty viewing the documents or have questions about where to find more information, please call us at 828-257-4200.

Plan Revision Team, National Forests in North Carolina, 160 Zillicoa St, Asheville NC 28801