Bredesen opposes plan to sell part of national forest
“There are a lot of representatives who would lie down on the tracks to prevent this,” Bredesen said Thursday as he traveled to Montgomery Bell State Park for the state’s second annual Land and Water Forum.
The Forest Service announced plans two weeks ago to sell off 300,000 acres of public land to pay for rural schools and roads. It would be the largest sale of public lands in decades and could raise more than $1 billion. But it will require congressional approval.
The proposal includes 2,996 acres in 38 parcels in seven East Tennessee counties — all of which are part of the 640,000-acre Cherokee National Forest along the North Carolina border.
Bredesen expressed “disappointment and concern” about the proposal, calling it a shortsighted way to address the federal budget deficit.
Bredesen, a Democrat, said he and other governors would work with congressional delegations to slash the proposal.
Meanwhile, Bredesen is working to preserve tens of thousands of acres on the Cumberland Plateau that Bowater Inc. plans to sell. The South Carolina-based paper and timber giant wants to sell 250,000 acres of its holdings on the plateau and another 100,000 acres in the Tennessee Valley. State officials have identifed about 100,000 acres as critical for conservation purposes.
“I would like to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Bredesen said.
Bredesen has proposed pumping an additional $10 million into the state’s conservation trust fund for the effort. But that won’t be enough and he is seeking suggestions from the 40 nonprofit organizations attending the Land and Water Forum.