With a new forest management plan now in the works for the Pisgah and Nantahala national forest, Brent Martin, regional director of The Wilderness Society, will speak on the subject 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19, at the Macon County Public Library.

The talk, sponsored by the Southern Appalachian Plant Society, is titled “How Can We Protect the Future of our Plant Communities?”

The new national forest plan will govern the management of more than 1 million acres of national forest in Western North Carolina for decades to come. The task of balancing preservation of plants, animals and their varying environments with demands of recreation, logging and other uses is not an easy one and has drawn heated opinion. See page 16 for the latest updates on the Forest Management Plan.