Future of Medicine Bow Decided

Laramie, Wy – The Forest Service has made a decision on the future of the Medicine Bow National Forest. It requests Congress designate 28 thousand acres of new wilderness, and 28 miles of river as wild and scenic. It also sets aside over 400 thousand acres for possible logging.
Forest Supervisor Mary Peterson says that could produce 22 million board feet of timber a year. She says that's enough to support one or two mills and possible more depending on the number of shifts they run.
There are currently two mills operating in the area. A local conservation group says the Forest Service could have set aside enough timber for the mills and use more sustainable techniques like selective logging.
The final decision for the forest is set to go into effect by the end of February.