The Inter-Mountain photos by Edgar Kelley A group of activists and community members were joined by several organizations Monday at the Monongahela National Forest Headquarters in Elkins for a protest against a planned project at the Upper Cheat River Project Area.

ELKINS — A group that gathered to protest a planned project for the Upper Cheat River Project Area Monday at the Monongahela National Forest Headquarters on Sycamore Street were met by a group of counter-protesters.

The 86,138-acre project area is located north of Parsons and encompasses 33,991 acres of National Forest System land within the Upper Cheat River watershed.

According to U.S. Forest Service documents, the purpose of the project is to improve forest health and age class diversity, improve wildlife and fish habitat, restore soils and riparian corridors, and provide a network of sustainable roads.

As part of the project, commercial regeneration harvests (clear cuts) have been proposed for 3,647 acres dispersed among about 140 separate units  throughout the project area.

 Activists and community members joined the West Virginia Chapter of Sierra Club, Speak For the Trees Too, Friends of Blackwater, West Virginia Highland Conservancy, and West Virginia Environmental Council Monday to voice their opposition against the project Monday in Elkins.

“This year West Virginia has suffered the effects of flooding from extreme weather — a trend that will only get worse as climate change intensifies in the decades ahead,” said Sierra Club member Jim Kotcon. “Clear-cuts planned on the Upper Cheat Headwaters would remove trees on steep slopes, which increases the risks of flooding.

“Cutting down these trees makes no sense, especially because they are the best at fighting climate change by sequestering carbon. The answer is literally standing right in front of us — we need to preserve these trees.”

The group of counter-protesters, however, support the planned project.

Eric Carlson, executive director for West Virginia Forestry Association, rallied a group to come together and show support for the proposed project at the Forestry Headquarters Monday.

“The reason we are here today is because this forest for the last several decades has not had the kind of attention in needed in order to improve and make it a healthy forest,” Carlson told The Inter-Mountain.

“In this latest project that has been proposed, it is an area where they are going in and try to restore some upper highland spruce forests, restore the old forest that has been there, and to regenerate the forest in a good condition to try an deal with some of the non-native species. It’s a very light treatment, they’re are only going to treat about 3% of the project area that is under consideration.”

Carlson, who represents forest owners, loggers and manufacturers that produce wood for product of all types, said companies are going to spend millions of dollars for the right to work with the Forest Service to acquire the timber harvesting of the wood.

“Up to 25 % of the money comes back to our counties for schools and roads to educate out children here, so we think that’s really an important connection to the community,” Carlson said. “Just look around Elkins. a lot of the jobs here are with the flooring plant, the saw mills and the cabinet factories.”

For more information on the proposed project, visit www.fs.usda.gov.