Feb. 5, 2007: For the second year in a row, the
Bush administration has proposed selling off up
to 300,000 acres of national forests and other public
land to help pay for rural schools and roads.
This is part of President Bush's FY2008 budget.
In Virginia, there is a slight drop from 5,718 acres last year to 5,392 acres this year. Three parcels were dropped this time around. Those include 205 acres in Giles County, 121 acres in Roanoke County, and 2 acres in Augusta County.
Please contact your Congressman to oppose this sell off of our public lands!
In his FY 2007 Budget, President Bush proposed selling
300,000 acres of our National Forest lands, 5,717 acres in
Virginia, in an effort to reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools
program for another five years.
On October 30, 2000, Congress signed the
"Secure Rural School and Community Self-Determination Act of
2000" and commonly known as Payments to States.
In general, the federal government is not
making money off of timber sales. Timber sale money has been
shared with counties to be used for schools and roads. This 2000
Act was entended to stabilize payments to counties. To continue
this program, President Bush wants to sell off portions of our
National Forest lands.
The Forest Service published the notice for public comment in the Feb. 28, 2006 Federal Register. You may submit your comments by e-mail to SRS_Land_Sales@fs.fed.us
, by fax to (202) 205–1604, or by mail to USDA Forest Service, SRS Comments, Lands 4S, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., Mailstop 1124, Washington, DC 20250– 0003.
March 30, 2006: Forest Service extends comment period on sale of National Forest lands. New deadline for public comments is May 1, 2006. Federal Register Notice of Extension
VAFW's Sherman Bamford's Op-Ed Commentary: "National Forest Land Sell-off is a Mistake" (Added March 16, 2006)
View Maps of National Forest
lands up for sale.
National
Forest lands in Virginia, which are up for sale
Updated for FY2008 Budget Proposal
|
| FOREST |
TRACT NAME OR NUMBER |
COUNTY |
ACRES (GIS) |
REMARKS |
| GW/Jefferson |
L-14g |
Alleghany |
107.35 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
L-14n |
Alleghany |
109.14 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
S-18f |
Augusta |
2.08 |
Not included
in FY2008 sell off. |
| GW/Jefferson |
J-1101c |
Bland |
920.73 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
J-1101d |
Bland |
568.29 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
J-1101e |
Bland |
141.13 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
J-600 |
Botetourt |
389.65 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
J-136-II |
Craig |
28.30 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
J-550j |
Dickenson |
13.24 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
J-550k |
Dickenson |
52.66 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
J-729 |
Giles |
205.14 |
Not included
in FY2008 sell off. |
| GW/Jefferson |
J-245 |
Lee |
182.99 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
J-253 |
Lee |
31.80 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
J-381 |
Montgomery |
68.26 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
J-583 |
Montgomery |
28.58 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
J-602a |
Montgomery |
76.54 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
J-605b |
Montgomery |
111.31 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
J-632 |
Montgomery |
105.48 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
J-329 |
Roanoke |
121.12 |
Not included
in FY2008 sell off. |
| GW/Jefferson |
J-133c |
Rockbridge |
0.25 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
J-133c-I |
Rockbridge |
33.65 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
J-526 |
Rockbridge |
64.47 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
J-1059 |
Scott |
329.58 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
J-1i |
Scott |
127.38 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
J-5e |
Scott |
168.29 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
J-5f |
Scott |
34.35 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
J-7b |
Scott |
75.77 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
J-1052 |
Smyth |
105.19 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
J-1060 |
Smyth |
302.81 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
J-1247a |
Smyth |
60.33 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
J-1247b |
Smyth |
204.94 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
J-1247c |
Smyth |
150.42 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
U-220 |
Smyth |
200.57 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
U-220-I |
Smyth |
10.09 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
U-409 |
Smyth |
307.00 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
J-1060 |
Tazewell |
10.05 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
J-1101c |
Tazewell |
0.76 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
J-1247a |
Tazewell |
0.13 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
J-1247b |
Tazewell |
1.05 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
J-512 |
Wise |
1.10 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
J-550i |
Wise |
50.29 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
J-550n |
Wise |
16.13 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
J-550o |
Wise |
19.99 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
J-550p |
Wise |
45.12 |
|
| GW/Jefferson |
J-530c |
Wythe |
133.36 |
|
| |
|
|
5,717 |
|
More info:
Dr. M. Rupert Cutler statement on Bush Administration proposal to sell National Forest lands.
Read the Feb. 14, 2006 Roanoke Times Editorial "Give Bush an acre, and he'll take a
forest".
American Lands: National
Forests Up for Sale to the Highest Bidder
Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition: US
Forest Service Land Sales – Moving in the Wrong Direction
The Wilderness Society: Bush
Budget Puts Our Public Lands on Blue-Light Special
U.S. Forest Service website: http://www.fs.fed.us/land/staff/rural_schools.shtml
