Name: New federal plan could open parts of western NC forests to logging
Uploaded: 2023-01-16T19:04:00-0500
Duration: 188556
Description: North Carolina's Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests are among the most visited in the country. The future of roughly half of the combined forests is now in the hands of the U.S. Forest Service after eight years of arguments about its highest and best use.

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North Carolina's Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests are among the most visited in the country. The future of roughly half of the combined forests is now in the hands of the U.S. Forest Service after eight years of arguments about its highest and best use.

<p>AND THE WRAL APP ON YOUR TV OR STREAMING DEVICE. NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS AND KNOWN FOR THAT REASON. A PART OF THE ROLLING VIEWS. THESE TREES ARE PART OF THE NANA HALA AND PISGAH NATIONAL FOREST AND BETWEEN THEM. &gt;&gt; THEY COVER MORE THAN A MILLION ACRES IN 18 COUNTIES IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. THE NEXT FEW DAYS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WILL ANNOUNCE ITS LATEST MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE FOREST. WRO CAPITOL BUREAU CHIEF LAURA LESLIE REPORTS TENS OF THOUSANDS OF ACRES OF OLD GROWTH FOREST COULD BE OPEN FOR LOG. &gt;&gt; IDENTIFY AS I FEEL CALM. YOU MIGHT BE SURPRISED TO LEARN THAT LOGGING IS ALLOWED AND NATIONAL FOREST. BUT AS PART OF THE REASON THEY WERE CREATED MORE THAN A CENTURY AGO, I'M LIKE NATIONAL PARKS WHICH ARE PROTECTED UNDER THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL FORESTS ARE UNDER THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. ONE OF THE STATUTORY PURPOSES FOR HAVING NATIONAL FOREST. THIS GOES BACK TO THE VERY BEGINNING. &gt;&gt; PUBLIC PLANS AND THE IN THE U.S. IT IS FOR TIMBER HARVEST. SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN A PART OF NATIONAL FOREST MANAGEMENT SINCE THE BEGINNING. SAM EVANS IS AN ATTORNEY AT THE SOUTHERN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW CENTER. ONE OF THE MANY GROUPS WHO OBJECTED TO A U.S. FOREST SERVICE PROPOSAL TO ALLOW MORE LOGGING IN THE OLD GROWTH AREAS OF THE NET. A LEFTIST OF FOREST. &gt;&gt; IT'S PART OF THE LATEST FOR US PLANT, WHICH IS A BLUEPRINT FOR HOW THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT INTENDS TO MANAGE IT. SO THIS &gt;&gt; BESIDES THE NEXT 3 WHERE THE LOGGING WILL OCCUR, HOW MUCH WILL OCCUR AND WHAT PLACES WILL BE PROTECTED? WILL HARLAN WITH THE CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY SAYS NAT A LEFTIST? THE IS THE MOST POPULAR NATIONAL FOREST IN THE COUNTRY. &gt;&gt; HE SAYS HIS GROUP DOESN'T OPPOSE ALL LOGGING, BUT THE LATEST PLAN WOULD PUT 45,000 ACRES OF OLD GROWTH FOREST AT RISK, INCLUDING SOME OF THE BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY IS MOST FAMOUS VEST AS LIKE CRAGGY SCENIC OVERLOOK THOUSANDS OF MILES OF HIKING AND BIKING TRAILS ARE ATTRACTING MILLIONS OF VISITORS. &gt;&gt; WATERFALL WONDERLAND, SAND RARE SPECIES. THIS IS A GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY. HOTSPOT. SO WHEN YOU PUT ALL OF THOSE THINGS TOGETHER, THIS FOR US IS FAR MORE VALUABLE STANDING THEN CUT DOWN. HOWEVER, IT'S ALSO VALUABLE TO THE TIMBER INDUSTRY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. &gt;&gt; JOHN HATCHER WITH THE NC FORESTRY ASSOCIATION SAYS IN THE PAST THE FOREST SUPPORTED LOGGING JOBS. BUT IN RECENT DECADES, NATIONAL FOREST MANAGERS HAVE ALLOWED FEWER TREES TO BE CUT. A LOT OF BUSINESSES. &gt;&gt; A LOT OF INDUSTRIES THAT GO OUT OF BUSINESS DUE TO THAT LACK OF HARVESTING THE NATIONAL FOR HATTERAS AS THE NET TO HELP HIS THE FOREST CAN EASILY SUPPORT A BALANCE OF RECREATION CONSERVATION AND TIMBER HARVESTING. &gt;&gt; HE SAYS MANAGE LOGGING CAN ALSO HELP LOWER THE RISK OF DISEASE AND CATASTROPHIC WILDFIRE. THIS IS NOT A RIGHT TO SERVE. &gt;&gt; JUST HARVESTING TIMBER FOR THE SAKE OF DRIVING A CROSSING AND LATE IN THE LANDSCAPE. VERY BEST THAT FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH. MAYBE IT SHOULD BE A GOOD PART OF SYSTEM. LAURA LESLIE WRAL, NEWS, RALEIGH. &gt;&gt; THE U.S. FOREST SERVICE DECLINED SEVERAL REQUESTS FOR AN INTERVIEW. THIS PLAN HAS BEEN DELAYED SEVERAL YEARS DUE TO THE PANDEMIC AND THE RECORD NUMBER OF PUBLIC OBJECTIONS TO THE DRAFT PROPOSAL. THE FINAL</p>

