Why the Forest Service is logging after Hurricane Helene -- and why some say it's a mistake

Why the Forest Service is logging after Hurricane Helene -- and why some say it's a mistake

Seattle, WA (Grist)

Why the Forest Service is logging after Hurricane Helene — and why some say it’s a mistake

In the months after Hurricane Helene leveled thousands of acres in Pisgah National Forest, John Beaudet and other volunteers cleared downed trees from the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. Chopping them up and moving them aside was back-breaking work, but essential to ensuring safe passage for hikers. So he was dismayed to learn that a section of the trail in western North Carolina could remain closed for more than a year because the National F…

Why the Forest Service is logging after Hurricane Helene — and why some say they should slow down

Of the nearly 800,000 acres of trees that Helene downed, about 187,000 lie in national forests. Salvage logging — a practice scientists and forest advocates have long questioned — is the Forest Service’s primary method of handling such a large disturbance.