Wilderness Facts

	Wilderness areas support a wide range of recreational activities including hiking, skiing, snow shoeing, hunting, fishing, rock climbing, bird watching, and even walking your dog! The only prohibitions are against motorized equipment (like chain saws) and mechanized transportation (like bicycles.)
	During the 1999-2000 public comment period for the current Forest Plan Revision, almost three quarters of the comments concerning Wilderness stated a desire for more Wilderness in the WMNF.

	In a 1998 survey of 1000 randomly selected New Englanders, 94% agreed that "remaining undisturbed forests on the WMNF should be protected." Only 32% agreed that economics should be the highest priority in forest planning. The survey was commissioned by the Forest Service and conducted by the University of Vermont. (This and other surveys are summarized by the Heritage Forests Campaign.)
	In 1998 and 1999, over 2000 people signed a local petition to "save Sandwich Notch" from the effects of impending timber harvesting.
	Total area of the White Mountain National Forest: 776,000 acres
	Total "timber base" in the WMNF: 345,000 acres
	Total Wilderness in the WMNF: 114,932 acres
	Size of the existing Sandwich Range Wilderness: 25,000 acres
	Total area of proposed Wilderness extensions: 32,700 acres
	Current "timber base" within the proposed extensions: 11,600 acres
	Fraction of NH timber harvest that comes from the WMNF: 2.1%

Please read about Wilderness Myths