Knob has multiple uses

Trees are dying in a stand of aspen near High Knob in southwestern Virginia. Because aspen is rare in the eastern United States, the Forest Service is developing a plan to sustain and regenerate the grove. A citizen group called the Clinch Coalition is working to protect headwater forests of the Clinch River, winning withdrawal of a timber sale this summer after warning federal officials of flood risks downstream. In addition to the two acres of aspen, other rare plants live in the forest and rare mussels in the upper Clinch, so the coalition has pressed lawmakers to designate a national recreation area around High Knob. Much of the forest there is actively managed for timber production, with burns, thinning and plantings used to boost yield, but the new designation would bring restraints on logging activity. Meanwhile, federal officials plan to build three new parking lots and three miles of new trails and improve five miles of trail near the campground and lake on High Knob. Nearby in the North Fork of Pound Roadless Area, federal officials proposed development of 21 new gas wells because the lease predates the 1997 roadless designation. Eleven miles of road and 12 miles of pipeline would be built to service the wells, and the draft environmental impact statement will be published in December and open for public comment.