- The plan fails to protect over 101,000 acres of most important conservation and recreation hotspots.
- More than 62% of the most popular forest in the country is in highest priority logging designations.
- The plan places 44,000 of acres of old-growth forests in highest priority logging designations.
- More than 65,000 acres of North Carolina’s Natural Heritage Areas are in the highest priority logging designations.
- The plan allows logging in the Appalachian Trail corridor, and protections for the trail are weakened.
- Logging is permitted in the National Historic Trail of Tears corridor.
- Parts of the Mountains to Sea Trail corridor are placed in the highest priority logging designation.
- The Bartram Trail corridor and the Benton MacKaye Trail are open to logging.
- Most of I Heart Pisgah’s 40 key conservation and recreation areas are placed in the highest priority logging designations, including 3,000 acres of the proposed Craggy National Scenic Area.
- Nearly all of the record-setting number of objections and public comments advocated for more protected areas, including unanimous bipartisan resolutions from the City of Asheville and Buncombe County Commission.
- More than 350,000 acres of Wilderness Inventory Areas were identified in the forest planning process, but the Forest Service included only 49,000 acres of recommended wilderness—less than 14%.

Protected Areas: F
The plan fails to protect over 101,000 acres of most important conservation and recreation hotspots. More than 62% of the most popular forest in the country is in highest priority logging designations.