The Trump Administration continues with its onslaught against the Allegheny National Forest. The overall picture of logging projects approved and proposed by the Trump Administration is daunting – and clearly requires the production of an Environmental Impact Statement. In total 16,514 acres will be affected – far in excess of the legally allowable cutting limits.

This includes the group of massive clearcuts ranging from 40 acres to 1,471 acres in size. This is unprecedented both in quantity and scale.

The Laurel Run Logging Project is just the latest in this onslaught. It would result in clearcutting 1,110 acres in a southwestern portion of Allegheny National Forest. This area has been habitat to species like Northern Goshawk as well as providing important water quality protection to the Clarion River and the species recovering there.

As with other projects, the US Forest Service hopes to propagate commercial tree species such as black cherry over biodiversity. They will use toxic herbicide chemicals and nitrogen based fertilizers to manipulate species composition. Black cherry is already overpopulated making up at least 31 times more of the forest than it did naturally.

Comment Here on the US Forest Service website or write to Josh Bridge, Acting District Ranger, Marienville Ranger District, 131 Smokey Lane, Marienville, PA 16239.