Josh Kelly is the Resilient Forests Program Director for MountainTrue, an Asheville-based nonprofit that champions resilient forests, clean waters, and healthy communities across the Southern Blue Ridge.
MountainTrue and Josh are also strong advocates for keeping the Roadless Rule, a 25-year-old policy that protects some of our nation’s wildest public lands.
Adopted by the Clinton administration, the Roadless Rule aimed to preserve relatively undeveloped forests by restricting road construction and timber harvesting across a wide swath of the National Forest System.
This August, the Trump administration formally proposed repealing the rule, opening a public comment period that runs through Sept. 21. The administration argues that eliminating those restrictions would give local forest managers more flexibility to reduce wildfire risks and improve forest health.
But environmental and conservation groups are sounding alarms, arguing that repealing the rule could actually increase wildfire risk. They also warn that repeal could lead to more logging and road construction that threaten landscapes, wildlife habitat, and important watersheds.
Here in Western North Carolina, more than 150,000 acres of roadless land are protected in the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests. That includes forests around beloved places like Graveyard Fields, Craggy Mountain, and South Mills River, just to name a few.
MountainTrue is urging people who oppose the repeal to take action and submit public comments on the proposal before the comment period closes.
A native of Madison County and graduate of UNC Asheville, Josh has spent much of his career working on public lands and forest conservation in Western North Carolina.
In this episode, Josh explains why he opposes repealing the Roadless Rule and walks us through some of the science around wildfire. We talk about the connection between roads and wildfire, as well as the challenges of building roads in undeveloped forests. We also discuss what Josh sees as a larger debate over the role of the Forest Service.
Josh also discusses the National Park Service’s hazardous fuel debris removal project along the Blue Ridge Parkway; plans for the Craggy Mountain National Scenic Area; what a healthy Southern Appalachian forest actually looks like; and how growing up in Madison County helped shape his relationship with these mountains.
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Theme Music
The song “Goa” was written by Lyndsay Pruett and performed by the Jon Stickley Trio.