[Washington, DC] Three Southern states – Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina – asked the federal government Monday to protect hundreds of thousands of acres in national forests from road construction. The three states were the first in the nation to ask the Agriculture Department to use a new federal rule that governs whether roads can be built in pristine areas of national forests. Protection is essential to defend wildlife habitat, scenery and water quality, the states argued.

News notes are courtesy of Southern Forests Network News Notes
www.southernsustainableforests.org