In response, the Forest Service has added the areas and extended the public input period on its wilderness area inventory. The inventory is essentially a catalog of national forest areas that have characteristics of wilderness, and thus is the starting point for the Forest Service as it evaluates which, if any, areas to recommend for Congressional wilderness designation.

New wilderness designation is one of several issues in play as the Forest Service develops a new blueprint to guide management of the Pisgah and Nantahala over the next two decades.

The two left off initially were Overflow Wilderness Study Area in the Nantahala Ranger District and Bearwallow Inventoried Roadless Area in the Appalachian Ranger District. 

The comment period has been extended to Feb. 27 from its original deadline of Jan. 5.

So far, the U.S. Forest Service received more than 500 comments on the online mapping tool that shows the forestland and the management proposed for it in detail. 

The planning process started in spring 2013, and a final plan isn’t expected to be approved until August 2016. A draft plan with proposed alternatives is scheduled for completion in June. 

Comments can be submitted via the mapping tool at https://my.usgs.gov/ppgis/studio/launch/31595, emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Information on the forest planning process is at www.fs.usda.gov/goto/nfsnc/nprevision.