Mark Bergin

Laura Leslie

Richard Adkins

New federal plan could open parts of western NC forests to logging

Appalachia,Appalachian Trail,Blue Ridge Parkway,Forest Plan,NCCapitol,U.S. Forest Service,USDA,WRAL specialists,logging

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I'm meteorologist, Elizabeth Gardner. It's going to be an interesting week for us. We're going to have a very summerlike pattern. It's going to be hot and humid, but a lot of cloud cover and a good chance for afternoon and evening storms. Some of those likely to be severe. We don't have as great a chance today, but it's not a zero chance that chance goes up for the next several days as we have a level one risk for both Tuesday and Wednesday, that chance may go up even higher on Thursday. Let's take a look. You can see a cluster of thunderstorms coming through Tennessee toward the mountains of North Carolina. We're going to see some of that rolling through here later on this, uh, this afternoon and evening, uh, check in Futurecast, heading out the door. We've had fairly quiet conditions. Um, you can see a little bit of sun there at lunch time and that will set the stage for a better chance for storms. Any sunshine that we see will energize the atmosphere and, uh, make it an even better recipe for scattered storms you can see there, uh, between three and five o'clock scattered thunderstorms that continues on through the evening, past midnight, tomorrow morning, we may end up with a few isolated showers and then some scattered thunderstorms on through the afternoon. This version of Futurecast doesn't show as much coverage but previous runs certainly have. So we are looking certainly at that chance for some scattered storms. We have that chance all the way through Friday. The biggest event may come with a cold front late Thursday into early Friday and we'll be watching the timeline for that gets closer. Highest this afternoon, mid to upper eighties. 84 in Raleigh, 83 in Durham, 88 in Fayetteville. Our muggy meter is climbing. It seems so early for this. We have yet to hit seventies with our dew 0.70 dew point really feels sticky. It's going to feel like the middle of July or August for us by mid to late week. But by Friday, we see much cooler air coming in behind Thursdays front and our due points drop back into the fifties. That's going to feel so much better. But 87 tomorrow, 90 Wednesday, 88 Thursday, that front though even though it may bring some humidity and some storms with it behind it, it will deliver some cooler drier air. Saturday looks phenomenal. At 74 morning, lows are back into the fifties Mother's Day. Just a small chance of thunderstorms otherwise very pleasant.

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Loved ones are gathering for a memorial service for Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas M. "Tommy" Weeks Jr.

