Welcome to The Kicker from Carolina Public Press, a North Carolina news show bringing you conversations with journalists, sources and newsmakers from across the state.
In this episode, we discuss:
In this episode, host Peter Kent and contributing environmental reporter Jack Igelman report on Graham County, N.C. The lives and livelihoods of Graham County residents in Western North Carolina are dramatically affected by the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests; nearly 70 percent of the county, which is home to 8,500 residents, is public national forest land. Graham leaders are participants in the update of the forest plan, which focuses on 1.1 million acres spanning nearly every mountain county in North Carolina. They have no choice.
“The forest can make us or break us,” said one county official.
Resources on the Nantahala, Pisgah forests:
Carolina Public Press has reported on this since 2014, including publishing more than 30 news stories and holding public forums and webinars on the process. You can find it all in the ongoing Forest Lookouts series.
What does it mean to Graham County? The national forest drives the economy.
But is this brand new to you? Need to start from the beginning? Here’s an overview from the U.S. Forest Service.
Want to read the pre-draft? These pieces have been made public.
And how is the forest today? Here’s the 2014 assessment of forest conditions and trends report mentioned by the U.S. Forest Service’s Michelle Aldridge.
Coming up on The Kicker
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