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US FOREST SERVICE CHIEF ON ROADLESS RULING
WPR News - US Forest Service chief on roadless ruling
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Monday October 24, 2011
by Chuck Quirmbach
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(Photo by
Chuck Quirmbach)
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(UNDATED) The chief of the U.S. Forest Service says national forests like the Chequamegon-Nicolet will see some indirect benefits from a court ruling last week.
A federal appeals court has upheld a Clinton administration attempt to keep roads out of about 50 million acres of national forest land. The roadless rule could apply to tens of thousands of acres in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in northern Wisconsin. Forest service chief Tom Tidwell says the court ruling will actually have very little effect on the ground, because the terrain in many areas discourages road building anyway. But Tidwell says the court victory may allow the forest service to focus on other things like getting rid of downed trees and unwanted brush that could lead to fires.
In 2005, the Bush administration tried to eliminate the roadless rule, in favor of letting states have more say-so over managing the forestland. On another topic, Tidwell says he thinks the forest service is making progress trying to prevent marijuana growing operations in the forestland, and cleaning up lands where drug production has taken place.
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