POPLAR, N.C. (828newsNOW) — The United States Forest Service have canceled a logging project in the Pisgah National Forest after public outcry and a lawsuit filed by local conservation groups. According to the suit, the U.S. Forest Service had begun logging in the area under the guise of debris removal without proper documentation or public approval.

Legal action was pursued by the Southern Environmental Law Center, on behalf of the environmental nonprofit group MountainTrue and the Center for Biological Diversity, in November. According to the SELC, the U.S. Forest Service removed their logging equipment from the site just days after the lawsuit was filed.

In response, the conservation groups voluntarily dismissed their lawsuit on Monday, Dec. 15.

“The agency has described the logging as intended to remove storm debris, but much of the project area is healthy, intact forest. When conservation groups asked the Forest Service to limit logging to portions of the area with storm damage, the agency refused, prompting the lawsuit,” SELC explained in a press release. “Shortly after the lawsuit was filed, the Forest Service stopped the logging operation and loggers removed their equipment from the site. Fewer than 20 acres were logged on the 120-acre tract, and logging stopped before it impacted the healthy, intact portion.”

The logging took place in the Nolichucky Gorge, an ecologically diverse section of Pisgah National Forest home to several endangered species of flora and fauna. The logging was brought to the attention of the conservation groups after unannounced work at the site was detected by local residents.

Conservation conversations continue

In the SELC press release, representatives from each conservation group shared their response to the U.S. Forest Service’s retraction.

“North Carolina’s national forests are full of natural wonders that support local economies and are sources of immense pride for nearby communities. Public notice, transparency and accountability are the absolute bare minimum of what the Forest Service owes our communities before it opens these forests for logging,” said Sam Evans, leader of the SELC National Forests and Parks Program. “As long as the Forest Service refuses to do even that bare minimum, we are going to continue to haul them into court.”

“One of the country’s wildest gorges was spared additional harm because local communities spoke up. They saved an exceptional forest, imperiled wildlife and a world-class river,” said Will Harlan, Southeast Director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Unfortunately, wild places will continue to be targeted by this administration, so we will continue standing shoulder-to-shoulder with communities to protect beloved forests and rivers.”

“Unfortunately, it seems like this hide-the-ball strategy is becoming more and more common with the Forest Service, leaving the public and nearby communities in the dark about what is happening on our incredible shared public lands,” said Josh Kelly, Resilient Forests Program Director at MountainTrue. “We encourage folks to keep an eye out and to reach out to local conservation organizations if you see something concerning.”

Read our previous reporting here.