Daniel Boone National Forest
Red Zone Zero. On a road in the middle of a clearcut,
sumac leaves in their fall colors were laid upon rocks to form this circle
named for the great victory won in the Daniel Boone this summer which achieved
zero cut (temporarily) in this forest. The following is taken from the
Kentucky Heartwood home page:
Court Orders Forest Service to Stop Logging
In a huge victory for the forest, Federal Judge Karl Forester issued a June 18, 1998 order for the Forest Service to immediately stop all loggin in the Daniel Boone National Forest. Forester's 45 page ruling agreed with KY Heartwood and Heartwood that the Forest Service had wrongly violated the Endangered Species Act and the National Forest Management Act by failing to conduct required biological analyses, failing to consult with the US Fish & Wildlife Service about plan amendments and impacts to federally listed species, and failing to release management policy info, for public scrutiny. These violations, Forester concluded, have put threatened and endangered species "Imminently in harm's way."
We are overjoyed that the forest can rest for awhile -- many thanks and congradulations to everyone for being part of such an important win. Sadly, our victory isn't all sweet: when we filed suit in Sept. '97, there were 15 active timber sales and over 1400 acres of trees standing. The Forest Service maddeningly continued to log during the 8 months we were in court, leveling all but 845 acres in nine timber sales. The Forest Service's illegal logging confirms their emerging reputation as an outlaw agency. In its reaction to the ruling, the Forest Service, expressing no respect for the law or remorse for the illegally-cut areas, called the decision only "an irritation."
Before any logging can resume on the Boone, the Forest Service must
amend the Forest Plan to include the Indiana bat and Shelterwood policies.
They must formally consult on the amended plan and on 8 newly listed
species. Heartwood's attorney Joe Childers, who gave a stellar performance
at our all-day April 15 court hearing, predicted that the Forest Service
wouldn't be doing any more logging until a new Forest Plan is issued. This
win represents an important shift in momentum: instead of us scrambling
to stop timber sales, the Forest Service will have to scramble to restart
it chainsaws.
Magnolia Circle. Red River Gorge, Daniel Boone N.F. This
circle was cut from the center of the Umbrella Magnolia--
the largest leafed tree in the forest.
To keep the saws still and achieve Zero Cut forever on the Daniel Boone:
Contact Kentucky
Heartwood