Forest Service Update

CHATTAHOOCHEE NATIONAL FOREST BLUE RIDGE RANGER DISTRICT

The Chattahoochee National Forest website can provide you with the latest information on recreation opening/ closing dates, campsite and pavilion reservations, land management activities, and even future proposed activities. The website address is www.fs.fed.us/conf.

The Blue Ridge Ranger District is based out of Blairsville, Georgia and manages 302,000 acres of the Chattahoochee National Forest. The Ranger District includes National Forest System lands in Towns, Union, Lumpkin, Dawson, and those lands east of Highway 515 in Gilmer and Fannin counties. The district office phone number is 706- 745-6928 and office hours are 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday thru Friday. The office is closed on federally recognized holidays. To report an emergency, contact your county 911 office.

District Ranger Notes - By Alan Polk

We are in the midst of the recreation blitz of spring. Recreation areas are opening, Brasstown Bald is opening, thru-hikers are trekking the Appalachian Trail, ATV trails are open, and trout and wild turkey season is in full swing. Check our website @ www.fs.fed.us/conf for the latest information on trail and campground schedules.

Even with all that is occurring on a regular basis, we still have some big weekends ahead. One such event, the Tour De Georgia, will take place on April 25 and 26. The Tour, an internationally recognized bicycle race will be taking place the afternoon of April 25th along Highway 60 in Fannin, Union, and Lumpkin counties passing thru Woody Gap between 2 and 3 p.m. Meanwhile, in preparing for Saturday's finish at Brasstown Bald, State Highway 180 Spur from Jacks Gap to Brasstown Bald will be closed on April 25th at noon. This road will reopen at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 26 for people wanting to walk, ride a bicycle, or be shuttled up the mountain. Vehicle access to the parking lot will only be for those with proper credentials. A public shuttle will begin operating at 9 a.m. Saturday the 26th and continue until 2 p.m. or until event organizers determine it needs to be closed for safety purposes or as the race comes thru that section of the route. Spectators for the event are urged to arrive early and expect long delays when exiting the area. For more information about the race, its route, or the competition itself, you can contact race officials at http://www.tourdegeorgia.com/ .

Currently, we have contractors working on Whissenhunt ATV Trail System to accomplish some general maintenance. This trail system will be closed during the maintenance project. Another project that is underway is the Jake and Bull Mountain Trail Assessment. This equestrian and bicycle trail, located in Lumpkin County, is in need for maintenance. A specialized team will be evaluating the situation and make recommendations this month. This will enable us to seek funding that will enable us to address the situation.

On the forest health front, we continue to work in the Etowah River Watershed and marking trees that need removed to decrease the potential of Southern Pine Beetle and improve forest health conditions. In addition, we continue releasing predator beetles in areas that are impacted by the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid. We are also injecting some trees with a chemical to temporarily save trees that are infected.

Typically, each spring, we begin grading and mowing the sides of our roads. This district is responsible for approximately 500 miles of Forest Service System roads. Each year we try to provide maintenance to as many as possible, this year we anticipate providing some type of annual maintenance on more than 100 miles of roads.

And finally, we although our drought situation has somewhat eased, we are still experiencing impacts from stressed trees. Some trees have died because of the drought and caused roads to be temporarily blocked. When you find a tree that has blocked a road, please contact our office so that it can be addressed in a timely manner. Despite increased rainfall, we will remain in our spring wildfire season until May 15. Typically, green-up has occurred by this date and wildfire danger decreases.