GRACE WAS DRIVING WITH A REVOKED LICENSE AT THE TIME. >> RIGHT NOW, FAMILY AND FRIENDS ARE SAYING A FINAL GOODBYE TO ONE OF THE OFFICERS KILLED DURING THE SHOOTING IN CHARLOTTE LAST WEEK. WR IS NO KLEIN IS HERE WITH HOW THOSE WHO KNEW HIM BEST ARE REMEMBERING DEPUTY THOMAS WEEKS. KNOW, JEFF, WE HAVE HEARD A LOT ABOUT DEPUTY U.S. MARSHAL THOMAS WEEKS KNOWN BY THOSE WHO KNEW HIM BEST AS TOMMY. THE MEMORIAL SERVICE HONORING HIS LIFE AND SACRIFICE STARTED THIS MORNING AT ABOUT 10, 30. IT CONTINUES AT THIS HOUR. THIS IS A LIVE LOOK INSIDE. WE JUST HEARD FROM HIS WEEK WIFE KELLY WHO SPOKE ABOUT WHO HE WAS AS A HUSBAND. SHE SAID HE ALWAYS WANTED TO HOLD HER HAND. WEEKS IS SURVIVED BY HIS WIFE AND 4 CHILDREN. HE WAS WITH THE U.S. MARSHAL SERVICE FOR 13 YEARS. ALSO WORKED 8 YEARS FOR CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION. I WANT TO PLAY NOW PART OF HIS WIFE'S EULOGY. SPEAKING ABOUT TOMMY HAS JUST A GREAT FATHER. >> HE WAS A LOVING FATHER. TO NOT ONLY TO HIS KIDS, BUT ALSO HIS STEPCHILDREN. HE ENJOYED EVERYTHING FROM WATCHING. PATRICK WHEN HE WAS PERFORMING. TO HIS NIGHTLY GOOD. NOT HUGS AND I LOVE YOU TO ACT. HE WOULD MAKE DUNKIN DONUTS RUNS FROM MCKINSEY EVEN AFTER MOM SAID NO. ANY TO BRADY TO DC TO SEE US FIRST CAPITALS GAME YEARS. U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL MERRICK GARLAND ALSO SPOKE AT THE SERVICE REFLECTING ON WHAT HE'S LEARNED ABOUT TOMMY FROM HIS COLLEAGUES. >> OUR OWN SAID AFTER HE SPOKE WITH WEEKS, HIS WIFE ON THE PHONE LAST WEEK, SHE ASKED WHAT HE NEEDED FROM HER TO SUPPORT THE MARSHAL SERVICE DURING THIS TIME LAST WEDNESDAY, PROCESSIONAL KERRY WEEKS, BODY FROM THE MEDICAL EXAMINER'S OFFICE TO THAT FUNERAL HOME IN MORRISVILLE. WE HAVE INFORMATION ON THE OTHER 3 OFFICERS KILLED THAT DAY AND WHO THEY WERE. YOU CAN FIND THAT OVER ON WRAL DOT COM. SO SAID WE'RE TALKING ABOUT

Memorial service for Deputy US Marshal killed in Charlotte

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Good evening. I'm Roxy Garity. Welcome to tonight's drawings for Sunday. May 5th, 2024. Let's get started with Carolina pick 31. Is your first number. Second number zero. Third number is two and our pick three. Fireball number is nine. Joining me for tonight's strong as our auditor from the Con and Jones L LP. Now let's move to Carolina pick for your first pick. Four. Number is six. Second number seven. Third number two. Fourth number is here. It comes it zero. And our pick for fireball number is three turning now to the Carolina cash five. If no one wins the top prize tonight, tomorrow's top prize is estimated at $354,000. Your first cash five number is 38 2nd number 21. 3rd number four. Fourth number is 16, 5th and final number tonight. 18, the North Carolina Education Lottery has contributed over $10 billion to education. Thanks for your support. Get your winning numbers every night right here on your exclusive station for the lottery. Thanks for playing and good night.

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>> ACROSS AMERICA WITH MEGA JACKPOTS, IT'S MEGA MILLIONS. >> GOOD EVENING. A MAJOR WOFFORD IS FRIDAY MAY 3RD AND TONIGHT'S MEGA MILLIONS JACKPOT IS AN ESTIMATED AT NEAR TICE 284 MILLION DOLLARS TO WIN THE JACKPOT. YOU MUST MATCH ALL 5 WHITE PLUS THE GOLD MEGA BALL. SO GET YOUR TICKETS. OUR FIRST NUMBER TONIGHT IS 13 AFTER THAT. YOU HAVE 53. THAT'S ALL MY 15 UP NEXT IS 56. AND FINALLY, 6 ENOUGH YOU'RE MAKING. YOU'RE MAKING ALL NUMBER IS 11 OR 13. 53 15, 56 6. AND THE MEGA BALL IS 11 NOW FEELING MATCHES ALL 6 NUMBERS. TUESDAY'S JACKPOT COULD BE MORE

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Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department holds a processional and memorial service for fallen officer Joshua Eyer. 

New federal plan could open parts of western NC forests to logging

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New federal plan could open parts of western NC forests to logging

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Watch live: Processional and memorial service for fallen officer Joshua Eyer