Governor asks U.S. to restore protections for South Carolina ‘s forests

[South Carolina] Governor Mark Sanford today moved to reinstate protection on some of the most pristine areas of South Carolina ’s national forests. Sanford petitioned the federal government — which manages the Sumter and Francis Marion National Forests in South Carolina — to issue rules that would restrict road construction and timber harvesting on designated roadless areas within the national forest . Roadless areas provide some of the state’s premier wildlife habitat and outdoor recreation and harbor headwaters for many rivers. Roadless areas make up a tiny fraction of the nations’ public lands. In their scarcity, these few remaining wild places become even more valuable since they represent the least fragmented forests on America ‘s National Forest system. Governor Sanford joins the Governors of Virginia and North Carolina who have also filed petitions for protection of their state’s roadless areas.