Forest Blog

Kentucky Heartwood files objection to road building project in the Daniel Boone National Forest

8/22/2023

On July 31st, Kentucky Heartwood filed an objection to a Forest Service decision to implement a new road building project. The project, known as the “Greenwood NFSR 5104 Construction Project” is intended to make it easier for the Forest Service to log an area of the forest near Brush Creek Road in Pulaski and McCreary counties.

Key facts:

The Forest Service intends to construct approximately 0.96 miles of a 30-foot-wide new permanent system road, NFSR 5014, to access approximately 130 acres of timber that was approved for harvest under the “Greenwood Vegetation Management Project” in 2017.
The District’s roads review found that “The current road system… provides adequate access to timber stands needing silvicultural treatment.”
The Forest Service Roads Analysis directs it to “reduce the number of road/stream crossings and the amount of roads occurring within 100 feet of streams… [PRFP Objective 3.0.C, Objective 12.0.A and PRFP Objective 12.1.A(b)],” and to “Move roads out of areas such as riparian areas… [PRFP Objective 12.0.A and PRFP Objective 12.1A(d)]” (emphasis added)
The proposed construction of NFSR 5014 includes building a new system road in a riparian zone and across a stream, directly in opposition to the recommendations of the Roads Analysis.

Issues:

The proposed road construction violates the Forest Plan and the National Forest Management Act (NFMA), which directs the Forest Service to close or modify roads to limit environmental impacts.
Building NFSR 5014 runs contrary to the implementation of the Greenwood project, which did “not propose to construct any new Forest System roads and will not require a commitment of additional future funds for maintenance actions.”
The proposed road construction fails to consider financial costs and commitments. When we asked for this information, the response was that “(C)ost-benefit considerations are outside the scope of this road construction project.”
The current budget of the Daniel Boone National Forest cannot meet maintenance requirements of the existing road system, much less new roads. The Travel Analysis Process Report (TAP/TAR) for the Stearns Ranger District was produced in 2016 and signed in 2017 by District Ranger Reed and Supervisor Olsen. The report states that the Stearns District requires an estimated $248,780 annually to maintain and repair roads, culverts, and bridges, but typically receives only $92,626 to meet those needs.
The timber is already marked for sale, despite not having an access road to it. We previously raised how unfortunate it is that the Forest Service assumed a road easement acquisition during the development, analysis, and approval of the Greenwood project in 2017. In retrospect, that analysis should have considered what course of action the agency should take if that access was not granted. It is now evident that the Forest Service compounded its problems by continuing to sink resources into the marking, planning, and possibly preparation of the timber sale without having access.

And these issues are just the tip of the iceberg. A more detailed analysis can be found by reading our formal objection below.

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FOR THE FOREST!
Lauren Kallmeyer, Executive Director